So, when I noticed that Starbucks was coming to a corner near me, I rejoiced. I imagined those inspired people who, at that very moment, were attending coffee college, learning the Jedi skills essential to the creation of a successful frappuccino. Only when they had finally mastered the magical chemistry necessary for every beverage, would their dorm room walls be adorned with the sacred Starbucks University diploma.

On the glass doors in blood red, were spray painted the words: “Get out! You are not wanted in our neighborhood.” I was taken aback, appalled. This was my neighborhood too and I had not been consulted on the matter.

I, too, mourn when mom and pop are mowed down by the mighty corporate machines, clear-cutting character out of neighborhoods country-wide and replacing it with monolithic shopping centers and strip malls.

But, an urgent jones for a tasty coffee-based beverage, knows no loyalty.

Besides, it’s time mom and pop got off their padded chairs and considered the needs of their customers, a demographic as varied and complicated as the drinks they order.

My needs, for example, are not the needs of unemployed artists still living with their parents. I have no desire to move my home office to their open-air patio, tapping away at my lap top while nursing a mint chocolate-chip smoothie for five hours. I have other places to go during normal business hours. It’s after business hours that I seek a place to waste my money on trifles.

No one seems to have a problem with people drinking in bars after dinner time. So, what’s the stigma with coffee? Where are the rest of us supposed to go when we seek peaceful leisure? I don’t have cable. What can I do? What if I’ve had a terrible day at work and all I need is one decent espresso to take the edge off? Who will help me then?

Starbucks will, and their staff will greet me with a smile. Their counters will gleam and each employee will understand why I'm there. Starbucks provides the sort of reality check necessary to revive a stagnant market. When business owners get too comfortable, they get lazy. They start closing early. They stop wiping their tables. They take their customers for granted.

The seed of competition will bear fruit, in better service and more competitive prices. Call it survival of the fittest.

You see, it’s not just about getting the caffeine. I look for atmosphere, an experience, a mood. If mom and pop decide to lift their curfew then I’ll come back. Until then, though, I’m going where the coffee--and the service--is. 

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