Starbucks
Store Front, York
Starbucks Products
Starbucks seems to be aware of the existing animosity towards it, as well as its sheer size and domination as a corporation. It attempts to counter its typical image as the overbearing coffee chain, by giving back to the community. It does this in many different and important ways. For example, for the holiday season Starbucks is putting on the 'Holiday Angels Drive' in efforts to collect 150,000 toys for the Starlight Children's Foundation. They are also involved in environmental affairs and community building programs to name a few.
Whether or not one chooses to buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks or not remains up to the individual. But it is important to take a deeper look into what kinds of social, cultural, and historical issues lie behind that one cup of coffee and to understand the reasons why some choose to make that purchase and others do not. Through the theories of urban studies, it becomes clearer why Starbucks is a thriving themed space.
Inside view of Starbucks, Melrose Center, LA