The New York Times recently reported on the same phenomenon. But they noted - and I’ve seen pretty consistent evidence that they’re right - that Starbucks normally doens’t spell doom for the independent coffee shop. Instead, it’s the smaller chain that usually falls apart. Here in New York, they’ve successfully killed off New World, Timothy’s, LA Coffee Roasters, Dalton’s and Cooper’s. But in my neighborhood, Paradise Cafe (directly across from one of NYC’s first SB stores), Sweetheart Bakery, Big Cup, Chelsea Coffee Co. and at least two others whose names I can’t remember are all doing quite well, thankyouverymuch. In fact, I can’t think of a single independent that’s hasn’t made it.
Now, here’s the frightening thing. I was born in Seattle and when I last lived there - I was 15 - I used to buy chocolate covered espresso beans at the Starbucks on Capitol Hill.
One of the three Starbucks in existence at that time.
In every Chapters bookstore that we have here, there’s a Starbucks. Heck, we have two at the same intersection… at Robson and Thurlow, I believe. (that reminds me, I really ought to use my Starbucks card I got last Christmas before it expires in December; it still has the original $5 on it… yikes)
I lived in Seattle for a couple of years and I will never understand why Seattle’s Best Coffee didn’t become the chain instead of Starbuck’s! In my opinion it’s waaaaaaaay better!
Eww, I had Seattle’s Best and I didn’t like it. Their iced coffee was gross, too.
I usually go to Starbucks only for chai or tea, as coffee without the caffiene isn’t worth the effort to drink, and a big cup of coffee makes my heart feel like it’s about to pound out of my chest. At least the chai is mostly milk.
You do know that “Seattle’s” Best is headquartered out of Atlanta, right? It’s the same company that runs Church’s and Popeye’s chicken restaurants (though Popeye’s is claiming to be Cajun these days). Incidentally, Borders (which used to run its own coffee shops inside all their bookstores) has switched to Seattle’s Best shops inside instead -so you may get your wish yet.
I live near Philadelphia, PA. Back in '96 I spent over a month in Vancouver BC. I had never heard of Starbuck’s before I went out there. They had them everywhere. On the main retail drag (I forget the name of it, someone here probably knows) I think they averaged 2 of them every 2 or 3 blocks. I remember 1 corner that had 2 Starbuck’s diagonally opposite to each other. As I said, before I went there I had never heard of them. But when I came back they must have followed me. Almost immediately they started popping up all over this area. I’ve only patronized them a few times and I can take 'em or leave 'em. Simetra, I like tea but I’m not familiar with Tazo tea. What is it?
There are only 3 starbucks where I am, and it’s a city of 1.5 million. Oh wait, I’m in Taiwan.
Actually, I am very happy that Starbucks is here. If you think that Starbucks has bad coffee, you haven’t had coffee in East Asia. The best thing though, is that they are open in the morning. Most coffee shops here don’t open until mid-morning, and many aren’t open until the afternoon. Then they stay open until late at night. Nothing better than going into Starbucks at 8:00am, and being the only one there.
“I have found the end of the universe. It’s in Houston, Texas. One one corner, there’s a Starbucks. And, as I turned around, I thought there’d maybe be an Exxon Station, or a McDonalds across the street… but no, it was… another Starbucks!..”
I heard somewhere that the intersection Flam mentioned above used to have three!!!
I saw a comedian on TV a while back (maybe that same Lewis Black?) who iold a story about waking up one morning to find that his apartment had been turned into a Starbuck’s. He was so upset he had to have two or three cofees before he told them to leave, but they wouldn’t go - business was too good!
The queen of NYC, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is using Starbucks as a new political scapegoat.
Instead of getting around to making a decision on public facilities in the Apple, he’s opted to inform residents & travellers alike they should use the the bathrooms in one of the many Starbucks throught the city. It’s easier to have coffee shop staff enforce a no-turning-tricks-in-the-can policy than to pay City employees enforce a public restroom decency code.
Either that or he’s a shareholder who’s truly concerned about the public entering a smoke-filled Blarney Stone to relieve themselves.
[hijack]I think there are many more discount drugstore chains(CVS, Duane Reade, Walgreens, Rite Aid, et al.) than Starbucks. How did they become so popular? Their prices suck and you wait on line a minimum of 10 minutes everytime you go to one[/hijack]
I live in Perth, Western Australia (right on the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean, if you’re wondering). According to the Starbucks Store Locator, my nearest Starbucks stores are at:
Actually, the Store Locator is screwed. There’s are Starbucks stores in Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne – a mere five hour flight away.
Damn, Narrad, you beat me to it! I was about to brag that my nearest Starbucks is a four hour flight away.
My nearest Dome (local coffee chain, makes coffee about a trillion times better than SB), on the other hand, is about a five minute walk up the street…
Why did Starbucks proliferate so? Because of the influence of Dr. Evil, of course.
From his headquarters in the Space Needle in Seattle, he sends his Corporate Minions to flood unsuspecting cities with Way Too Many[sup]TM[/sup] identical yupscale coffeeshops…
Or it could be the picure of the Goddess in the logo. But I kinda doubt it.
Incidentally, narrad, it looks like another one of your Starbucks Neighbours[sup]TM[/sup] is in the Abu Dhabi Mall.
Seriously, that “store locator” seems just to be listing all the “international” (non-US) Starbucks stores in alphabetical order.
At the Polaris Fashion Place (mall) in Columbus, there are 3 Starbucks - 1 inside The Great Indoors store, 1 actual sit-down type place inside the mall on the second floor, and a free-standing kiosk on the first floor. That’s bad enough, IMO. But to make it worse… across the street from the mall is a shopping center. It’s got a Starbucks inside the Barnes & Noble store, AND a regular just-Starbucks place. So, that’s 5 full-service Starbucks. I could get a Venti Skinny Latte at each of them within 10 minutes time.
Thankfully, I’m severely allergic to the ink they use to print their cups - I can’t touch the stuff. Even if I could, though, I’d still pass on it.
The last thing I got in a Starbucks was a hot cider, about a year ago. And I may get another this year, since it was damn good. And Dunkin Donuts doesn’t have cider.
Am I just a curmudgeon or what … but what is the big crying public need for coffee? I love coffee and I drink quite a lot of it. But I get my from <gasp> my own coffeemaker. I make it at home and flavor it up when the mood strikes me. And then at work, why, I’ve got a little 4-cup coffeemaker here too! I don’t need a Starbucks a block away. All I have to do is swivel in my chair!
