Back to the Middle

When Starbucks first hit this town, I think they had a different business model for their stores. Well at least for some of them. The first one was in the middle of a strip mall with no drive through. It was a big place where the goal seemed to be to offer people a place to stop in and have a coffee and socialize with family/friends.

In an interesting twist of fate, that store was located right next to a Famous Franchise studio. So it naturally lead to us having coffee and talking about how it would be interesting to take dance lessons. If the store had been located elsewhere, who knows if I would have discovered ballroom. Life is funny that way.

Soon, locations started popping up everywhere. Most were the smaller locations with the drive through but there were still several that were more “coffee shop” like. Back then, we often stopped into one on Sunday for coffee and breakfast and the place was generally packed. There was one big table which was always occupied by the same group of people. You’d have couples sitting next to each other reading the Sunday paper and having coffee like the shop was an extension of their living room.

As with all things, change is inevitable. Starbucks hit some hard times and stores started to close. Most of the targets were the bigger locations. The one we frequented stayed open and was my go to stop on the way to work as caffeine was a requirement to make it through the work day. I never minded the lack of a drive through window. Even though I’m a total introvert, I kind of enjoyed the small moments with the baristas and some of the other early bird customers.

But that model was dying and the pandemic finished it off. The store closed during the pandemic and the building remained empty for a few years with the green Starbucks letters still on the side. They finally took them down but they had been up so long that the shadows remained. A fresh coat of paint and all evidence that a Starbucks was ever there was gone.

Then, just a little further down the road, a building that used to be a pizza place was torn down and they have started to construct a new Starbucks – complete with a drive through window. Like most, there will be a limited amount of indoor space but nothing like it used to be. The clear message is this is not a place to linger. This is a place to get your coffee and get out. Who has time anymore after all.

Funny thing is we have all but stopped going to Starbucks. I suspect we will have to go back whenever the Pumpkin Spice thing starts up again. (My wife is hooked)

Where do we go now if we want coffee? Well there is an independent coffee shop a short distance away. Right in the middle of a strip mall and there is no drive through window at all. In a nod to the times, they do offer mobile order and pick up for those who don’t want to talk to an actual person. Most of the customers order the old fashioned way – face to face rather than through a phone or a drive through speaker.

Call me old, but I prefer that little human interaction.