Are Charlotte Starbucks in danger of going out of business? Haha. Of course not. Charlotte loves a good Venti Pike. There will always be a place for Starbucks in Charlotte.
But, there’s no doubt that local coffee hot spots like Not Just Coffee are putting a dent in the Starbucks machine.
Charlotteans are also starting to develop relationships with coffee roasters like Pure Intentions, Enderly and Magnolia.
Sure, maybe only 100 people notice that Pure Intentions cold brew is on nitro at Free Range Brewing or that you can order a Pure Intentions cocktail from the Summit Room. But, what happens when those 100 turn into 1,000 and those 1,000 turn into 10,000? These local coffee upstarts are becoming part of our Charlotte culture and building relationships, human by human.
Loving this new creation by @thesummitrm ! Coffee, Kahlua, Gran Marnier, egg white, chocolate bitters, flamed orange. #getsome #PourPure #SummitRoom A photo posted by Pure Intentions Coffee (@pureintentionscoffee) on
Does this mean that there’s not going to be a huge line at drive-thru of the 2-story Starbucks coming to SouthPark?
It is, in fact, possible for SouthPark to get even SouthParkier. https://t.co/WLnJ8tL3Bn
— Jeremy Markovich (@deftlyinane) August 12, 2015
Of course not. It’ll be packed.
Rendering of the new Starbucks coming to SouthPark at Sharon Square (close to Whole Foods). Details: 2-stories and will have a drive-thru. A photo posted by Axios Charlotte (@charlotteagenda) on
Starbucks’ stronghold on the Charlotte coffee scene will not last long. If I was a Vegas lines maker I would set the line at 3.5 years for when Starbucks will shrink instead of grow in Charlotte.
@deftlyinane Licensed stores (i.e. Harris Teeter locations) have been growing faster in NC. 76 –> 142 from 07′ to ’14.
— Andrew Dunn (@andrew_dunn) August 14, 2015
What is my far-from-scientific evidence of this grassroots coffee change?
Evidence #1: This is a photo at 7:56am at the Starbucks on East Blvd on Wednesday.
No line. You didn’t see this a year ago.
Evidence #2: My emotions.
I feel oddly guilty holding this.
… and oddly proud when I hold this.
