When a Starbucks (SBUX, news, msgs) opened across the street from our offices in downtown Missoula, Mont., a few years ago, a lot of people in this liberal college town were not too pleased.
The national behemoth would squeeze the local coffee shops, critics said, and contribute to the homogenization of Missoula.
"In addition to supporting local cultural, social and athletic events, local shops add a degree of color and flavor to areas that no Starbucks ever can -- unless you like the contrived, calculated flavor that every other Starbucks in the country has," wrote one commenter on NewWest.Net, a source of online news for residents of the Rocky Mountain West.
"Additionally, profits from local coffee shops tends to stay close to home," the commentator said, "allowing for further local investment in the community. Starbucks profits get shipped off in giant suitcases to the company HQ three states away. Further, local shops are also more likely to hire local contractors, keeping even more money close to the source."
As the founder and publisher of NewWest.Net, whose largest competitor is a multibillion-dollar national newspaper chain, I've always been more than sympathetic to this argument. As a company, and as individuals, we're all about supporting locally owned businesses and the eclectic downtown commercial culture that goes with them.
But earlier this month we learned the Starbucks would be closing; it couldn't compete with the excellent alternatives. And I don't see that as a good thing.
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Plus, given the economy, Starbucks' prime space will probably stay empty for a while. The employees will lose their jobs, which, while not high-paying, did come with benefits. And that's more than you can say about a lot of work in this low-wage town.
More people looking for work and more empty storefronts on Higgins Avenue aren't great for anyone in the community.
Cuts 2 ways
It's usually smart business to support like-minded independent companies. Personally, I hardly ever set foot in the Starbucks, even though I think its coffee is just fine. I much prefer Trailhead for sporting goods to Sports Authority, Go Fetch for pet supplies to Petsmart (PETM, news, msgs), Fact & Fiction for books to Barnes & Noble (BKS, news, msgs) and First Security for banking to Wells Fargo (WFC, news, msgs).But the more personal nature of these relationships can also cut the other way. A local electronics chain that we wooed as a client for years recently pulled a small ad campaign because a satirical blog post on NewWest.Net offended the religious sensibilities of the owner. I doubt that Best Buy (BBY, news, msgs) would have acted in that fashion.
Some national chains are starting to source products locally, especially food. While it may be true at some level that profits are "exported" to headquarters, good branch managers are often active in their communities and support local businesses. In the case of franchises, they are, in fact, locally owned businesses.
I agree that a town dominated by chains is less interesting and rich than one with a vibrant independent business community. But here, at least, it seems the two can coexist.
And it's dangerous to assume that what's bad for the chains is good for the mom-and-pops. In this economy, a store closure is nothing to cheer about.
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I love ethnic cuisine, however, amaretto and anisette are flavored liquers- amaretto (hazelnut makes a nice inexpensive alternate) I can see in coffee with dessert- not breakfast- but anisette- Anisette tastes like licorice- bleah! 