In 1971

In 1971, Starbucks opened its first store at Pike Street Market in Seattle by three partners Zev Siegel, Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. Initially, it opened with the intent of being a gourmet coffee bean retailer and the coffee equipment seller. The Starbucks name and logo came from two influences; a character named Starbuck in the classic book, Moby Dick, and a mining camp on the base of Mt. Rainier called Starbo. These two influences were combined to become Starbucks. 1982, an entrepreneur and current chairmen, Howard Schultz, joined and later bought the company.
When Schultz joined the company, he wanted to change the company’s focus away from home coffee production and coffee bean retailing to selling coffee drinks. Schultz wanted to create an Italian espresso bar atmosphere to the Starbucks Company. Other partners did not like the idea. In 1984, Schultz convinced the founders of Starbucks to testify the coffee bar concept in a new location at Seattle. In 1985, Schultz decided to leave the company and start his own Italian espresso inspired company called II Giornale. In 1987, Schultz gained the support from local investors and purchased Starbucks. Schultz then changed the name Starbucks to Starbucks Corporation. Today, it has more than 12,000 stores globally