T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY From left to right, Angel Morales, store manager Catherine Brooke, Morgan Bryan and Alondra Ordaz pose for a photo outside of the new Starbucks location at 3109 S. Center St. in Marshalltown. The store opened for business on Monday.

Starbucks, one of the most popular and widely recognized coffee companies in America, has officially opened a corporate store at 3109 S. Center St. in Marshalltown just south of Applebee’s near the Iowa Avenue intersection, and business has already been booming during the first week of operations.

“Just bringing it to Marshalltown, I know there’s been a lot of buzz about it for years. We’re doing this ‘Back to Starbucks’ initiative, so we’re getting back to our roots. We’re getting back to who we are as a company, and you know, just bringing it into Marshalltown seemed like it was a perfect time,” Store Manager Catherine Brooke said. “Everyone loves their coffee. Everyone knows Starbucks. We’re a recognizable brand, and we’re getting back to the coffeehouse experience. So you can come in (and) have a cup of coffee with your friends… We want to have people come in and have them stay a while, bring their kids, bring their families, do some schoolwork, do some work, just come and stay a while with us. You get a refill of our brewed coffee if you hang out with us, so it was just time. It was time to bring it.”

As she spoke, Brooke heard from two customers who chimed in with compliments on the look and aesthetic of the shop — “they did a great job,” “very relaxing” and “this is what we need.”

“It was very intentional with how we designed this,” Brooke said. “And I think Marshalltown, as a community, needs what Starbucks has to offer. We give back to communities. That’s what we’re proud of, the sustainability and the community awareness.”

With proximity to both Marshalltown Community College (MCC) and the UnityPoint Hospital, Brooke is optimistic about attracting steady traffic throughout the day, and she also noted that with so many residents commuting to Des Moines and Ames for their jobs, it’s convenient for those who need that morning pick me up before hitting the highway and heading to work.

“We’re one of the only Starbucks if not the only on Highway 30 from one end of the state to the other, so, you know, traveling from Nevada, traveling from Nebraska, wherever, we’re right here,” she said. “And I think that’s really appealing.”

There are 18 seats inside and 14 outside, and this location will be open from 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays with plans to eventually expand on those hours. The store can be reached at (641) 352-4595, and they are currently hiring.

“We definitely want (people) to come back, check us out again. We’re changing our whole model (and) changing the way we do business. We’re not just a coffee company. We want to be the best coffee company,” Brooke said. “We’re already the best retailer to work for. I can’t imagine a better job, better benefits, better support through my management and everything. It’s amazing. I love this job for those reasons, so we just want people to realize that we’re getting back to who we are. We’re getting back to the roots of this company. We’ve been around since 1971… We set the tone for the day for a lot of people. That’s our goal. You come in, get a great cup of coffee and have an awesome start to your day.”

To be clear, the licensed store inside the Hy-Vee at 802 S. Center St. will remain open and is not affected in any way by the new location.