Starbucks Invasion in SW Ontario

[Reesonov]

/\ This is only a theory, but perhaps it is related to the fact that that particular Starbucks is in Thunder Bay?

[vid]

Yeah, that's probably it.

[SpongeG]

safeway starbucks are fake starbucks - they are not corporate - they are licensed - like the ones in chapters

thats why in vancouver you can find a starbucks next to a safeway that has a starbucks inside it

[vid]

They're still Starbucks though. They have the logo, the peppermint mochachino dark coffee latte chino mocha frappa chino (I don't go to Starbucks very often, so my coffee-related vocabulary is very limited.) chino, they have everything about Starbucks, except the condescension. And even then, they only lack that because people only ever stop there when they're waiting for the bus.

[raisethehammer]

A Globe and Mail interview with a Toronto Starbucks rep confirmed what many already know.
He/she said - "we don't go into neighbourhoods until it has nicely revitalized. Other shops and services come in over the years and turn a dead strip into a vibrant one, and then we come in." And then (based on Toronto's experience) the rest of the street becomes an 'outdoor mall' instead of a true vibrant neighbourhood with a mix of chains and local shops...yes, property values go up - way up. Too high to sustain all the hard-working businesses that took a risk to invest in the neighbourhood in the first place.
I say "we're ahead in Hamilton" because we've had a massive influx of artists, gallery owners, cafe owners etc...into our downtown in the past 5 years. So far almost everyone I've spoken to has said "I finally got pushed out of Toronto...no more cheap, up and coming neighbourhoods to call home. They've all gone corporate and only the big chains can afford to locate there."
I hope they keep flocking to Hamilton. So far, the results have been great.

[vid]

LOL

Ok, then the new drive through Starbucks here isn't corporate owned either. It's in a fucking power centre.

[zerokarma]

I could care less how many Starbucks there are around, I only get coffee at Second Cup.