December 31, 2007
Debunking Conventional Caffeine Wisdom
In a wonderful article at the Slate.com titled ‘Don’t Fear Starbucks – Why the Franchise Actually Helps Mom and Pop Coffeehouses’, Taylor Clark, a writer from Portland, Oregon, debunks the anti-capitalists mantra that successful free-market stories such as Starbucks and WalMart hurt small businesses and local communities.
In yet another example of conventional wisdom being just that . . . conventional . . . Mr. Clark points-out that as, “strange as it sounds, the best way to boost sales at your independently owned coffeehouse may just be to have Starbucks move in next-door.
Check-out this article, and let me know what you think.