Clover

Featured Clover Starbucks: The Green Lake Starbucks (Happy 16th birthday today!)

by Melody on January 17, 2012

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Happy Sweet 16 Birthday Green Lake Starbucks!  This store first opened January 17, 1996, and so today is its 16th birthday!

The Starbucks along Green Lake Way in Seattle just recently had a major remodel, so I thought it would be fun to drop by and visit this store.  The store manager is “Yumi” and she welcomed me into the store and pointed out some of the fun aspects of the remodel.  This store is always busy.  It took me several visits to get some good photos.

The Green Lake area has grown and changed tremendously over the past 20 years, and in some ways Starbucks has always been a part of that.  When I first moved to Seattle, there was an active Vitamilk Diary within a couple blocks of the Green Lake Starbucks.  Every year, Green Lake has a tradition of a milk carton derby on the lake.  Contestants build objects that float – made solely out of milk cartons!  I assume that the tradition began because of the active diary within a few blocks of the lake.  In the past, Starbucks would contribute used milk cartons to participants, and set up a booth at the lake on the Milk Carton Derby day.

One unchanging aspect of the Green Lake neighborhood is that Gregg’s Cycle has been neighbors with this Starbucks for like 20 years.  (I think that the Gregg’s Cycle long pre-dates the Starbucks.)  I like how this Starbucks incorporates lots of cycle-related design features into the store.  There is a wall made out of bicycle tires, all donated by Gregg’s.  There is a lighting fixture designed from bicycle rims.  And the front of the store has stroller, and bicycle parking areas.

Some of the cool things to point out about this store include that it is a two story building, and has a great upstairs patio too.  The upstairs mural was designed with the neighborhood in mind, and is a typical scene from Green Lake.  One odd thing is that the wall adjacent to the stairs has the word “Chat” on it in metal lettering.  My understanding is that it was retained (and unchanged) from before the major remodel.  I don’t know the story behind the oddly large “chat” along the staircase wall.

The store’s remodel is definitely beautiful.  I tried to include a very large number of photos below to give you a sense of it.  Notice the custom chalk art on this Starbucks’ community board:  it’s very rich and beautiful looking.  This store looks very welcoming, and I like lots of the design aspects, including the light fixture produced from bicycle tire rims, but I have to admit that I had the passing thought that the store could’ve been more striking.  For example, the tire wall is solid black.  I would have liked to see Starbucks add some kind of design to that space.  And I enjoyed the tire rim lighting fixture, but I think I would have liked to see more than just one of them.  Having said all that, I still think this is a beautiful remodel, with beautiful wood tones in the espresso bar, and I like the velvety curtains too. 

Absolutely, I will easily recommend this store.  It is gorgeous.  And you will get a perfect drink from a friendly crew of partners.  Happy 16th birthday Green Lake Starbucks!  Drop by and tell me what you think of your experience!

All of the photos below were taken sometime between December 24, 2011, and January 2, 2012.

If you want to visit, the address is as follows:

Green Lake Starbucks
7100 East Green Lake Drive North
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 523 9594

Enjoy the photos!

 

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Coffee grounds with a blonde top! (A blonde on the Clover)

by Melody on January 13, 2012

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A regular reader of StarbucksMelody.com emailed me with this photo he took at his store, demonstrating the coffee-grounds “puck” from the Clover when a blonde roast coffee is brewed through the Clover.  I thought it was an interesting picture since the coffee grounds distinctly do have a blonde top to them!  I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that before.  I just wanted to share the photo here – it’s an interesting sight to see, and of course many of my readers are not located near Starbucks Clover brewers so would otherwise miss this.  Thank you Patrick for sharing your photo and letting me use it here!  No blonde jokes please! ;-)

I realize this is very short but I just wanted to pass this along.  A picture is worth a thousand words!

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Featured Clover Starbucks – 12th and Columbia in Seattle

by Melody on January 7, 2012

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Time for another store review! I decided to stop by the Starbucks on the corner of the 12th Avenue and Columbia, which is located near Seattle University in Seattle.  It added a Clover brewer last year (I think it was in the spring of 2011) and got its major remodel at about the same time as the major remodel.  The store first opened brand new on July 29, 2000.

I really had a great time visiting this store.  I didn’t know what to expect when I walked in, but it was a perfect visit.  I walked in and saw the store’s new design, and fell in love with the big clock on the wall.  I got some free brewed coffee in my special tumbler, and a slice of the lemon loaf.  I wasn’t in the store very long and I heard my name being called.  I recognized the voice immediately:  Tracy.  I’ve known Tracy, who is this store’s ASM, for going on five years.  She is a great partner.  I am not saying that having just met her once, but rather, I have been walking in and out of her stores for years.

When I first met Tracy she was a newer partner at the Pioneer Square Starbucks.  I recall asking the partners there, ‘Who coordinates the local art on display?‘ because I noticed that that store consistently did a great job of finding great local art.  As I recall, I was told, ‘Oh Tracy coordinates all that.‘  And that is how I met Tracy.  I think that was early 2008, or perhaps 2007.  From the Pioneer Square Starbucks, Tracy transferred to the International District Starbucks as a shift supervisor.  At that store, she continued the tradition of finding local art for the walls.  And now she is an Assistant Store Manager at this 12th and Columbia Starbucks.  She is awesome.  She is always knowledgeable and friendly, and she will be a great store manager some day.  We caught up for a few minutes, and I asked her how she liked this new store.  As it turns out, she says that this store has a surge of customers when school is in session, but when Seattle University is out on break, the store slows down dramatically.  She loves the store, and says the Clover does well.  This Starbucks visit was perfect.  By the way, Tracy is already very aware of the current Starbucks photography policy, so taking the photos for this blog article was not a problem at all.

