Word hasn't been leaked from corporate headquarters yet as to when this debacle will take place, but a local barista has confirmed that, yes, the Marshall Starbucks is one of the 600 to be cut loose. And it has now appeared on this map of known or rumored closings.
Why does this grieve me, like a teenager's angst over the end of a relationship that was always suspected to be Too Good To Be True?
Was it the coffee itself? Are beans marketed by Starbucks really the Source and Summit of all things java? No. When even McDonald's beats Starbucks in a taste test, you know something's going on. Even without McDonald's, coffee just as tasty could be had elsewhere in town.
Then was it the Starbucks aura, that siren song of the Starbucks mermaid that I fell victim to? Perhaps there's some truth to this. Starbucks projected something: urban, sophisticated, enlightened. Being a Starbucks customer projected something, too. Against the ignorant hordes, swilling cheap beer and leaving the empty containers lying all over the road ditches around me, I could proclaim, by the mere presence of a paper cup in my hand, that I am Better Than That. Yes, sir, I am a Grande Nonfat Mocha man, with just enough civilization in me to know how to pronounce that correctly. I shop at Starbucks, where Corporate Social Responsibility is the mantra, and enlightened eco-consciousness is the modus operandi. (Okay, so maybe that McDonald's Unsnobby Coffee campaign has some truth to it...)
I suppose it was also a case of holding up the facade of Marshall as Bigger Than It Really Is. It's true that I moved from a metro area back to this rural abode because I love it here; it's also true that I knew there would be some sacrifices to be made in the retail department. (No Target? No Barnes & Noble? ugh.) But this - my one serious urban delight - was not to be denied me. I could move to the country, and still have my coffee cup too. And further, whenever urban friends would ask, with scrunched up noses, where the heck this "Marshall" was, and why I was moving to the middle of nowhere, I could pull out my trump card: "You know, we have a Starbucks."
Even more than this, though, it was your near-unlimited availability. Oh, Starbucks, I shall miss your Convenient Hours. Need a little extra boost with that 5:30AM wakeup time? No problem! Starbucks is open. Wondering how to kill a little time after the evening news? Go to Starbucks - they'll happily host you until 11. And Sunday, dear Sunday, the one day that screams "Coffee Shop!", being designed by God himself for lounging about, you were open ALL DAY LONG. Oh what a glorious thing that was. No one else within 60 miles will provide me that pleasure.
And the best part was, I had you almost all to myself. I never had to fight with long lines; there was never a rush to snag the best lounge seat; your employees always looked so happy to see me.
Wait a sec. Oh, now I see. Our time together really was Too Good To Be True.
4 comments:
so you'll be moving back to minneapolis then, will you? (you can inflect that with a little bit of an irish accent... i've been picking up on my friend's by accident)
I am very sorry to hear you are losing your favorite coffee shop. I agree with Mary - it definitely sounds like you need to consider moving back. I mean, think about Anatasia. Do you really want her growing up in a town without a Starbucks? :)
As a side note, I thought the Wambeke's preferred Caribou Coffee? And I thought Caribou lovers didn't like Starbucks and vice versa?
PS - looks to me as though Dan needs to create his own blog! :)
Caribou has better "drip" coffee, but Starbucks clearly has better espresso drinks. Dunn Bros., in my opinion, matches the best in both categories.
For me, though, it's not so much about the coffee as it is about the coffee shop itself - being a relaxing place to hang out. While in grad school, I got a good share of my homework done from there. If one of the other shops in town were open on Sundays and/or in the evening, I wouldn't be so distraught over this.
Oh - and I used to have my own blog. Then Ana came, and took up my free time. Now I just mooch off Joy's blog if I want to say something... :-)
And I think we all agree that Dan's mooching benefits us all!
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