Why is it Named Starbucks?

Where did they cup up with the name Starbucks, anyway?

Starbucks.

Starbucks?

Starbucks!

It sounds like new money used in space camps throughout the Milky Way, or a town in Nevada famous for building slot machines right into the Slurpee machine at 7-11.

Well, be thankful for the name Starbucks, because the founders almost called it “Redhook” or “Cargo House.”

You yell to your friends, “Hey, I’m going to Cargo House for some coffee. Anybody want anything?”

Friends: “NO!”

“Starbucks” was actually inspired by and old town on a mining map called Starbo. The other mining towns they considered naming the company after included “Smelly Saddle,” “Jeans Too Tight,” and “Gold Vein.”

A lot of people think the company is named after Starbucks, the first mate in “Moby Dick,” but he only drank coffee in the movie, not the book. In the book, he drank whiskey, because you’d need a couple of snorts before you start chasing a giant white whale around the vast emptiness of the world’s oceans. You should also check your insurance. Your agent might say, “Starbucks, your policy covers you if you have an accident, but you really should buy coverage for uninsured whales.”