The large clock on the wall was a design feature primarily considering that students are very often constantly thinking about getting to class.  There is one large community table in a corner adjacent to the Clover area.  I assume that table is a hot commodity for groups of students that meet here to study.

If you want to visit, here is the address:

12th & Columbia Starbucks (Store #3324)
800 – 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 329 8028

Enjoy the photos!

 

 

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Grand Opening: Starbucks opens a new Clover (and future beer and wine) store in Seattle

by Melody on January 2, 2012

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Today (Jan., 2, 2012) is the grand opening day for the most recent Starbucks location in Seattle.  It’s a beautiful 1800 square foot store in the South Lake Union neighborhood, and features a Clover, tall ceilings, friendly partners, and is slated to have beer and wine some time in the spring of this year.  I dropped by today and met up with the store’s manager, Janet, who knows me already from the Olive Way Starbucks.  She is absolutely wonderful. Janet is coffee-passionate, friendly, and knowledgeable.

This new store was designed in a similar vein to the Brewery Blocks Starbucks in Portland, Oregon, which is one of my favorite of the newer design styles.  It has a wall made from bicycle tubes, all sourced from local businesses.  I like the siren painted onto the wall.  There are few things I want to point out about this store.  The ceilings give you the impression you’re in a space much larger than its actual physical footprint, and Starbucks has wall murals, and/or wall art nearly all the way to the top of the ceilings.  Here’s a couple of photos kind of demonstrating the tall ceilings:

This store also has a very unique design when it comes to the pastry case, and the display of the ready-to-eat bistro boxes, and other refrigerated food offerings.  The pastry case is separate from the cold lunch  food, which is in a case embedded into a wall.  By the way, behind that wall is a very short hallway, the store’s community board, and access to the restrooms.

There already is a twitter page, in case you want to follow.  The ASM, Sarah, is the store’s official twitter voice:

Twitter profile for Starbucks at Terry and Republican

I attached a number of photos below so you can tour the store.  I noticed that this Starbucks has one of the copper-toned Clover machines, which I think is a very nice finishing touch.  Not all the Starbucks have that style (color) of Clover, and I think it is a nice finishing touch because it matches the look of the Mastrena espresso machine.

There is a small seating area in the very back of the store behind the espresso bar area, but it was too crowded with customers for any great photos of that area. However, I just want to point out that there is a little more seating than what it looks like at first glance, when you enter in the front doors.

The mural immediately behind the pastry case wall is a gorgeous floor to ceiling custom mural made just for this location.  I don’t have any great photos of it because of the narrow space and odd angle to try and photograph it.  But if you do visit this store, that’s something that should not be missed!

If you want to visit, here’s the address:

Starbucks store #15407
442 Terry Avenue North
Seattle, WA
(206) 467 4945

The store is located on the corner of Terry and Republican, and not far from the South Lake Union Trolley streetcar, which appears to run almost directly in front of the store.  Please come by and say hello to Janet (the store manager), Sarah (the ASM), and everyone else on this great team!

Enjoy the photos!

 

 

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Featured Clover Starbucks: 220th & Aurora Avenue in Edmonds, Washington

December 22, 2011

True story: Overheard in a Starbucks today: “Tell Howie he did a good job.”  Today (December 11, 2011), I decided to visit the Starbucks located at the intersection of 220th Street and Highway 99 in Edmonds, Washington.  It’s the only Clover Starbucks in Snohomish County (as far as I know.) Unlike most of my store [...]

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Featured Clover Starbucks – The International District store in Seattle (505 Union Station)

December 7, 2011
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It’s time to feature the Clover Starbucks in Seattle’s International District.  It is actually at 505 Union Station, which is not to be confused with “Union Street” in Seattle, which is not near this store.  In early September this year, the store went through a major remodel, and so I thought it would be fun to [...]

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A coffee event with Starbucks Cheesecake, Brown Butter Apple Tart, Ethiopia Harrar, and Aged Sumatra and more … all available at the elevated beer and wine stores.

November 22, 2011

The Olive Way Starbucks in Seattle held a dynamic coffee tasting this evening:  It was another world-class event.  The three coffees featured at this event were Starbucks Ethiopia Harrar, Aged Sumatra Lot 593, and Guatemala Antigua Santa Catalina.  The food pairings included the Starbucks “elevated food menu” offerings of New York Cheesecake, Brown Butter Apple [...]

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Downtown Olympia, WA Starbucks – Featured Clover store.

November 3, 2011
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In a small Starbucks store, tucked away between Legion Way and Capitol Way South, there is a Clover brewer in Olympia, Washington.  As many readers know, I am on a quest to visit as many Clover Starbucks as possible, so I decided to take a quick drive down to Olympia.  It’s only a little over [...]

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University Village Starbucks – The 2nd Starbucks ever. (Featured Clover store)

October 21, 2011

University Village Starbucks is the iconic store “302.”  The Pike Place Market store at 1912 Pike Place is “301.”  This gorgeous store has always been a Starbucks hub, even before University Village was an upscale shopping center!  This store has been there forever.  Well, actually it’s been there since September 1, 1972.  As I understand [...]

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Starbucks at 328 15th Avenue East in Seattle: The photos

October 7, 2011
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One store that I mention over and over again is the Starbucks at 328 – 15th Avenue East, in Seattle, Washington.  It started out as an experimental store called, “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea” and initially lacked the Starbucks branding.  Once in a while in the news, there would be stories of the “stealth Starbucks,” [...]

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