This Day in Business History: Starbucks opens its first doors in Seattle

March 30, 1971: Well before Howard Schultz walked into the picture, a small coffee shop with a name inspired by Moby Dick opened its doors in Seattle’s Pike Place Market for the first time. What started as a humble coffee shop has boomed since then into a monolithic organization which leads the industry. Today, it owns over 24,000 stores in 70 countries.

Sources: Starbucks Company Website, The Guardian

 

Read more from Goizueta Business Library’s collection:

 

It’s Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks

 

 

 

 

Grande Expectations: A Year in the Life of Starbucks’ Stock

 

 

 

 

Pour Your Heart into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information

https://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information/starbucks-company-profile

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/14/the-first-starbucks-coffee-shop-seattle-a-history-of-cities-in-50-buildings-day-36