When in Rome...Acting “local” has never been more important.

With more than 18,000 shops worldwide, chances are that everyone reading this post has been to a Starbucks. For some, stopping by America’s most popular café only happens on special occasions. For others, it is as much a part of their daily routine as brushing their teeth. Starbucks has become synonymous around the world for accessible gourmet coffee. There is no doubt about it, Starbucks is big, an international phenomenon, but how has the Seattle-based conglomerate embedded itself into neighborhoods across the country, not only as a place to grab a cup of Joe, but as the ‘local’ coffee shop?

In a recent article by WIRED Magazine, Liz Stinson explains how design has played an integral role in the Starbucks business model. Her article touches on the premise that common business sense would encourage a mass-produced coffee shop platform to increase efficiency, thus increasing profitability. Yet at Starbucks, everyone from executives to baristas are challenging the notion that to achieve unprecedented success one has to stick to a cookie cutter model that cuts costs and ensures consistency. On the contrary, what really makes Starbucks prosperous is the unique atmospheres it offers and therein, the brand recognition it achieves.

When I’m in a Starbucks, I have a pretty good sense that I’m in a Starbucks without seeing the green mermaid logo anywhere. Furniture layouts, lighting levels, chair styles, and paint colors all have a general consistency – yet, these familiar elements seem to be very different from store to store. It is this model that Starbucks has built itself on – consistent sensory stimulation, coupled with new and unique designs context-tailored for each individual location. You would be hard pressed to find a Dunkin’ Donuts or Panera Bread built out of repurposed shipping containers. Starbucks has 10, soon to be 60, of them. With designers located across the country and around the world. Starbucks understands that their stores need to fit into their context and “feel” local. They know, without eye-catching designs, they wouldn’t have the brand success and tremendous profitability they enjoy today.

Starbucks’ local strategy is a great example for everyone at Milhaus to keep in mind as we continue to grow our name as a recognizable, yet continuously fresh brand in our industry. A brand that, like Starbucks, exudes character and luxury yet makes that accessible and comfortable. Now a four year-old company rapidly building a reputation and rapport in our community, we know that our success is dependent on our ability to deliver properties that stand out from the crowd AND properties that integrate into their surroundings and leave communities in a better place than we found them.

Here’s to another four years of achieving that mission!