Zev Siegl is an American entrepreneur. In 1971 he, Jerry Baldwin, and Gordon Bowker founded the original Starbucks Coffee store, near Pike Place Market, in Seattle in the U.S. state of Washington.[1] Siegel, a former history teacher, was the only paid employee in the early days of the company. In 1980 he sold his share of the business, which by then had expanded to four stores.[2]