Starbucks will open another location in Harvard Square in late May—a two-level shop open until 1 a.m. that will host live music and coffee tastings in the evenings.

The new store, the third Starbucks to open in Harvard Square, is located at the corner of JFK Street and Mass. Ave.

With extended hours and two floors of seating, the designers and operators of the new Starbucks location hope that the new store will become a hub for students and coffee enthusiasts.

TWO LEVELS

The two-floor design is a special feature of select Starbucks stores often found in busy cities, such as Washington, D.C.

“It’s very location-specific. It’s not something you would go out and look for but it’s when you see a location that has the opportunity,” says Stacey L. Krum, a Starbucks spokesperson.

The first floor will operate as a traditional Starbucks with limited seating for people who want to get a cup of coffee or grab a snack.

On the second floor, seating options will include two community tables—designed to appeal to students and other customers who need extra work space—as well as smaller tables for individual or small-group work. Customers will be able to pull the smaller tables together for more group seating.

There will also be soft seating, couches, lounge areas, and café tables.

“I tried to create many different zones depending on what people want,” says Kambiz Hemati, the concept designer of the new store.

The tables will also be equipped with electrical outlets, and the store will offer free Wi-Fi.

Both floors will feature the Clover brewing system—found only in some stores—in which special batches of coffee are brewed one cup at a time.

“When Starbucks partners finda coffee with a particular interesting flavor, it’s sold on its own. There will be enough to do these small batches,” Krum says.

The specialty coffee is sold as a “Starbucks Reserve coffee” and includes varieties such as Kona Coffee and Papua New Guinea Arokara.

The coffee bar upstairs will operate mainly at night for tastings and samplings of the special brews. The second floor will also feature a stage for live music performances and readings.