We've talked about Starbucks here before — the veritable icon of the personal luxury that characterized pre-recession America — and the trouble their brand is in. McDonalds billboards touting their cheaper line of coffee drinks with the simple headline "Less Bucks" hit Starbucks right in the beans. Stores have been closing across the globe.

Will Starbucks remain viable? Can they reinvent their brand in time?

It's funny. At least here in Milwaukee, several locally based coffee shops have popped up all over the place over the last decade, almost in response/defiance to Starbucks. They've sought ways to differentiate themselves, and have found quite a few — live music on the weekends, local pastries and produce... some have even taken to serving select wines and beers.

Well, it seems that Starbucks is now looking to the local coffeehouse scene it helped create for its own salvation.

in an experimental move, the company just dropped the Starbucks name from one of their Seattle-area stores, and the rebranded cafe is adding beer and wine to the menu.

Will this brand strategy be the future of Starbucks? Will the one-time hangout of yuppie teenagers become the future hangout of yuppie 20- and 30-somethings?

They sure seem to hope so.

Read the full article here.