The Coffee Shop Happenings Thread

October 16

I have been given permission to reveal the news, but not the source:

After being outbid over a year ago for the space presently occupied by Centanii, Starbucks is now in "final negotiations" with the landlord who owns the space formerly occupied by Climax (775 Franklin Avenue)

The small coffee shops we have been jabbering about are going to have to adapt to survive....

Oh bleeep!

Coffee Bites on Washington seems far enough way that it is safe:

My friend off of Washington said the coffee is served close to burnt and the people working there are rude.

Coffee Bites seems pretty busy, and has now been there for several years.

I always found coffee bites employees ranging from friendly to emotionless (neither friendly or rude, just stone faced and robotic), which im fine with.

The worst coffee place in terms of employees has been Sit & Wonder. Consistently douchey hipster, with the attitude that they're doing you a favor they're serving you, and seem annoyed. Joyce is a close second.

I don't have a problem with Starbucks opening on Franklin; however, I do hope they don't pull too many customers from small businesses like Nimba, Pulp & Bean, Little Zelda, Lily & Fig and Breukelen Coffee House.

With an abundance of independent shops between E. Pkwy. and Park Place, Franklin Av. has no shortage of coffee spots. I just hope the addition of Starbucks doesn't force any of them to close. I imagine Starbucks being the go-to spot for visiting parents of the neighborhood's newer young inhabitants.

The existing coffee shops seem to be adding beer and wine, which gives them a slightly different market than Starbucks.

Places like Lazy Ibis (originally conceived as a coffee shop) are becoming cafes instead.

I learn things like this "early", but others have a much more vested interest in learning them before me.

Lazy Ibis = Little Zelda?

I have it on good word that the Starbucks for Franklin will have, in the evening, local artisinal beers, indie band shows, and a thrift-shop/vinyl section in back. So I think they understand the target market and adapting. Kudos.

Lazy Ibis is a new place opening "soon"

http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/topic/663-franklin-ave-next-to-latino-sports-club-formerly-a-bodegadeli-news

Goldemi-

The business model (?) pursued by Cool Pony is FAR FROM PROVEN. As a result of having more than one location, Starbucks will not participate in any such foolery.

P.S. Cool Pony was effectively denied an alcohol permit, and if they continue to serve alcohol they could get in trouble....

Hmm, if Starbucks was having a Sixpoint or Elysian beer night would I go? Hmm... That is a tough one..

I hope I'm not put in this position. If great breweries want to do tastings/exclusive events in our neighborhood, why wouldn't they work with Crown Inn/Franklin Park/Catfish, etc?

I think fears of Starbucks swallowing up all other businesses in the area (like bars) are greatly overstated.

...the smart businesses will avoid going against Starbucks head-to-head.

but i think mike, owner of little zelda, is the one behind lazy ibis, as was stated in the thread. if true, i dont get it...2 coffee shops a stones throw from eachother?

Sbux: all can stay calm. lots of examples of sbux being the first chain store to open in 'cool' neighborhoods with character, thriving, and yet not being the storm petrel for applebees/mcdonalds/olivegarden that people here think.

Lazy Ibis is not being created by the same folks that run Little Zelda, Wedge, Hullabaloo and It Takes a Village.

Lazy Ibis WAS going to be a coffee shop, and is owned by a guy with other coffee shops. However, upon seeing the competition evolve, he is going to create something more like a cafe.

I have it on good word that the Starbucks for Franklin will have, in the evening, local artisinal beers, indie band shows, and a thrift-shop/vinyl section in back. So I think they understand the target market and adapting.

I find this hard to believe. You don't run a chain of this scale by changing things around in one-off fashion.

By "one-off", do you mean "flakey"?

Most recent plan by Cool Pony...upcoming backyard movie night with "possibly" a FIRE PIT. On the wooden patio. Genius. Not breaking any laws there, folks.

Maybe Starbucks will have a fire pit? Can't imagine I'll go there often, but they do have reliably good iced tea.

I suspect that Starbucks has a Policy and Procedures Manual, and a regional management structure that prevents fires on wooden decks in combination with unauthorized alcohol sales/consumption.

However, I am not certain. The next time I am in there buying a brownie, I'll try to get up the courage to ask.

If they don't forbid such things, I might send them my resume.

eastbloc said:

I have it on good word that the Starbucks for Franklin will have, in the evening, local artisinal beers, indie band shows, and a thrift-shop/vinyl section in back. So I think they understand the target market and adapting.

I find this hard to believe. You don't run a chain of this scale by changing things around in one-off fashion.

Duane Reade has tried to specialize their stores to fit the neighborhood (draft beer in at least a couple trendy Brooklyn/Manhattan locations). I'm trying to think of a couple more examples..

The McLobster roll in New England? Haha, not sure that one fits.

I heard the Williamsburg ones tried to have this as thier branding, but corporate nixed the idea:

I can't wait to throw back beers with the regional corporate manager who just left their cube in midtown on their way home to Long Island. We can talk about how great it is in Crown Heights now that people are starting to "move here".

"right?"

Based on the above, one might infer that Starbucks does not provide customers with the ability to "represent who they are" in the same way as some of the area's current venues.

Needless to say, much of this representation is ascribed, rather than sought.

On second thought, I guess that depends on the individual.

....just tell me which one the people I shouldn't like patronize, that way I can know. K Thx

Indeed I was kidding about the Starbucks plans. Although when I lived in Santa Monica there was a coffee bean and tea leaf that did have a fire pit in front. The beauty about sbux as noted above is consistency. Likely no extreme measures will be taken to hipsterize it

There is no reason to hipsterize a business on Franklin Ave at this point.

The yuppies are rapidly pricing the hipsters out, and telling them that the norms have changed. Starbucks arrival is just another step in the process.

Amen.

Oct 30, 2013

Meanwhile, on Washington Avenue, a smaller coffee shop chain has opened a location: Konditori

http://brooklynian.com/forum/prospect-heights/konditori-swedish-cafe-on-washington#post-773948

I'm a bit disappointed by this news, it feels like the Manhattanization of the neighborhood. Regardless of how much so, it will take dollars away from smaller, locally owned joints.

On another note, I disagree with some of the previous criticism about the staff at Coffee Bites and Sit & Wonder. I am by no means a daily customer, but I've always received good to great service (with no douchey attitude detected).

Konditori is more yuppie-Brooklynization-- they only have one Manhattan location.

Nov 4th:

Lazy Ibis is opened by owners that have other coffee shops in Brooklyn

http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/topic/663-franklin-ave-next-to-latino-sports-club-formerly-a-bodegadeli-news