How far are you from a Starbucks?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Okay–we all know the gag: Starbucks is everywhere. They’re taking over. Soon, all stores will be converted to the coffee shop with the funky green mermaid logo. You see it parodied in Austin Powers and The Simpsons. “Okay, but hurry up kid–in 5 minutes, this place is turning into a Starbucks.”

And heck, in my neck of the woods, you see it in reality. There are two Starbucks equidistant from my home, each about 3 miles away in two directions. Travel to Pasadena, where we like to spend our Sundays, and you’ll find 5–count 'em, five–assaulting your senses. Two are literally on the same street–just a block or two away from each other.

And then…we travel to Southern Ohio. Really southern Ohio–down to the southernmost tip, by both Kentucky and West Virginia. This area, the origin of my family (and where most still reside), is not just Starbucks free–they’re Starbucks ignorant (well, they were). On our last summer visit 2 years ago, we asked my aunt if there was a Starbucks or some such coffee shop in town. Her dead-serious response: “Star-what? Star-‘bugs’? Huh??”

We just got back from the region again, and this time made it a bit of a game to find the nearest coffee shop (kinda like counting and sorting roadkill–see GQ). There had to be one, right?? Wrong. According to an internet search from Starbucks’ own site, their nearest shop was a minimum two hours away from the area in any direction.

Considering how the coffee magnate (and yes, I agree, their coffee ain’t the best–just best known right now) super-saturates my home town–and all nearby towns–it’s hard to imagine any area with a population over 5,000 to be without.

So how far are you from a Starbucks? How about a coffee shop in general? (There was one 20min away from my aunt’s place–a cafe in the new Border’s that my aunt thought stunk up the place.) Who’s the closest? Who’s the furthest? I understand that Dopers residing outside the USA are likely to be furthest, but I’m sure many are closer than my kin. I’m also curious where in the US Starbucks and Dr. Evil have laid claim to our souls, and what remains unpolluted.

[sub]Keep in mind, we aren’t Starbucks superfans–they’re just the most accessible, so we go most often. Personally, I prefer the coffees at The Equator in Pasadena–yummy![/sub]

2

[And then…we travel to Southern Ohio. Really southern Ohio–down to the southernmost tip, by both Kentucky and West Virginia**

South Point, Chesapeake or Ironton?

(I’m like, 3 miles from the southern Ohio border.)

We have no Starbucks here, but we can buy Starbucks products in our friendly neighborhood BPs.

Starsludge is what it should be called … blech.

3

Sorry I screwed up the quote. Doh!

4

I have no idea.

I have never been in a Starbucks in my life.

I have no reason to ever enter a Starbucks.

I have held this opinion long before I joined in a boycott of Starbucks.

5

9.5 miles, according to the Starbucks website. I have never been there. Matter of fact, I have never been in any Starbucks. I drink coffee, but not much - like once a month, maybe.

6

Inputting my zip code at the Starbucks web site culls a list of 28 stores, the closest of which is 2.27 miles. Did I win?

7

6 blocks.

8

Not far enough, IMHO.

9

About 4 km…there’s one in the CBD of Melbourne. Never been in there though. I live around the corner from the best coffee joints prolly in the world, and guess what? They are opening a Starbucks in Brunswick St. too! Honestly, I don’t fancy their chances of survival. The Latte Lickers around here don’t take kindly to crass commercialism. I suspect a boycott will be in evidence as soon as it opens (if it doesn’t get vandalised beforehand!! :smiley: )

10

There are 2 about half a mile to the east and another half a mile to the west. The two to the east are about 3 blocks from each other. But one is on the street the other is inside Duty Free. I suppose I could be at it’s front door in 5 minutes if I hurried. Hmm, looking at the web site I see a 4th one (and more, my zip gives 28). I’ll call up my distance measurer and give distances to them.
(Crow flies/walking distance)

  1. 0.32 miles / 0.37 miles
  2. 0.47 / 0.59
  3. 0.43 / 0.57
  4. 0.55 / 0.88
  5. 0.52 / 0.65
  6. 0.53 / 0.65
  7. 1.17 / 1.35

There may be another one but it looks like they just messed up their map.
8) 439 yards / 0.34 miles

So can you tell there is a lot of money to be made where I live?

Of course they don’t caompare to the ABC stores of which there are … ~50 in a 2 mile radius, some literally across the street from each other.

11

Oh, and 2, 4 and 6 all share an intersection altough 2 is inside a large building. I think 5 too, 6 is on the street. shrugs I don’t like coffee but there’s no way that any store I would enjoy could survive the property values here, sigh.

12

Starbucks is not everywhere. It’s not in Ireland.

And may it remain that way forever.

13

Hmm. According to the Starbucks site the nearest one to me is 84 miles.

14

Do the ones inside Barnes and Noble count? In that case, about 50 miles. If you’re talking stand-alone Starbucks store, closer to 250 (would have to go to either Tucson or Albuquerque, I think.

Website says one is “coming soon… to underserved communities,” meaning, my neighborhood Albertson’s.

15

There is a Starbucks at 355 Strand, London. I work at 180 Strand, London, which is about a five minute walk away.

And if that isn’t enough to win me a prize, as of next week our office coffee bar is being closed down and replaced. That’s right: we’re getting not one, but two branches of Starbucks right in the office building – one in the basement and one in the ground floor atrium behind reception.

The ground floor Starbucks will be about 10m from where I sit.

16

According to the Starbucks website and Mapquest, it’s 90.25 miles from my house to the nearest Starbucks.
If the Starbucks coffee I sampled is typical, 90 miles is an acceptable distance away.

17

My office building also has one about to open on the ground floor. Directly underneath where I sit on the first floor. So I’ll be about 20 feet away from it.

Needless to sayI will NOT be patronising it. There’s a perfectly good Pret’s just down the street.

Incidentally can UK dopers tell me if any of the other coffee bar chains in London at present (Pret’s, Costa Coffee, CoffeeRepublic, Aroma, Cafe Nero) are NOT American owned? I do like coffee but I want to support a UK company if possible.

18

Cafe Nero! That’s good coffee.

The nearest Starbucks from me could very well be the same as Crusoe is referring to. :smiley:

Well, I don’t know, whichever the nearest Starbucks in the UK is. The other option was Berlin, which is further away. So let’s say 450 kilometers. Do I win?

19

About 100km, as the crow flies.

There are no Starbucks on the island of Shikoku, can you believe it? So the nearest one to me would be in Hiroshima.

(If none of that makes sense to you, then go look at a map, you lazy bugger!)

20

BUT, we do have Mister Donuts. The coffee isn’t great, but the donuts are to DIE for. The nearest one is about 300m up the road.

Mister Donuts is solely responsible for me putting on 14kg in one year when I was an exchange student. It was also the premier dating spot for my husband and I.