Disney-inspired Starbucks opens at Downtown Disney

Seattle -- Starbucks has opened up its first company-operated store on a Disney property, at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, Calif. The 5,600-sq.-ft. store is the first of several company-operated locations that are scheduled open across Disney properties in the United States.



The new Downtown Disney location brings one of Starbucks most engaging experiences to customers with technology and content designed specifically for the store. This includes introducing customers to the Starbucks story via a 10-ft. video installation that shows images of places where Starbucks grows and harvests its coffee beans.



The location also features a first-of-its-kind interactive digital chalkboard that customers, including children, can draw and write on. The touch-screen acts like a mirror. When a customer sits in front of it, his or her image is projected on the screen as a chalk painting.



“The store’s coffee passion wall video is rendered to look like an animated painting or drawing,” said Bill Sleeth, Starbucks’ VP of design for the Americas. “That handcrafted look is a reflection of the handcrafted beverages we serve every day around the world. Disney and Starbucks challenged each other and the result is a beautiful, unexpected gathering place.”



The new store, built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, was built reclaimed wood siding. It also boasts an outdoor patio designed around a large tree. A living, green wall with more than 1,000 native plants in the shape of a coffee cup serves as a backdrop.



“This store is a reflection of two iconic brands coming together to offer their customers the kind of high quality experience they expect in a way that embodies the unique passion of each,” said Arthur Rubinfeld, chief creative officer and president, global innovation for Starbucks. “Collaborating with Disney offered us the opportunity to create a unique moment of connection for our customers in a way that evokes the magic that their guests expect.”



During the next year, Starbucks and Disney will 0pen five more Starbucks operated-stores, including, two Starbucks-operated locations at Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.