I visited Starbucks' first-ever store and was surprised at how many original touches it still has since opening in 1971
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- Starbucks has more than 30,000 locations around the world.
- I visited its very first one, which opened in 1971, on a trip to Seattle's Pike Place Market.
Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse chain in the world.
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The company has more than 30,000 locations around the world.
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It's headquartered in Seattle, where it opened its first store.
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On a recent trip, I visited this store, which is located in the city's famous Pike Place Market.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
It was around 9am when I visited, but visitors to the store were somewhat sparse.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
There was no line to get into the store, though there often is one.
I was immediately struck by the lettering on the windows announcing that the store sells cappuccinos, lattes, and espressos. I don't think I've ever seen a Starbucks storefront advertise its drinks like this since the company is so well-known today. It makes sense, though, that this one would, given that Starbucks wasn't yet a household name when this location opened in 1971.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
I was also surprised by the store's Starbucks logo. It's the original one from 1971, rather than the green-and-white logo commonly seen today.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
The original logo includes a full-body image of the company's iconic siren, as well as text bearing the Starbucks name and the fact that it sold coffee, tea, and spices.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
It's pretty different from Starbucks' current logo, which has ditched the words, changed color, switched to a half-length portrait, and moved the siren's hair from behind her back to over her chest.
Starbucks
Inside, the store looks more similar to other Starbucks locations.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
According to Starbucks, however, it measures roughly 1,000 square feet, which makes it a bit smaller than the company's average store.
There's a lot of Starbucks merch that's specific to this store, including mugs, pins, and a cute "bearista" teddy bear...
Sarah Jackson/Insider
...as well as reusable cups, tumblers, and ornaments.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
Here's a closer look at some of the merch.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
Since it's exclusive to this location, the merch features the store's original Starbucks logo.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
As a result, a lot of the merch follows the brown-and-white color scheme of the original logo, whereas Starbucks' regular merch at other stores is often more colorful.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
This special assortment is part of the "Been There" series' Pin Drop Collection.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
The series is also a fixture at Disney parks in the US, where Starbucks merch custom to the theme parks lets you show that you've "been there."
By the counter, there's a brass sign denoting the store's significance in the company's history.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
There's also a framed copy of a Pike Place Market shopping guide from 1973, as well as an original Starbucks one-pound bag coffee bag from 1971.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
Even the boxes at the store announce that the location is Starbucks' first.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
Right above the door, there's a giant sculpture of a pig covered in coffee beans.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
Named Pork 'n Beans, the pig was made for local competition Pigs on Parade in 2001 to fundraise for the Pike Place Market Foundation.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
The location has a handwritten menu, which I've seen at Starbucks stores less and less often over the years.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
There was one common Starbucks fixture missing from this store: food. In fact, this is one of the only Starbucks locations in the world without it.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
That's because the original lease forbade food sales, and the store has decided to stick with this rule as a sort of tradition.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
(This is according to a Starbucks post about this store.)
Customers can buy coffee beans in bulk at the store, and some of the brass labels identifying the blends are the same ones the store has been using for decades.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
For more than 10 years, the store only sold bulk coffee, tea, and spices until 1987, when it started selling brewed coffee and espresso drinks, according to the Starbucks post.
Alternatively, customers can take home pre-packed blends.
Sarah Jackson/Insider
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised how many original touches remain from the store's early years.
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I felt a greater sense of history just standing in the store than I had imagined I would feel. I see why tourists flock to this Starbucks location, and I'm glad I did so myself.
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