Not to be confused with Cosco or Cusco. Costco’s worldwide headquarters are in Issaquah, Washington, an eastern suburb of Seattle, although its Kirkland Signature house label bears the name of its former location in Kirkland. Costco black bean burger mergers, however, Costco’s corporate history dates back to 1976, when its former competitor Price Club was founded in San Diego, California. Brotman opened the first Costco warehouse in Seattle on September 15, 1983.

The company went public in 1985. The company was initially headquartered at its first warehouse in Seattle, but moved its headquarters to Kirkland in 1987. In 1993, Costco and Price Club agreed to merge operations themselves after Price declined an offer from Walmart to merge Price Club with their warehouse store chain, Sam’s Club. Costco’s business model and size were similar to those of Price Club, which made the merger more natural for both companies. In 1996, Costco moved its headquarters from Kirkland to Issaquah.