With a new emphasis on innovative and environmentally-friendly design, the Seattle-based coffee chain has been appearing in unexpected locations across the globe.
The Seattle-based Starbucks coffee chain can be spotted on high streets around the world, thanks to its recognisable green awnings and distinctive mermaid-inspired logo. But in some markets, the coffee chain is taking its stores in a different direction.
With a new emphasis on innovative and environmentally-friendly design, Starbucks outlets have been appearing in unexpected locations, complete with unusual twists on the typical interior and exterior. While most menu items remain the same, here are some of the oddest spots where you can order a tall skinny half-caf with whip latte.
Inside a bank vault
In March 2012, Starbucks’ first European concept store opened within the renovated Amsterdamsche Bank in Amsterdam’s Rembrandt Square. Clocking in as the largest Starbucks in Europe (430sqm), the space includes a mural depicting the Dutch coffee trade, a wall made of recycled bike inner tubes and the vault’s original exposed concrete walls and 1920s marble floors.
The store has also been one of the first to test in-store baking, tweeting alerts when fresh croissants and cookies come out of the oven.
On the ski slopes
Good luck getting a car to this drive thru-ready Starbucks. Located mid-mountain (about 8,200ft above sea level) at northern California’s Squaw Valley ski resort, this “ski-up” store allows skiers and snowboarders to get their caffeine fix without taking off their equipment. The store, only open for the winter ski season (usually November through April), also offers indoor space for skiers who need to warm up or grab a bite to refuel.
In an old shipping container
The drive-thru and walk-up store in Tukwila, Washington, was built by recycling and stacking the shipping containers the company uses to transport its coffee across the world. The small 450sqft store was also the company’s first LEED-certified store in the Seattle area.
On Mainstreet in Disneyland
The Magic Kingdom in Anaheim, California, will open its first in-park Starbucks this autumn within the Market House on Mainstreet USA. The interior is set to look like a turn-of-the-century general store, and baristas will serve up usual Starbucks specialties along with Disney-themed pastries.