Starbucks has opened a new outlet in downtown St. John's (its first), across the street from not one but two local coffee shops that have gotten my dime, and then some, over the years. I'm a little conflicted, as I like Starbucks coffee, a lot, and although I go local, I'm not going to be guilted out, as a friend tried to do earlier this month, about spending money on the Starbucks monolith. On Friday, I picked up a tidbit that Starbucks is now looking at opening up a new location on Kenmount Road, not far from a new Tim Hortons outlet. That will be interesting to watch.
Back to the David-Goliath situation playing out downtown. This piece posted on Slate on Friday makes an interesting case: Starbucks doesn't hurt mom-and-pop coffee shops, but actually boosts their sales, by - essentially - boosting the overall market.
Talk about coattails, with foam on top.
The new Starbucks is next to Swiss Chalet. Which is funny considering it's just up the street from the Starbucks in Chapters.
Posted by: G | Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 22:50