Because 2016’s 50 States weren’t enough, Starbucks released the Local Collection in 2017. 53 ornaments in all. One for every state, Washington DC, Pike Place Market and Canada. It really is mostly a beautiful series as each location has some of it’s iconic locations or special aspects reflected in the design. Some of our favorites include Mississippi with its illustrated design, North Dakota and its majestic bison, Rhode Island and its funky vibe, and Pennsylvania with is classic Dutch heritage design. And of course there are some sad designs as well. Nebraska, while not unattractive, reducing the state to just an ear of corn and Arkansas is just plain boring and unimaginative. But as a whole the set is attractive and a far cry better than the 50 states of 2016.
That said, again, as the 50 state post from last year stated, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”. Gone are the days of just a few thoughtful releases and in are the days of the overwhelming quantity of ornaments. Both 2016 and 2017 saw well over 100 ornaments released globally. It is excessive and causes the collector to question whether it is affordable or even fun to continue collecting. Adding to the stress in 2017 was the loss of online Starbucks store. This meant that collectors had to hustle to make trades or buy from people from every state with the additional cost of shipping and the loss of time.
Starbucks, please bring back the store and return to a less excessive level of ornaments!
All that said, enjoy the beauty of this collection at the gallery page, in the catalog and in the following video.