seriously.

"When is a Starbucks not a Starbucks?"

So begins the baffling article I read a few minutes ago from the Seattle Times. The basic gist is as follows: given Starbuck's recent slump in sales, the chain is looking for any way to drum up foot traffic, and apparently they think they've found a potentially successful one. I think it's stupid.

Starbucks is currently in the process of re-branding three of it's Seattle stores to give each "a community personality." Each store, starting with the first, "15th Avenue Coffee and Tea," will have it's own independent name and "feel." They will also feature wine and beer on the menu and more local entertainment events. The problem is that each will still have a Starbucks menu. Same coffee, just with a different name on the cup.

"Those who can capture a sense of community and offer consumers a compelling experience will win in the long run, said Michelle Barry, senior vice president of the market-research firm Hartman Group in Bellevue." Um. OK. On one hand, as a girl who has spent the past several years with a family in the independent restaurant business, I completely agree. Part of what has kept Dales around for so long is the fact that it is intrinsically tied to life in Florence. It's where you go to celebrate graduations, birthdays, anniversaries. People get engaged there, and many have their rehearsal dinners or receptions there. It's just simply tradition for so many Florence families. And it's unlike anywhere else. Even when Dales had multiple locations in its earlier years, each of those restaurants retained an individual sense of identity. One felt more like a jazz cellar that just happened to serve a great steak, while Florence was more of a family place.

But here's the thing...Dales evolved that way. Those locations were allowed to develop their own identity from their inception, in spite of the common brand they shared. And they certainly didn't have a marketing firm advising them on HOW to "capture" a sense of community and artificially recreate it. In today's world, I'm not even sure that Dales would develop the way it did. So to me, what Starbucks is doing sounds preposterous, and a little insulting. Sure, the name might refer to my neighborhood. The person playing music in the corner might live a few blocks away. But the coffee in my cup will still be Starbucks, and they'll still ultimately own the establishment I'm sitting in.

Look, I like Starbucks. I've been a patron there before and I will be again. I'm quite happy, during a long road trip, to discover a drive through Starbucks on my route, because it means I know I can get some good coffee. But should a re-branded Starbucks ever pop up in either of the two towns I consider home...no thanks. I'll stick to Bottletree or Rivertown.