SEATTLE – Starbucks has announced the creation of the Heritage Market, connecting three of the company’s most iconic and most visited stores and the partners (employees) who lead them, located at 1912 Pike Place (Starbucks original store), 1st & Pike and also 1st & University.
Together, these three distinct locations in Starbucks hometown of Seattle represent the company’s historic past, present, and its re-imagined future. The three stores will offer an elevated experience, steeped in the rich history of coffee, culture and connection that is synonymous with Starbucks.
Customers who visit these stores will enjoy the Starbucks Experience and also have the opportunity to engage directly with partners through unique coffee craft experiences, cultural immersions and educational opportunities.
Partners at these stores will be uniquely trained in the company’s heritage and hometown to offer regular tours and immersions for customers, and they will serve as ambassadors for the Mission and Values that are the foundation of Starbucks.
All partners in these locations will also be able to complete and become fully certified Coffee Masters as a part of their training and support. Starbucks highly coveted Coffee Master was recently reintroduced to recognize partners and celebrate their coffee passion as a symbol of Starbucks ongoing commitment to ensuring a sustainable future of high-quality coffee
The store is so beloved by Starbucks partners that two full-scale replicas, exact down to a creaky wooden floorboard near the bar, were built for the Starbucks Leadership Experience in Chicago in 2019 so 12,000 store managers and leaders could experience it. Howard Schultz, Starbucks chief executive officer, also starts many of his days with a visit to the Pike Place store.
Less than a block away, the 1st & Pike Starbucks store opened at the entrance to Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market in 2009. In the weeks ahead, this store will undergo slight renovations with planned upgrades and enhancements for a heritage-inspired design that harkens back to the mercantile spirit of Starbucks hometown roots while elevating both the partner and customer experience at this unique location.
Just last year, Starbucks opened its newest store concept, called Starbucks Pickup, at the corner of 1st & University. This location is designed for customers who order ahead and pay in the Starbucks app. The store is designed for customers on-the-go with the convenience of mobile ordering while also providing partners with a reimagined workspace to connect directly with customer. It’s focused on a convenient transaction model and a grab and go environment to meet the needs of our on-the-go customers while also offering partners a reimagined workspace to connect directly with customers.
This newly created Heritage Market offers new ways for partners to grow their career at Starbucks. It was through the direct feedback from partners that the concept was born. At these stores, partners not only encompass the timeless role of the barista, but they also hold a high responsibility of brand stewardship, coffee leadership and excellence in customer engagement.
Since the new Heritage Market was first announced to partners during the week of May 23, 2022, all current partners became eligible to apply to work in these locations, and those who have been selected will learn of their new role in these stores later this week. All current partners continue to have employment opportunity with Starbucks.
Partners have been selected through a competitive process to represent Starbucks in these three stores – offering an elevated pay structure for this more expansive role – and will work in all three locations that comprise the Heritage Market. Over the coming weeks, the stores at 1st & Pike and 1st & University will be temporarily closed while partners are hired and trained, and the necessary store enhancements are made to improve the customer experience.
Through listening and learning together as partners, Starbucks continues to believe it has a role and responsibility in creating a safe and welcoming third place, offering connection, community and care in a world that needs us to come together and support one another like never before. In Seattle and across the U.S., Starbucks continues to work with those who are focused on supporting safe and equitable communities.
The company’s Outreach Worker pilot program, which is currently active in eight cities across the country including in Seattle in partnership with Catholic Community Services, aims to support store partners in high-incident stores by connecting them to outreach workers who bring expertise in hyper-local social work and can support customers with critical needs, while decreasing non-critical reliance on law enforcement. The pilot program is offered in each of the Heritage Market locations, as well as more broadly in the district, with the intent to help ensure Starbucks stores remain a welcoming “Third Place” for all partners and customers. Further, Starbucks recently announced nearly a half a million dollars of investments throughout 2022 to help strengthen the company’s hometown and advance solutions to support those experiencing challenges like chronic homelessness in the greater Seattle region.
The Heritage Market comes on the heels of Schultz’s return as ceo of Starbucks, and a journey to reinvent the future of the company through co-creation with Starbucks partners. Starbucks recently announced $1 billion in additional partner and store investments this year, with a focus on modernizing training and collaboration, store innovation, and the celebration of coffee. As part of that commitment, the company has launched a series of collaboration sessions directly with partners, aimed to re-imagine the future of the company, together. The Heritage Market is a continuation and a celebration of that commitment.
