Quote:
Originally Posted by RedCorsair87
While I would like to see most of the non-landmarked buildings on Michigan Ave eventually replaced with beautiful high-rises, I am not opposed to corporate brands reinventing themselves with new concepts and testing them in our city. Chicago USED TO BE a (the) center of innovation in this country. A more extravagant Starbucks by itself is not going to change that image, but these new concepts/structures/retail + dining experiences (McDonalds in River North, the MacBook shaped Apple Store on the river or the Starbucks version of Willy Wonka on Mich. Ave are a start.
|
I was at the opening of the first SBUX Reserve in Shanghai. It was a total gimmicky retail experience then and I'm sure two years later it's even worse. The interior design was top notch. The offerings went well beyond what a typical Starbucks offers. The production floor and educational vignettes were cool, you could point your phone at things and it would explain the process. At the end of the day however I was completely aware I was in a giant retail commercial, like a rain forest cafe for adults, and the whole thing stank of a misguided attempt to stay relevant in fading consumerist era we are moving away from not towards. It seemed far more relevant in China than the States. Maybe I'm just getting old and a bit of a curmudgeon but at the end of the day who wants to drink coffee with a thousand tourists? It's the antithesis of coffee culture. These food halls on the other hand are very European in concept and I think going to be ultimately successful. This could have made a great food hall / market.