a strategic land war, so they made their way into strip malls and shopping centers, recognizing coffee as an impulsive convenience purchase to complement a trip to the grocery store or post office. Each regional strategy had to be tailored at the city level, but it always started with a convenience-based link. Chicago is one of the early Starbucks entry points, Rubinfeld says. When Starbucks entered in Chicago, it was at the core of office buildings on the way into work. Then it became more where you live work and play, and then it became the third place between home and office--the community connection point, the human interaction point thats so critical.ubinfeld left the company for a bit, and when he came back in 2008 to take his new seat, the world had changed. No one would call Starbucks a risky business model anymore, nor would they dare finger coffee as a fad. 17% of U.S. adults were consuming a gourmet coffee concoction on a daily basis. Today, coffees grown bigger than soft drinks--and it has a two-digit market lead over those fizzy beverages.A transparent design glows in the morning.BUT OTHER THINGS HAD CHANGED, TOO.Premium coffee had become an addictive enough habit that Starbucks didnt require the sloppy seconds of grocery stores or business complexes anymore. A frappucino alone could be worth a trip. At the same time, the local omnivore movement was taking off. Laptops no longer just browsed the Internet, they created it. Culture became about content creation and original voice. And the very definition of cool had changed. Flannel-clad rejects were out, but geeks of all types were in. Teens were wearing backpacks on two shoulders and caring about the environment.Coming back in 2008, Rubinfeld tied all future store designs with the companys Shared Planet Initiative, which impacted everything from Starbuckss practices with farmers to how their stores dispose of refuse. Once that connection to our mission statement, our soul if you will, was established, that became the go-forward design foundation for our stores, along with one additional very important element, and that is being locally relevant. But one very big challenge remained.HOW DO WE DO THAT WHEN WERE OPENING A LOT STORES WORLDWIDE?This was a question that Rubinfeld posed to Starbuckss 14 architectural offices around the world. You see, Starbucks doesnt hire out their building design. They conceptualize all stores from within. And what resulted was the greenlighting of a series of coffee shops that are absolutely stunning,highly individualized, sustainably idyllic flagships that easily challenge Apples best stores in terms of pure chic.One particular flagship was built right in Seattle, using Starbuckss reclaimed shipping containers along with prefabricated components. And while Rubinfeld admits that itd have been cheaper just to ditch those shipping materials altogether, he liked the statement. It was experimental, green, and gorgeous. It was ostentatious and responsible at the same time.Starbucks, of course, cant afford to be totally idealist. They still have market challenges of their own and, sooner or later, there are only so many large coffee houses you can build and expect profitability.