A Starbucks by any other name . . .

Via Poetry Hut Blog, Starbucks Tests New Store Names, Alcohol Sales:

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) is scrubbing its name from a Seattle location in favor of the store’s street address in a test that could sprout more stores that seem more like the corner coffee shop rather than the global coffee giant.

The store, a former Starbucks that had been targeted for closing, is called 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. It will also serve wine and beer and host live music and poetry readings as it seeks to take on a more community vibe where neighbors can gather late into the night. Bagged coffee in the store will also be slapped with the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea name.

The chain plans to start by remodeling at least three Seattle-area stores with names based on their addresses or neighborhood rather than the corporation. Aside from 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, the two other locations have yet to be determined. If successful, Starbucks plans to expand the trial to other markets.

Make of this what you will.

I am particularly fond of this statement:

Operating a store under a different name could provide a fresh canvas for Starbucks to test a number of elements where consumers won’t be biased by the company’s name, says Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based food consultancy. “It would only confuse the customer to put Starbucks on it,” Paul said.

Don’t let ‘em know you’re desperate?

Pretend to be a local store and not a chain?

The article says people are choosing not to spend their scarce dollars at Starbucks.

And, by the way, the Starbucks drive-through in Paris, Kentucky has closed. It’s a Long John Silver’s now.