Opinion: Napa Doesn’t Need Another Starbucks

I can’t live without it. But I usually just brew it at home.

I do have to admit however, that whenever I need some strong coffee, I go to Starbucks to get my caffeine high.

And now it seems that it will be easier than ever to find a cup of cafécito (as we say in Spanish) with the addition of a new Starbuck’s in town right at the heart of it – First and Main Streets.

Bad idea and this is why.

Downtown Napa is a worldwide tourist attraction, a place where people can visit shops, eat at gourmet restaurants and experience something that they can’t back home. It’s a place that’s defined by mom-and-pop shops, high-end restaurants, wine boutiques, and specialty shops not seen anywhere else in the country.

Do we really want to see a business that can be experienced at any strip mall in the country in an exclusive location such as downtown Napa?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Starbucks. Don’t have anything against them. Don’t really care if they are corporate juggernauts that pretty much define suburban sprawl – the same Starbucks you see in Napa is the same one you see in Petaluma, Sonoma, Healdsburg, Rohnert Park and don’t get me started on American Canyon.

I also have a concern that by having a Starbucks in Napa, other coffee companies centered in downtown will have a hard time competing with the popular brand. I used to take walks from the building with colleagues to grab some coffee over at on First and Main Street.

Now as I return to Napa and work alongside editor Louisa Hufstader, the thought of not having a local coffee shop to enjoy because of the potential drop in business that may be sustained when Starbucks opens up is troubling.

Napa already has six Starbucks in town. It doesn’t need another.

What are your thoughts?  

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