Photo inside the Casa View Starbucks, featuring mural by Alec de Jesus, by Kelly Drake
In a relatively short span of time since March, when we first confirmed it was coming, the Starbucks community store in Casa View completed construction at the former Payless Shoes space at 10305 Ferguson Road and opened to the public, which has been enjoying its sweet caffeinated services for close to a month now, following a soft opening in early July.
Neighborhood resident Kelly Drake shared on social media in mid July about his first visit (which we share, in turn, with his permission).
“Have been saying I wouldn’t believe Starbucks had opened in my neighborhood until I had a white chocolate latte in my hands. Well guess what? Mind you we have no shortage of coffee houses on this side of White Rock lake but this is less than a mile from my front door, at the Casa View shopping center. It is so nice inside. It’s a community store, only two in Dallas. May not mean much to others but it is another step to revitalizing CV.”
Starbucks in Casa View exterior by Kelly Drake
Officially dedicated last weekend as the 25th community store in the nation, the Casa View Starbucks is part of the company’s commitment to open 100 Community Stores across the US by 2025, according to a spokesperson.
“Starbucks Community Stores in the US focus on local hiring, partnerships with local nonprofits and working with diverse contractors and subcontractors,” Starbucks says, adding that the store also features the work of East Dallas artist Alec de Jesus.
“The artwork illustrates community growth, transformation, generational ties and the way coffee often plays a role in these connections,” Starbucks notes.
Photo of Starbucks community store and mural by Alec de Jesus by Kelly Drake
In step with the dedication of the Casa View store, Starbucks donated $2,500 each to two East Dallas charities — The Wilkinson Center (upporting Dallas families that face challenges such as food insecurity, lack of education, economic instability, unemployment and underemployment) and Owenwood Farm and Neighbor Space (tackling hunger in East Dallas through its community garden programming).
The other Dallas community store Starbucks is in the Red Bird area of South Dallas.
The Red Bird store, which opened in 2018, has been welcomed by the community, according to Starbucks. “The store has strong partnerships with myriad local organizations and has played a role in many key community events, such as working with Kimball High School on a business pitch competition and hosting a COVID-19 vaccine pop-up.”
A few years ago the Casa View Shopping Center launched a $10 million revitalization effort. Tenants including Stone’s Ace Hardware and Tacos Y Mas anchor the development today.
The City of Dallas is investing some $20 million into the overall redevelopment of the area’s infrastructure, according Daniel Frid with Shop Companies, which owns the center. In 2020 we reported on the Casa View Neighborhood Empowerment Zone to create more workforce-affordable homes in the area.
A Starbucks spokesperson says the Casa View store employs 32 staffers, a.k.a. “partners.”
