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TechnographStarbucks, Potbelly coming to town
By Courtney Pischke
Posted: 2/1/05 Section: News
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Talk of building in the Campustown location started long ago, but after years of much discussion, Starbucks, the Seattle coffee company, finally has agreed on 501 E. Green St., adjoining with a Potbelly Sandwich Works.
Starbucks will probably open in the second quarter of 2005, said Jim Lopez, an employee with Broeren-Russo, the site's construction company.
Starbucks has long-awaited the transition from big cities like Chicago to smaller cities such as Champaign. The new Starbucks will be the first stand-alone Starbucks in Champaign-Urbana. Currently, the only local Starbucks is located in Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Neil Street, north of Interstate 74 and miles from campus.
"Like any company with rapid expansion, Starbucks is a retailer that expanded in larger markets first and is now looking to saturate secondary markets (like Champaign)," said Champaign realtor Tim Harrington, who has helped Starbucks find locations in southern Illinois. "Eventually I would imagine that Champaign would have three to four Starbucks."
Workers at two other Campustown coffee shops said they weren't worried about the effect Starbucks would have on their business.
"I think that Green Street (Coffeehouse) will be OK, since it's independent," said Alexis Krasner, senior in LAS and a former employee of Green Street Coffeehouse, 608 E. Green St.
Doug McCarber, district manager for Espresso Royale, said he does not expect Starbucks to take away business from Espresso Royale's four campus locations, except for "maybe the one (location) at Sixth and Daniel (streets).
"It's kind of like when they open a new bar," McCarber said. "People go to check it out, but if they're loyal to the bar they're going to (before), they'll go back."
Nicole Friedrichsen, manager of a Starbucks at the University of Iowa, said the addition of a Starbucks on campus helped to raise recognition of specialty coffees as a whole.
"Everyone has this misconception that Starbucks would be like a Big Brother coming in to drive all the small guys out of business," Friedrichsen said. "But actually, Starbucks increases awareness of the gourmet coffee sector - more consumers would have a greater appreciation for all types of coffee. The market as a whole came about after the licensed Starbucks locations did so well."
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