Central Sq. Coffee Purveyors, Protesters Fight New Starbucks

The bright green logo of Starbucks faces the abandoned facades of cafes and stores that had resided for years in Central Square.

Two months after it opened on Dec. 2, Starbucks is thriving despite a boycott against its introduction into the Square.

However, owners of other coffee houses near the newly-opened franchise are vowing not to go down without a fight.

Representatives of two nearby coffee houses say it is too early to tell if Starbucks will take business away.

Both coffee purveyors say they are taking active measures to retain customers.

Dana Stone, owner of the Phoenix Coffee House and Cafe located a block away from Starbucks, says her store has started to sell food in addition to coffee to combat the chain's popularity.

Lillian Welch, the manager at Coffee-House, says some of her clients will probably start buying coffee from Starbucks. "They have a great location," Welch says. "I can't blame someone."

But both Stone and Welch say their clientele is loyal and will not desert the mom-and-pop coffee houses for the franchise.

"I have a lot of loyal [customers]," Stone says. "They value good coffee, [and] they're willing to frequent a small...place."

The local coffee purveyors are not alone in their struggle to fend off Starbucks.

Other people who fear that Starbucks will begin the trend of bringing big corporations into the area--hiking up prices--have mobilized and formed the Local Flavor League.

The League has been one of the loudest voices in the chorus of complaints against Starbucks. It has organized a campaign against the chain and holds protest signs and distributes leaflets outside the cafe daily.

Members of the League want to preserve more than just the mom-and-pop coffee houses.

Basav Ben, a member of the Local Flavor League, says Starbucks is raising rents in the neighborhood.

"They gentrify the neighborhood. They bring in high-income businesses. It causes rent to rise," he says. "There are lots of small, locally-owned businesses [in the Square], and this will hurt their business."

Ben says that Starbucks--as a large franchise--can afford to pay for services and supplies that smaller stores cannot, and consequently, unfairly competes with the smaller businesses.

"The coffee and the food is over-priced," Ben says. "[Starbucks] can support an operation that is running at a loss."

In the face of the tide of opposition, Starbucks representatives remain optimistic.

"It's going well and as we expected," says Pamela Miller, manager of the Central Square Starbucks.