Conventional wisdom dictates that the arrival of a new Starbucks is a death sentence for a neighborhood’s independently owned coffee houses. Maybe not, says Slate:

In its predatory store placement strategy, Starbucks has been about as lethal a killer as a fluffy bunny rabbit. Business for independently owned coffee shops has been nothing less than exceptional as of late. Here’s a statistic that might be surprising, given the omnipresence of the Starbucks empire: According to recent figures from the Specialty Coffee Association of America, 57 percent of the nation’s coffeehouses are still mom and pops. Just over the five-year period from 2000 to 2005–long after Starbucks supposedly obliterated indie cafes–the number of mom and pops grew 40 percent, from 9,800 to nearly 14,000 coffeehouses. (Starbucks, I might add, tripled in size over that same time period. Good times all around.)

There’s a new Starbucks opening this week right outside 5280’s parking garage, which will knock a city block off my morning walk from my car to the office. If you’re looking for an independent java fix in Denver, here’s the best place to start.

Daniel Brogan
Daniel Brogan
Daniel Brogan is the founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of 5280 Publishing, Inc.