Sitting outside of Starbucks and drinking Dunkin’ Donuts hot chocolate in Williamsburg, Page Whitmore, 31, acknowledged in advance the irony of her next statement: She prefers to drink local coffee and is trying to drink less Starbucks because she believes it is bad for you.
However, the young artist from Clinton Hill, Brooklyn said she does occasionally go to Starbucks because it is convenient. “I go to Starbucks when I am in a rush or if I am feeling indulgent. I go to local coffee shops if I have time and need a place to sit and work,” she said.
Starbucks on North 7, the second Starbucks in Williamsburg, opened across the street from the Bedford Avenue L train station on Nov. 3. This location claims to be “the coolest Starbucks you’re ever going to go into,” according to DNAinfo. This Starbucks location is huge, with tons of space to sit down and meet with friends or to work. There are dozens of electrical outlets throughout the space, which customers use for their laptops.
Still, Williamsburg already has 31 coffee shops in 2.18 square miles, which gives it the highest concentration of caffeine outposts in the city outside of Manhattan, as previously reported by the Brooklyn Ink..
So when Starbucks opened on Bedford Avenue and 7th Avenue, a highly populated and caffeinated area in Williamsburg, some worried about the new location taking business away from the local cafés. However, coffee shop owners and baristas said that business is still booming, even after the Starbucks opened. It seems that Starbucks and the local coffee shops can coexist.
Brandon Giles, 29, store manager of Starbucks on North 7, said that since the opening, the local businesses have been welcoming to the newly opened location. Giles said that he has met with various employees and owners of the local coffee shops. He shared Starbucks coffee with the local coffee shops, who also let him try their coffee, Giles said.
There isn’t a sense of competition between Starbucks and the local coffee shops because the “coffee community itself is a lot of working together and a lot of sharing,” Giles said.
“When people come to Williamsburg, whether they live here or are traveling through, one of the things that comes to mind is innovation in coffee. There is always opportunity for growth and I don’t think that this market is anywhere near its saturation point.” Local coffee shop workers seem to agree with Giles, saying that their businesses have not been affected negatively by the Starbucks opening.
“Business is fine. If you’ve come here before and had our product, you come back,” said Jared Dodd, 30, the manager of a Swedish coffee house, Konditori. He added that the Starbucks opening is “not something we are really worried about.”
El Beit, a Williamsburg coffee shop, is located two blocks away from the new Starbucks on Bedford Avenue, and it was the first coffee shop to open in the area eight years ago, said barista Jon Reagan, 28.
The café’s business is still successful because its regular customers are still coming to the coffee shop to drink coffee or tea and work, Reagan said. Customers keep coming to El Beit because “the coffee speaks for itself and the atmosphere is chill,” Reagan added.
“I haven’t noticed a difference in business, honestly. I actually think we have been doing better, but that could be a fluke,” Reagan said about the Starbucks opening.
Pasha Russel, 33, a barista at Swallow Café on Bogart St., said that the Starbucks opening has not affected the Williamsburg coffee shop because regulars continue to come back to the shop for its authentic coffee.
For example, regulars seem to appreciate that Swallow Café offers a true-to-size cappuccino in a small cup, as opposed to the large cappuccinos that Starbucks offers, Russel said. “Starbucks is not effecting our business in any way because our coffee and their coffee are different,” Russel said.
The Tea Bar, a Williamsburg coffee shop located three blocks away from the new Starbucks on Driggs Avenue, opened a year and a half ago, said Michael Klein, 23, a barista there. The Starbucks has not effected the coffee shop’s business, though it might in the summer time when Starbucks frappuccinos become popular again, said Elyse Silverberg, 20, a Tea Bar barista.
“Business hasn’t slowed down at all because people in Williamsburg don’t want Starbucks,” Klein said.
No true, says Giles, the Starbucks on North 7 store manager. He says that the store gets a mix of clientele, from locals to those visiting Williamsburg. “This has become a good, simple spot for folks to meet and hang out,” Giles said.
Starbucks on North 7 is as dedicated to serving the Williamsburg community as the local coffee shops are, Giles said.
Those meeting at Starbucks on North 7 seem to agree. They sit around tables typing on their laptops, meet with friends and try the new coffees that Starbucks offers every month.
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