Palouse Coffee Club
Where was the first Starbucks?
The first Starbucks opened on March 30, 1971, at 2000 Western Avenue in Seattle, next to Pike Place Market in Washington State. It later moved one block to 1912 Pike Place, and that store is still open. So the famous Pike Place shop is the oldest Starbucks still operating, but it is not the building where the company started.
The sources differ by a year on the move. Wikipedia's Pike Place Market article dates it to 1977. Its Starbucks article gives the Western Avenue years as 1971 to 1976, and its article on the store itself says the shop stayed at Western Avenue for five years.
| The original site | The store people visit | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 2000 Western Avenue | 1912 Pike Place |
| Years | 1971 until the move in 1976 or 1977 | From the move to today |
| Still a Starbucks? | No | Yes, in continuous operation since the move |
Who founded it, and what it sold
Three founders opened the shop: Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker, who first met as students at the University of San Francisco. They took their lead from Alfred Peet of Peet's Coffee, and wanted to sell high quality coffee beans and brewing equipment.
The first Starbucks did not sell drinks. It sold whole bean coffee, tea and spices for people to brew at home, and for its first two years it bought its beans from Peet's. The name came from Moby-Dick: the founders remembered Starbuck, the chief mate in Herman Melville's novel, and Bowker said later that the sound of the word was what mattered.
From one bean shop to a chain
Howard Schultz joined in 1982 and pushed the company to sell brewed coffee. The owners wanted to stay a bean seller, so in 1985 Schultz left and started his own coffee bars, Il Giornale, modeled on the cafes of Milan. In 1987 the original owners sold Starbucks to Schultz, and he renamed his Il Giornale cafes Starbucks.
The same year brought the first stores outside Seattle, at Waterfront Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, and in Chicago. In August 1987 Dave Olsen, who had opened Cafe Allegro in the University District in 1975, became the company's head buyer and roaster. He helped develop a darker espresso roast, still lighter than the darkest roasts, that remains the standard Starbucks espresso. When Starbucks went public in June 1992 it had 140 outlets.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 17, 1907 | Pike Place Market opens |
| March 13, 1970 | The market's historic district joins the National Register of Historic Places |
| March 30, 1971 | Starbucks opens at 2000 Western Avenue |
| 1976 or 1977 | The shop moves to 1912 Pike Place |
| 1982 | Howard Schultz joins |
| 1985 | Schultz leaves to start Il Giornale |
| 1987 | Schultz buys Starbucks; first stores in Vancouver, BC and Chicago |
| June 1992 | Starbucks lists its shares with 140 outlets |
Visiting the Pike Place store
Expect a crowd. Wikipedia describes the store as a tourist attraction known for its crowds, kept close to its early look under design rules tied to the market's historic status. Starbucks groups it with two other locations within five blocks, which it calls the Heritage Market.
If you came to Seattle for coffee history, the first Starbucks is one stop. The independent side of that history is downtown too.
Independent Washington roasters near Pike Place
These cafes belong to independent Washington roasters we list as local favorites. Addresses are from each roaster's own pages, checked September 27, 2026. A listing does not mean the roaster is part of the club.
- Victrola Coffee Roasters runs a 3rd and Pine cafe at 300 Pine Street, Suite 100, in the Macy's building above Westlake Station, and another on Pine Street near 1st Avenue.
- Olympia Coffee Roasting has a downtown Seattle cafe at 1420 5th Avenue, Suite 103. Its coffee is roasted to order in Olympia.
- Caffe Vita has a cafe in the Smith Tower at 506 2nd Avenue, in Pioneer Square.
- Herkimer Coffee opened its 4th and Blanchard cafe, at 2101 4th Avenue in Belltown, in 2020.
Monorail Espresso, which began on December 1, 1980 as the first espresso cart on record, now pours from 510 Pike Street. For the full list of where to drink Seattle roasters' coffee, see our Seattle cafe guide, and for the dates around all of this, Washington State coffee history.
A bag from one of these roasters pays wages in Seattle and Olympia rather than at a head office somewhere else. That is the short case for buying from local roasters. If you are taking Seattle home as a gift, our Washington coffee gift sends 3, 6 or 12 boxes, each with a bag from a different independent Washington roaster, for $66.99, $134.99 or $269.99 with shipping included.
First Starbucks: questions
When did the first Starbucks open?
On March 30, 1971, at 2000 Western Avenue in Seattle, beside Pike Place Market.
Is the Pike Place Starbucks the original store?
It is the oldest Starbucks still operating, but not the first site. The shop moved to 1912 Pike Place after about five years at 2000 Western Avenue; sources give the move as 1976 or 1977.
Who founded Starbucks?
Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker, who first met as students at the University of San Francisco.
Why is it called Starbucks?
The founders took the name of Starbuck, the chief mate in Moby-Dick. Bowker later said the sound of the name was what appealed.
Did the first Starbucks sell coffee drinks?
No. It sold whole bean coffee, tea and spices. Brewed coffee came after Howard Schultz, who joined in 1982, pushed for it.
Sources
- Founders, products, name, Schultz, Il Giornale, 1987 expansion and the 1992 listing: Wikipedia, Starbucks
- The store at 1912 Pike Place, five years at Western Avenue, Heritage Market: Wikipedia, Original Starbucks
- Market opening, historic district and the 1977 move: Wikipedia, Pike Place Market
- Dave Olsen and the espresso roast: Wikipedia, Cafe Allegro
- Monorail Espresso: Wikipedia, Monorail Espresso
- Roaster cafes: the roaster profiles on this site, from each roaster's own pages, checked 2026-09-27