Coffee Corner: Starbucks' First Customer

Here's a trivial but fun bit of Eugene coffee history for you. My Mother, Lynn, and I were across town yesterday running some errands and after enjoying a breakfast at Brails cafe I decided to go over to the Starbucks on the corner of 18th and Pearl, a Starbucks shop I feel a personal connection to. This particular store was Starbucks first in the Eugene area, opening some 16 years ago. My friend Kammi B. & I were both Baristas here in Eugene, we loved the coffee business and Starbucks finally coming to town was an exciting prospect. So in our quest for coffee fun we decided that we wanted to be the first official customers at our town's first Starbucks! (for fun and for bragging rights of course). We arrived at the new shop a full hour before they opened that first day, waited patiently for the doors to open and had a good chuckle over what the Baristas inside must be wondering about these two people sitting out in front of their store.. and nowhere close to opening time. When we did get inside I let my friend order first and I paid for our drinks, making us both the first customers. My friend has since moved from Eugene but I still enjoy visiting Eugene's first Starbucks from time-to-time and reminiscing over a cup of house coffee. c[_]   

Eugene's first Starbucks. 18th & Pearl St.