Abbeville, La. - The debate over whether to shop local or shop at a franchise like Starbucks is brewing mixed feelings online.
The sign for the future Starbucks just went up in Abbeville and that has reignited an ongoing conversation online about chains versus locally owned businesses. This includes comments on Facebook like “support local business” and “I’m so looking forward to Starbucks.”
Monica Harrington, like many other Vermilion Parish residents, was curious about when Starbucks would officially open. “There’s not a lot of friendly people that reacted to the post and I've seen multiple people get angry because of the other coffee places in town and it brought a lot of urge to people,” she said.
Despite the backlash online, Monica says she will still shop at Starbucks. She told KATC that there’s room for more than one coffee shop in town.
Starbucks is located just a few blocks down from local coffee show, Classic Cups. The owner, Cherie Leblanc said she was aware of the online discourse but decided it was best not to engage.
“I’m too busy to sit online and look at what’s being said because I do not allow it to impact me. If I allowed it to impact me then it would stunt my growth and that’s not what I’m about. I want to focus on me and how I can make a difference in this community,” she said.
While some neighbors have chosen a side, others like Natalia Schumann are waiting to see how this plays out.
“I do feel like the local community rallies around locals and because we know the owners of Classic Cups, we want to continue to patronize with what they’re doing. I don’t know, I’m curious to see if it will be a beneficial change or not,” Natalia said.
Starbucks will open later this year.
