Hello, my name is Winter, and I have never been a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Nevertheless, since 1997 (the same year Wu-Tang Forever was released) I have been on a personal mission to visit every Starbucks in the world. My original motivation was simply to accomplish something singularly unique. However, since that time, I have discovered many joys in the traveling and the challenge of my mission, and they help keep me going despite the ever-increasing difficulty. Just to be clear, I do have other interests, such as competitive Scrabble and trying to change the world, so please do not presume that Starbucks is my sole interest.
What do I look like? This is me after a few days sleeping in my car on a typical road trip. Okay, here's a better photo . And here's a gallery of wacky photos. And here's some more info about me. Feel free to e-mail me at winterene@yahoo.com.
ATTENTION MEDIA!!!
Radio, television, newspaper, magazines, etc. My name is Winter. Only Winter. Past articles referring to a name other than Winter reflect inaccurate/imprecise reporting because they do not tell the whole story. Since most articles do not have space to tell the whole story, simply stick to this fact: my full legal name is Winter. Nothing else. Just Winter.
DISCLAIMER: This web site is not affiliated with Starbucks Corporation. You can view the official Starbucks site at starbucks.com
8142 North American stores visited (98.0%)
661 international stores visited (England, Japan, France, Spain, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey)
STARBUCKING DOCUMENTARY FILM ON DVD AVAILABLE NOW! ORDER NOW ON AMAZON.COM or find at BEST BUY
The wait is over. Starbucking was released on DVD on April 24, 2007. Available to order now on Amazon, Netflix, Best Buy, Circuit City (online), and many other retailers. Should be available soon at major retailers. Or, if you happen to track me down wherever I happen to be you can buy a signed copy. Spread the word!
READ THIS BOOK! The End of Faith, by Sam Harris, was actually published in 2006, and I have just now turned my attention to it after hearing him interviewed on Talk of the Nationabout his new book, Letter to a Christian Nation. I am a bit disappointed that it took me two years to discover The End of Faith, because, after having read just a few dozen pages, it appears that Sam Harris is saying some of the same things I have been thinking for the past 10-15 years, since my "awakening". Let me be the first to say that the book has flaws, as did Harris' interview on TOTN, but despite these flaws, this book is a must-read for anybody who truly wants to have a positive impact on changing the disastrous course that our world is taking. The paperback is only 227 pages, minus the epilogue, afterword, and notes--there is truly no conceivable reason for you not to read this book, even if it is just a few passages at a time while sitting in traffic or waiting in line at the grocery store.
TAKE A STAND AGAINST PREJUDICE
On June 19, I resigned from a contracting assignment conveniently located just four miles from my (parents') house in Houston. I was dissatisfied with my manager's management style (and he with the length of time it took me to complete some assignments), but I would have stuck it out the full six months if not for one thing. A coworker was using unacceptable language, referring to homosexuals as "fags" and "dykes". I reported this to human resources, and I was told some sort of action would be taken, but after two months of waiting the coworker continued to use the unacceptable language. Note that I am not a homosexual. I'm all about women. This is important, to realize that I took action not because I personally felt offended by the words. In fact, I look forward to a world in which there are not such things are slurs--where all words are acceptable, and there are no hostile thoughts behind language. But in today's world, slurs create unnecessary conflict, and I oppose unnecessary conflict because it interferes with progress. Furthermore, tolerance of prejudice is tantamount to tacit approval. So I resigned. I encourage any of you faced with a similar situation to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to take a stand against prejudice. Prejudice is but one of the myriad problems facing humans, but until it is eliminated, it will continue to impede human progress.
IN SEARCH OF...
I want to create an animation that tracks my progress against Starbucks' growth. If you know when your Starbucks opened, and the date is not on this list, please e-mail me. Or, if you happen to have a copy of the old Starbucks printed directories that listed opening dates, I'd like to copy those dates. Thanks!
Interested in purchasing or displaying my photos? I'd like to think that of the 4000+ photos on this site, there are a few worth displaying. If you have some free space on a wall and think some of these photos are worth putting out in the real world, contact me for details.
Use of the photographs on this site is acceptable, but with my permission. Commercial use may incur a fee.
SPOTLIGHT STORE
Stone House Square
Oh, wowsers! Even without going back through all my MD photos, I am confident in declaring this the prettiest store in all of Maryland. Before I arrived, I thought that "Stone House Square" was just a cute name for a shopping development. I was so not expecting an actual STONE HOUSE! Yes, this is an actual stone house that sat on a farm that goes back a long time. Across from the bar you can find a old photograph showing the house and the farm, and upstairs you can even find a photo of the owner, now in his 80s, when he was a child. The rest of the store is decorated with photos of old-time Hagerstown (check out the hats and suits the men in from of the downtown Colonial theatre are wearing) as well as farm-type antiques. Be sure to look up to notice the original ceiling, and as you walk upstairs, notice the fireplace that has been preserved. And ladies, you an in for a real treat--there is a surprise that has been preserved in the women's bathroom. Sorry males, you will never know this secret.
STORE OF SHAME (presented in the spirit of being fair and balanced, like Fox News)
Approximate total: 8142 company-owned locations, of which at least 221 have closed or relocated, for a total of 7921 active corporate-owned locations in North America of an estimated 8090, or 98.0%. Internationally, 661 across England, Japan, France, Spain, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey. The estimated total locations excludes licensed stores, which I do not visit, because, with a few unusual exceptions, they are mostly mind-numbingly dull kiosks.
Please contact me with comments or information about Starbucks I've missed in the United States or Canada (excluding QC, NB, NF, NS, which to my knowledge have only licensed stores). If you know of a store I've missed, please check to see if it is in this city index, already on my list or if it is a licensed store. I only visit stores operated by Starbucks, not ones that are licensed out to other companies. Additionally, while I do plan to visit stores everywhere in the world, I do not track international stores (including, for technical reasons, Hawaii and Quebec) until I actually travel to those countries. My e-mail address is winterene@yahoo.com.
Map (updated August 10) and list of not visited stores
