Coffee Talk

Battle Afoot in Castro as Starbucks Looks to Add Another Store, Just a Few Doors Down from Peet’s

We thought Starbucks had calmed down with their quest for world coffee domination, but this week brings news that they have their sights set on the retail space at 2201 Market Street, currently occupied by The Industrialists. That would be a corner location at Sanchez and Market at the end of the very same block that is home to a Peet’s, at 2257 Market. Well whaddya know.

In an effort to appease the generally cantankerous San Francisco NIMBY contingent, Starbucks has put up a web page for the proposed store, which would be LEED certified if built, and would include a “community art wall,” and “custom artwork celebrating the history and culture of the surrounding neighborhood.” Unfortunately whoever wrote the copy also seems to think this is sort of a shitty neighborhood they’re going into, and they’re calling this a “diamond in the rough” location. A diamond in the rough which is currently home to a high-end furniture store, and a block and a half from a Pottery Barn, but we digress.

Regardless of the nods toward community and sustainability, we’re sure Peet’s — a local brand — and various neighbors will be putting up a loud fight over this one. And Starbucks does, after all, already have two stores just a few blocks away at 18th and Castro, and at Safeway. As one neighborhood resident on Facebook put it, “Over my dead gay body,” and says another, “Let the bloody neighborhood battle begin.”

2201 Market Street [Starbucks]
A Tree Grows in Starbucks [Eater]

Battle Afoot in Castro as Starbucks Looks to Add Another Store, Just a Few Doors