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Starbucks goes part-bar for second Williamsburg foray

Starbucks goes part-bar for second Williamsburg foray
Photo by Jason Speakman

Starbucks is opening up a second coffee-shop in Williamsburg — and this time it plans to bring the party.

The Seattle coffee chain has applied for a license to sell beer or wine alongside juice and java at the cafe under construction on N. Seventh Street between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street. The move is meant to accommodate neighborhood residents’ tremendous thirst and varied tastes, a rep for the caffeine colossus said.

“We are proud to be a part of Williamsburg and are committed to bringing the right coffee, food, and store experience to each neighborhood we serve,” said Starbucks spokeswoman Haley Drage. “Just as every customer is unique, so are our stores and we consider a broad range of products and services for each location.”

Starbucks sells alcohol in just 30 of its more than 20,000 stores, including in the Seattle, Portland, Southern California, Chicago, and Atlanta locations, as well as in airports in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. The incognito Starbucks inside a Macy’s store in Manhattan, which lacks Starbucks signage, also sells beer and wine.

The coffee company opened its first Williamsburg location earlier this summer in the Karl Fischer building at the corner of Union Avenue and Ainslie Street.

The company is also considering selling limited-run “reserve” coffee in the N. Seventh Street shop, which might put it in competition with the high-end Greenpoint coffee house Cafe Grumpy and its Nordic counterpart Budin. The latter is home to the famous $10 latte.

Reach reporter Danielle Furfaro at dfurfaro@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2511. Follow her at twitter.com/DanielleFurfaro.