What is a Starbucks community store? (How does Starbucks connect with the community? + more information)

All organizations strive to connect with the communities they have established themselves in. Starbucks, an international coffee chain, connects with communities through community stores. So, what is a Starbucks community store?

Starbucks community stores are part of the company’s commitment to the communities where it does business and are designed to embrace the communities’ needs and create progress for disadvantaged areas.

One thing I love about Starbucks is that it does not concentrate on profits only but is also in pursuit of being good to people, communities, and the world at large. One of the ways Starbucks gives back to society is through community stores that are strategically placed in low-medium income communities to improve people’s livelihood and increase youth employment. Keep reading to learn more about Starbucks community stores and their purpose.

What is the purpose of Starbucks community store?

The purpose of Starbucks community stores is to create environments for Starbucks employees, who it terms as its partners, to engage with, connect and represent the regions they serve. Starbucks community stores’ primary aim is to uplift communities in ways that are relevant and align with the local community. The stores stand for the specific community; local partners, local contractors, and local love.

In the United States, community stores focus on finding helpful ways to provide economic opportunities in urban and rural communities through developing dedicated spaces for people to come together for events, hiring local people, working with diverse local contractors and sub-contractors, partnering with local artists, and supporting military families, veterans and other service members.

The community stores are designed to reflect and embrace the unique needs of the communities, and their purpose is to work in partnership with local nonprofit organizations with a proven record of fostering progress in disadvantaged communities. The stores are led by partners who connect and engage directly with the store’s goals. The partners offer dedicated and intentional experiences and services that support financial opportunities in communities.

Additionally, the stores are a vital strategy in accomplishing Starbucks’ objective of employing 10,000 Opportunity Youth people ages 16 to 24 years who experience systemic barriers to quality education and meaningful employment. Starbucks purposes to hire approximately 20-25 partners in every community store from the local community, thus, offering a new pathway to opportunity and success through meaningful employment options, training and development, and industry-top benefits that include the chance to get a tuition-free degree through the company’s college achievement plan. Thus, the stores provide the much-needed employment for the youths.  

Moreover, Starbucks, through its community stores, also purposes to collaborate with local minority-owned businesses, contractors, and women in designing and creating the stores. The company works with local suppliers and women to bring locally-grown food products to the shops.

Starbucks community stores worldwide include varying corporate models ranging from empowering coffee farmers, serving low-income, vulnerable, and under-resourced regions, supporting military and veteran communities, empowering women and youths, and creating significant impact in partnering with local nonprofit corporations.

Overall, Starbucks community stores’ purpose is to be part of the solution and help in creating a sustainable future for people in under-resourced communities.

When was the first Starbucks community store opened?

Starbucks opened its first community stores in 2011. As part of its commitment and dedication to the communities where Starbucks does business, it introduced a new store model in the neighborhoods of Crenshaw, Los Angeles, and Harlem, New York.

Since the pilot study was a success, Starbucks went ahead and planned to open more stores starting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the West Florissant neighborhood in Ferguson, Missouri; the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago’s south side; the Jamaica neighborhood in Queens, New York; and renovate its shop at 7th & Camelback in Phoenix, Arizona.

As of 2022, there are almost 150 Starbucks community stores worldwide that create an environment aimed at uplifting communities in locally appropriate ways. As part of Starbucks’ goal to continually enhance the well-being of people and communities globally, the company aims to open and dedicate approximately 1,000 community stores by 2030.

How does Starbucks use the community stores to connect with the community?

Starbucks uses community stores to connect with the community in different ways. The first way is by partnering with local nonprofit organizations that try to create progress for underprivileged regions. Starbucks contributes financially to these organizations and shares its business expertise to assist them in accomplishing their mission.

Another way that Starbucks uses community stores to connect with the community is by hiring locally and creating an environment for the local partners to engage with, connect and represent the communities they come from. The community store concepts are led by partners who directly connect with the store cause and work towards providing intentional programming that increases economic opportunities in their communities and pathways for themselves.

Additionally, Starbucks uses community stores to connect with the community by collaborating with local suppliers, contractors, and women, to create new economic resources and employment opportunities that will foster economic opportunities and growth into the future.  

How does Starbucks determine communities that are a good fit for the community store concept?

To determine the communities suitable for the community store concept, the company looks at the available data concerning the socio-economic health of the communities to know those with the largest opportunity gap. Starbucks partners with Measure of America (MoA) to utilize the Human Development Index (HDI) that better informs meaningful effects in underprivileged communities. HDI helps identify where Starbucks community stores can offer the most benefits and value and better serve under-resourced communities.

FAQ Section

How many community stores does Starbucks have?

There are 150 Starbucks community stores globally as of 2022.

Where is the first Starbucks community store located?

The two first Starbucks community stores opened in 2011 are located in the communities of Crenshaw, Los Angeles, and Harlem, New York.

Does Starbucks have a community?

Starbucks community includes its partners (employees), who the company affirms are the most important for the brand as they represent its image and customers.