DALLAS — There is a lot of excitement building around the grand opening of the new Starbucks Community Hub opening in the Red Bird area of South Oak Cliff.
The building is completed, the furniture is out, and the signs are up, preparing to welcome coffee lovers to the unique stand-alone store and community hub.
Starbucks’ Regional Vice President of Operations Traci York grew up in the Red Bird area. "We want people to be able to come in and have a great cup of coffee, and have great conversations," York said.
People are bound to be buzzing about what will be brewing up at the new Starbucks community store located on W. Camp Wisdom Road in front of Red Bird Mall.
"You know I’m really excited. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time," store manager Vania Perez said.
Baristas, who the company calls Partners, said this location is nothing like your typical Starbucks store. The site is the first of its kind in Texas, and one of 12 community hubs and training centers the coffee company opened in underserved areas across the country.
The space is larger than the traditional Starbucks. The unique design has an urban loft-type feel. There is also a variety of furniture you won’t find in any other Starbucks location. There is a convenient drive-thru. There is also a community room on site.
"This is really intended for everyone to hang out and have a great time," District Manager Daniel Svaboda said.
Supervisor Edmund Young is from Cedar Hill. He said he appreciates the company’s commitment to hiring local and training young workers. "I think it’s going to mean opportunity. More than anything. It’s going to give this area a lot of opportunity, and something that they haven’t had," Young said.
Also unique about this community hub location, Starbucks is partnering with the non-profit Generation to provide job and skills training to young adults inside the store’s community room.
"We understand the barriers when it comes to access and opportunity, so the thing that we’re focused on as Generation is making sure the young adult population understands the variety of experiences they have exposure to," Generation staffer Demetra Brown said.
The Starbucks team calls the new Red Bird community store a labor of love. Workers said they are looking forward to serving people and families across the community when the store officially opens 5 a.m. Friday, Nov. 30.