Students mixed about new Starbucks
A new Starbucks location will open in Columbia in January.
Published Nov. 15, 2005
Sophomore Irina Gurchunov had one reaction when she heard a Starbucks was coming downtown at the corner of Ninth and Elm streets in Columbia:
"It's about time," she said.
The new Starbucks Coffeehouse will be 1,800 square-feet and will open in January.
Many MU students are anticipating the arrival of the coffee franchise, but reactions are mixed.
Sophomore Jenny Benoit said she is relieved to have an alternative to Bookmark Café in Ellis Library and Applause Coffeehouse in Memorial Union, both of which brew Starbucks coffee.
"The one in the library doesn't even have ice so you can't get anything iced," she said.
Other students, such as sophomore Charlie Childers, were a little more wary of the specialty shop.
Childers said, like Wal-Mart, Starbucks is "taking over the world."
Some local business owners said Starbucks is too corporate for downtown Columbia. Bryon Rochon, a co-manager of Lakota Coffee Co., said part of Columbia's appeal is the abundance of local businesses, which is especially notable on Ninth Street.
"Starbucks is representative of homogenization and sterility," Rochon said. "Every city has one. I don't want Columbia to be like any other town."
John Ott, the owner of the property where Starbucks will be located, said other corporate stores, such Panera Bread and Subway, already are in the downtown area.
"It's a commercial district," Ott said. "It's designed to have business."
Before Starbucks, the location on Ninth and Elm streets housed an International House of Pancakes and a Pizza Hut.
Skip DuCharme opened Lakota Coffee Co., located on Ninth Street, 13 years ago. The store sells specialty drinks similar to those sold at Starbucks.
There already are several coffee shops in downtown Columbia and around campus, and a total of seven on and just off of Ninth Street alone.
"The question is, 'How many of them will be able to hold on?'" DuCharme said.
Cherry Street Artisan, a coffeehouse located downtown, is popular for its live performances and study-friendly atmosphere.
General Manager Jeremy Brown said he is partly thankful to the Starbucks franchise for turning people on to specialty coffee.
"Starbucks as a company introduced people to specialty coffee that might not have tried it," Brown said. "It broadened the coffee-drinking public."
The negative, Brown said, is that most people won't take the next step to find their local coffee shop.
Senior Tarrah Lynn Weeks said though she likes the local coffeehouses, she prefers Starbucks.
"I have nothing against the local places, but Starbucks is