Starbucks inaugurated its first-ever upscale store in Capitol Hill, Seattle, that offers some of the rarest kinds of coffees from all over the world in a bid to generate more traffic for the coffee chain.
The first Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room opened its doors to coffee aficionados on Friday, selling only the company's limited reserve coffee.
The new upscale store features a restaurant, a bustling coffee factory and two coffee bars as well as a theater and a two-story library, all enclosed in a 15,000-square-foot tourist attraction in Seattle.
According to the Washington Post, the establishment also serves as a history museum for both Starbucks Corp. and coffee itself.
It will also act as the coffee chain's center for roasting, packing and shipping of over a million of their Reserve coffee products to different parts of the world.
Liz Muller, Starbucks's vice president of creative and global design, said that the upscale store was designed to "heighten all senses" of those who visit the shop.
"Each visit will bring new discoveries while setting the standard for what customers can expect for the future of retail," she added.
The idea of having a Starbucks "reserve" store, company CEO and founder Howard Schultz explained, was to create traffic for the coffee chain and make it a destination of customers on its own, independent from foot traffic.
"People are still longing for connection, and a sense of community, perhaps more so now that they are spending more time at their computers, or working from home," he stated, adding that the company is aiming to offer its customers "experience, rather than just a product."
Aside from Seattle, Starbucks also plans to establish its new upscale "reserve" stores in several other busy states, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York and San Francisco.