Vine Street Grand Re-Opening

- By Erica Hess, Peet's employee since 1996

After a few months of restoration, the doors of our Vine Street store opened this morning at 6 a.m.!

The store was filled with wonderful energy and excitement as our customers were greeted to special treats, welcoming smiles and a one-day only special offering of Top Blend® a much beloved blend. 

The true pièce de résistance however, is the Alfred Peet Room -- a room that was developed to honor our founder Mr. Peet and his contributions to specialty coffee.  As an employee and someone who was acquainted with him, I felt a great sense of pride that so much thought and detail went into this very special project.   The room evokes a feeling of warmth, invitation and community, showcasing some of Mr. Peet’s personal effects, tools of the coffee & tea trade and special photos, articles and messages amassed throughout our 43-year history.

As I stood quietly in the room, I couldn’t help but observe customers taking in every detail.  Nostalgia filled the air.  Memories old and new shared.  Longtime friends and generations of families gathered.  I thought to myself, “This is our Peet’s family.”

Customers were delighted and proud of their Peet’s but even more proud of the room that pays tribute to a man so many of them came to know and admire.  “It is only fitting,” many shared.

Reflecting on the morning, I truly appreciated hearing many stories shared by customers about the moment they each came upon Mr. Peet’s store and roastery on the corner of Vine and Walnut.  I was reminded of one the last conversations I had with Mr. Peet before he passed away.  I asked him about Vine Street and the day he opened the doors.  “I remember it as if it were yesterday,” he told me.  “I had a simple idea and wanted to open a shop in a community where there was curiosity of mind and an appreciation for something distinctive.  I didn’t realize though how fast it would take off!”   I chuckle at the thought of his comments because this “simple idea” basically revolutionized how we all think about and experience coffee.

I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to visit our Vine Street store and hope that you will have a similar experience.  Perhaps you will meet fellow Peetniks, learn a bit more about Mr. Peet’s contributions to specialty coffee, and have a new appreciation for the deep connection we share together through a cup of Peet’s – a connection that began in a store and coffee roastery at the corner of Vine and Walnut, in 1966.

Comments

[Patricia Price-Edwards]

As a barista for your grocery store sites, please please please, do not merge with Starbucks. They will ruin you and all you stand for. I know Alfred Peet would say NO NO NO as loud as he could.
Starbucks has no pride, no eyes, and no caring for what the public deserves in their customer service and their coffe as a whole., even you ta...ught me that they buy any type of bean the find at a discountes rate, including all the over ripe and under ripe non quality beans. Please stay true to yourself.

[buj]

i've been drinking peets from the vine street shop since i was a student in 1972... i've loved a good cuppa peets for years and years... however...is it me...or has the taste of peets changed??? i've always liked the flavorful smooth taste of the house blend...but...over time it's become a little bitter...a little sharp like starbucks... it's still good...but...i no longer get the so satisfying moment of the first taste... i sure hope peet isn't going the way of all big chains...

[ric]

Hey Peet's Suits,

What's up with the water fountain removals???

[giovanni]

we need a coffee shop in everett, the silverlake shopping center as a lot of spaces for leas.

[Ann, Peet's in Willow Glen]

ah, i'd love to see the Alfred Peet room! perhaps i'll make a trip out to Berkley for my two-year anniversary as a Peetnik.

(and yes, Jennifer, some absolutely wonderful and rare teas come from China. ^_~)

[Jennifer Holsten]

Don't some teas come from China?

[Toni]

When will you stop buying items made in china???

YOu used to sell great ceramics and cups made in Japan and I always bought from you now that has ended and I've stop buying anything else but your teas--

With regards and peaceful intention,
Toni

[paul rader]

i really wish I could have been there today. thanks for the report, Erica!