Infamous NYC mob murder site is now a Starbucks -- but who cares?

Fifty years ago Thursday, perhaps the most notorious mob hit in history happened on W. 57th St. in New York. The locale is a Starbucks store today. "You think people care?" says one barista, out on a smoke break and checking her Sidekick. "That was 50 years ago. Trust me. They just want their coffee and they want to get on their way." Does your Starbucks store have an interesting history? (amNewYork.com)

Comments

[ex coffee wench]

the store at clark and dickens in chicago is across the street from the st.valentines day masacre. its said some nights you can see headlights on the buildings in the alley when there are no cars in the alley.

I still think its haunted. Also, remember the partners who murdered in Georgetown? I would never, ever want to go to that Starbucks. No way, that I would go to that Starbucks. Creepy me out! Like who knows, blood might come pouring out of the frappuccino dispenser and worms out of the coffee urns. I'm scaring myself now.

[DT]

ummm...i think the st. Valentine's day massacre is the most famous mob murder, not whatever this was in NYC in 1957

[Bladerunner]

Whats really scary? Removing the Whole Bean signs, for a breakfast menu! We've been possessed by the McDonalds. Boo!

my store is where a historic movie theatre used to be.. now its a starbucks and coldstone..

[fogues]

i'm pretty sure there is a starbucks in providence that lies on the birthplace of h. p. lovecraft.

[RTD&Party]

I do agree with Bladerunner with the removal of the Whole Bean signs, but it did help with the customers who came in asking for cups of coffees that were not being brewed.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

I think it was a horrible idea to remove the Whole Beans. This morning a woman was almost in tears because she didn't know what coffees Starbucks sold and how much the coffee costs. Again, I suppose returning to the core of Starbucks, means something about breakfast sandwiches.

Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest *COFFEE* in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.

Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of our COFFEE.

[Pat Nerr]

Here... I updated it for you, BSR

Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest McMuffins in the world while maintaining our often compromised principles while we grow faster than we can actually keep up with.

Apply some standards to the purchasing, packaging and signage of the latest trendy thing that has nothing to do with coffee or the coffee experience.

...at least it's accurate now

Its BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL! NOT BSR!
BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL

[STARBUCKS GEISHA BOI]

Since, there is no open thread yet. I was wondering if anybody else puts sugar-free caramel in caramel frappuccino light(r) blended coffees. I mean, it seems to make sense to do so. Just wondering if anybody else feels the same way.

STARBUCKS GEISHA BOI
In imo animo stat pulchritudo.

[Herman M.]

Way to go, DT! I was going to say the same thing. I didn't realize that that happened in NY.

In a close second, I would rank the murder of Bugsy Seigel, then maybe, just maybe, this one. Of course, I'm sure the so-called journalist meant to say the most notorious mob hit IN NEW YORK. But then, the editor shortened the available space and those important words were cut ;-)

[feministabarista]

My Starbucks used to be a notoriously sleezy strip-club in Columbus Ohio. Actually, the only reason my store exists is because said sleezy strip joint was burned to the ground by an arsonist who was also implicated in burning down an area Starbucks store. They caught him because he stayed to watch the strip club burn. Jumping at the chance to redevelop the area, the township made a strip mall out of the former incinerated strip club, and on it they built my Starbucks...Sweet Irony. So now whenever anything goes wrong at the store, we blame it on the "stripper ghosts".

"I was wondering if anybody else puts sugar-free caramel in caramel frappuccino light(r) blended coffees."

It's not standard, so no. Only if it's what the customer asks for.

There is a pretty sweet Starbucks that is a converted train station outside Boston....Newton Center maybe

[Lou Sussler]

I'm pretty sure the so called journalist included the word "perhaps" to indicate that perhaps it was and perhaps it wasn't.

[lactosetollerance]

We have a nice little Starbucks in Phoenix that is in a building that used to be a Catholic girls school. A few years back I saw someone walking around on the unoccupied upper floors of the building. I told the barista he might want to call building security in case someone had broken into the upper floor. He said congrats because I've just seen a ghost and comp'd my cod. I've since found out the building is totally haunted. Spooky!

[java-mama]

my store in downtown austin is where we recently made Dennis Quaid stand in line like everybody else...the look on his face was FRIGHTFULL!!

[gussy_lamb]

"Also, remember the partners who murdered in Georgetown?"

Murdering Starbucks partners??? Was this a "going postal" workplace type thing, or was it just a coincidence that they happened to be Starbucks partners?

[renee]

call me weird, but I actually think it's cool that places with bad karma are being "replaced"... but what was the barber shop prior to Starbucks opening there? Was it just empty after the murder until someone else decided to use it (SBUX)?

[sbuxlifer]

the downtown athens, georgia store has an upstairs cafe that was once the 40 watt club, where REM and the B-52s used to play.

[Herman M.]

Gussy-Lamb:

This goes back to the mid 90's. This old sea cap'n remembers it well, as he knew both partners. The robber came in at close and shot the two partners in the course of robbing the store.

Many of the strict cash control policies followed today are in reaction to this unfortunate event. At the time, I was working just a few miles away on Connecticut Ave.

[Darleen]

the downtown athens, georgia store has an upstairs cafe that was once the 40 watt club, where REM and the B-52s used to play

They should've called it "The love shack" lol I love the B-52s!!! They could've called it the rock lobster club. Stop me, I'm killing myself!!! hehehe

[gussy_lamb]

Wait, it was partners who were murdered? The OP said "partners who murdered" – same case / poor proofreading skills, or two separate cases involving murder and Starbucks employees?

Thanks for helping clear this up for me!

[ex coffee wench]

lets not forget georgetown was three partners not two. it was a very sad event but they finally did catch the guys.

[Keebs]

Feministabarista...

I miss you and your sleezy strip joint. :]

My Starbucks is in the heart of the historic district of a Central Florida town. We opened about six months ago in a building that was built in about 1900. It's rumoured that it used to be a funeral home, but more recently we've learned it was a cigar bar and a jewelry store. Some of our partners think the place is haunted because stacked pastry trays always fall on the floor... once a week at least!

[CoffeeMaker]

The Georgetown thing, that was the store on Wisconsin at the bottom of the hill right? I frequented it, and the one up the hill from there when I lived in DC... then I saw the story on Unsolved Mysteries or some Discovery channel thing

[ben]

Maybe I'm crazy but we aren't allowed to take trash out past dark because my SM told us some partners were murdered by someone when they were doing that. Is that related at all to anything people have been saying?

[beanman]

Coffeemaker

It's company policy to NOT to take the trash out after dark...at any store. Maybe that's why it's policy.

[FLASM]

Java-Mama:

Is "Lesley" still around? I went to school in Austin and loved seeing him in his purple dress reading the NYTimes at your store. :)

[Andybarista]

no trash past dark is a pretty standard policy... we do it at other places i worked.

i worked 1 night at a store... 15th and latimer in phila... and a junkie was tying off and when they shot up, they hit a vein and blood sprayed across the bathroom. thhey left and we discovered it later that night. it was nasty and nobody wanted to clean it up.

[java-mama]

Hi Flasm! Yes Lesley is still around ! In fact did you know he now has his own refrigerator magnets? you can order them here

http://www.bookpeople.com/readymade/leslie/leslieMAGNETS.html

[espressoshots]

The Starbucks in downtown LaGrange, IL used to be a botique for petite sized ladies. Most of the other Starbucks in the area are in newly built locations and strip malls. What did they used to be... farms? lol.