AUSTIN — A recently opened Starbucks in Austin has been dubbed a “community store” intended to operate as a hub for neighborhood groups and nonprofit organizations.
Starbucks Community Stores will have a special focus on local hiring and providing space for local residents and groups, the company said.
Starbucks said the coffee shop (4925 W. North Ave.) will have a dedicated community space and will host neighborhood programs and events overseen by store manager and Humboldt Park native Elisa Lotti. Events will be coordinated with local nonprofit organizations.
“We are honored to have been chosen for this opportunity to operate such a unique store in our community,” said store manager Elisa Lotti. “As someone who lives in this community, I am excited to be able to provide resources and a safe space to a limited and underserved area.”
Starbucks said in a statement that the store has hired 25 people from the region, including Lotti.
The Starbucks was built on the site of a former Pizza Hut and opened in June. It features a large mural by local artist Ruben Aguirre. The community store designation was announced this week.
The Austin store is the third Starbucks Community Store in the area and the most in any metro area in the country, the company said.
Other community stores include locations at 806 W. 63rd St. in Inglewood and at Naval Base Great Lakes near Waukegan.
Starbucks opened its first community store in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2016 in response to riots after the 2014 shooting death of 18-year-old Mike Brown by a white police officer. There are 32 Starbucks Community Stores in Japan.
The Austin location was chosen as part of the company’s desire to leave a stronger social and environmental impact on underserved communities, the company said.
Starbucks is one of two coffee shops opening in Austin communities this year, along with Black family-owned Urban Essentials Coffee Cafe in the Soul City Corridor, which opened earlier this year.
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