Oh fer chrissake ... Starbucks is opening "stealth Starbucks stores" that appear to be local shops.

At 15th Avenue Coffee & Tea, there are no Frappuccinos, nor any other blended coffee drinks festooned with made-up Italianate names. Given the ceramic drip cones at the ready to make your drip-to-order brew, the daily 10 a.m. "cuppings" (kind of like wine tastings, but with coffee and no spitting), the stunning copper-detailed La Marzocco espresso machines, and the community table hewed of wood reclaimed from an old barn, blended coffee drinks would be the last thing you'd expect.

But this is "inspired by Starbucks." More accurately, this is Starbucks, but in stealth mode. And a first look at the new store concept -- which will be expanded in Seattle and then, perhaps, launched in other cities, each with their own local brand -- shows that in its search for authenticity, Starbucks borrowed heavily from its neighbors. Wooden theater seats lining the walls are reminiscent of those at The Red Chair Salon a few doors down. The brown façade is nearly the same shade as neighborly restaurant Smith. The hand-lettered chalkboard signs evoke southern neighbor Stumptown Coffee. Because it's the green modus operandi of Northwest cafes and coffee shops, customers are instructed to ask for their beverage in a mug.

More "local" touches, including pastries from Seattle's Fremont neighborhood Essential Baking Co.; special limited small-batch coffee and tea blends; live poetry readings, music, and actor line readings; and cheeses from Beecher's Handmade Cheeses will also be part of 15th Avenue Coffee & Tea's repertoire. Most notable are the beer and wine selections, which disappointingly include only one sorta-local brew from Oregon. Remnants of the Starbucks brand do shine through, despite the chalk and reclaimed furniture, conspicuously Tazo tea in simple silver canisters, and an unfailing cheeriness not seen in any of the independent coffee shops I've ever visited.

More:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/07/27/not-starbucks-inside-15th-avenue-coffee-and-tea/?icid=main|main|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailyfinance.com%2F2009%2F07%2F27%2Fnot-starbucks-inside-15th-avenue-coffee-and-tea%2F

Jesus that's horrible.

"My soul just died a little."

I mean, how can you possibly just wallow in fakery like this? Isn't the point of hip local cafes that they have a sort of original vibe? (Well, that and good coffee.)

That needs to be added to the list of Words That Need To Die, along with "staycation" and "tweets".

Same con pulled by the big wineries and breweries. Re-branding a corporate giant to look like an independent operation.

I drank "Killian's Irish Red" a couple of times until I went looking for in the liquor store and the helpful clerk said, "It's right over there, with the rest of the Coors".

I mean, with beer, you're just selling a product. If it's mass-produced AND delicious, then I'll still buy it. (See: Guinness)

But here, it's like a coffee shop from Disneyland, as though Coffeeland were sandwiched between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. :puke:

It's pretty easy to tell a "real" independent coffee shop from this type of look-alike. That said it sounds better than their other shops, at least for those of us who are less fond of sweetened milk drinks.

I mean, they kinda picked a bad place to kick off this effort, no?

The tempest goes on and on and on...

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/07/24/starbucks-new-look-15th-avenue-coffee-and-tea

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/07/24/starbucks15th-avenue-coffee-and-tea-the-protesters (Yes, actual protesters!)

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2009/07/20/new-neighborhood-coffee-shop-opens-friday

http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-072309-secretstarbucks,0,438156.story

Amazing.