I have read a couple of books on the history of Starbucks. I have been fascinated by their story and by their ability to create “a third place” . Are you familiar with that term? The third place is where you go and hang out for community besides your home and your work place. They have done an incredible job creating that culture. The church used to be a person’s or families “third place”. My prayer is that the church becomes that place again. That is what I pray our church becomes some day.
Whether it is because of the economy or building too many stores too fast, Starbucks is about to close 600 stores nationwide. There are close to sixty stores in Texas scheduled for closing. We have at least five locations within five miles of my office and they all seem to be doing a good business, but there are other places in Texas not doing as well. Here is a link to the list of “third places” being closed.
The Wall Street Journal published an article a couple of days ago on the campaign in some parts of the country to keep stores open.
In towns as small as Bloomfield, N.M., and metropolises as large as New York, customers and city officials are starting to write letters, place phone calls, circulate petitions and otherwise plead with the coffee company to change its mind.
It is an unusual twist in the saga of Starbucks, one of the fastest-growing retailers of the past decade. For years, Starbucks gained attention when a town didn’t welcome it. Independent coffee shops complained about the big-muscled competition, and residents bemoaned the erosion of local character.
Online, several “Save Our Starbucks” petitions have popped up for stores across the country, including locations in San Diego, Dallas and New York City.
The closures mean Starbucks will eliminate about 12,000 jobs, which comes out to 20 for every location it plans to shut. In addition to creating jobs and generating revenue, Starbucks outlets serve as key draws for other retailers, making the loss of one a blow to the surrounding area.
You can read all of the article here……
Where is your third place? Do you hang out at church, Starbucks or another local coffee shop? What about a gym or spa?
