Starbucks in New York City Timeline
It is a moment to consider how New York has shaped Starbucks, and how the coffee brand became a part of the city’s coffee scene.
Apr. 22, 1994: 87th & Broadway marks the spot of Starbucks first store in New York City. When the store closed near the end of its 10-year lease in 2003, it was considered by many to be an unofficial landmark.
Mar. 30, 1995: Starbucks opens its largest store yet, its 4,000 square-foot store at Astor Place in Greenwich Village. Thelonius Monk, Jr. took part in the celebration, which included a performance by Benny Green.
Mar. 31, 1996: First store in Times Square at 47th & Broadway.
Dec. 18, 1998: The Starbucks store at 81st & Broadway on the Upper West Side gets a starring role in the movie “You’ve Got Mail.”
Apr. 24, 1999: First store in Harlem, in partnership with Magic Johnson on corner of 125th street and Lenox Avenue.
Dec. 19, 2002: First store opens in Penn Station, one of America’s busiest transit hubs.
2008: Opens its first store in the iconic Empire State Building.
Oct. 25, 2010: Taylor Swift purchases her new album, ‘Speak Now’ at the Times Square Starbucks.
Feb. 16, 2015: Christina Aguilera pays for coffee for customers for an hour in NY Starbucks, signing each cup with a kiss.
Apr. 30, 2015: Opens its first-ever express format store at 14 Wall Street. The compact location is less than 600 square feet, with an emphasis on speed. A second express store opens in the Empire State Building a few months later, along with a new delivery test concept. While these stores are no longer open, they paved the way for Starbucks Pickup and Starbucks Delivery.
Mar. 7, 2016: Opens first-of-its kind Community Store in Jamaica, Queens, designed to support economic and social change in the neighborhood by hiring locally and providing job training for young people.
Aug. 3, 2016: Tony Bennett celebrates his 90th birthday with a stop at the Starbucks on 54th and Broadway.
May 2018: Opens one of the company’s first mobile order and pay concept stores in the Empire State Building.
Mar. 8, 2018: Starbucks opens a new Community Store with job training in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, with job training, its first in the neighborhood.
Dec. 14, 2018: Opens immersive Starbucks Reserve Roastery New York in Manhattan’s Meatpacking district.
