1.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Capone's
     
     
      Pizza
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Subs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      79
      Univesrity
     
     
      Avenue
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Phone:
      892-1113
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      large
     
     
      3
      topping
     
     
      Pizza!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Panther
      Prints
      ¢
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      February
      11,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Coffee
      Bars
      Invade
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ss
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MONTREAL
      (CUP)
      —What
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ;
      has
      happened
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      coffeehouse
      culture
      once
      syn-
     
     
      onymous
      with
      beatniks,
      black
     
     
      turtlenecks,
      pretentious
      poetry
     
     
      and
      folk
      music?
      While
      small,
     
     
      independent
      coffeehouses
      that
     
     
      host
      poetry
      and
      hang
      local
      art-
     
     
      work
      on
      their
      walls
      still
      exist
      in
     
     
      large
      numbers,
      the
      more
      ubiq-
     
     
      uitous
      coffeehouse
      symbols
     
     
      today
      are
      the
      large,
      corporate
     
     
      chains
      that
      seem
      to
      pop
      up
     
     
      every
      other
      day.
     
    

    
     
      The
      dark,
      smoky,
      strug-
     
     
      gling
      coffeehouse
      is
      now
      the
     
     
      clean,
      well-lit,
      smoke-free,
      fi-
     
     
      nancially
      stable
      coffeebar.
     
    

    
     
      The
      coffeehouse
      has
     
     
      been
      around
      in
      the
      Middle
      East
     
     
      and
      Europe
      for
      centuries.
      Dur-
     
     
      ing
      the
      1950s,
      coffeehouses
     
     
      began
      emerging
      in
      the
      U.S.
     
     
      Rooted
      in
      the
      bohemian
      tradi-
     
     
      tion
      of
      the
      cafes
      of
      the
      Left
     
     
      Bank,
      the
      American
     
     
      coffeehouse
      had
      a
      reputation
     
     
      for
      being
      a
      haven
      of
      subver-
     
     
      sive
      thought.
      Coffee
      was
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      :
      the
      emphasis
      —
      it
      was
      just
     
    
   
   
    
     
      something
      to
      go
      with
      your
      ciga-
     
     
      rette
      and
      conversation.
     
    

    
     
      The
      coffeebar,
      in
      its
     
     
      present
      incarnation,
      is
      a
      rela-
     
     
      tively
      new
      phenomenon.
      The
     
     
      Second
      Cup,
      Canada’s
      largest
     
     
      coffeebar
      chain,
      only
      arrived
     
     
      in
      Montreal
      three
      years
      ago.
     
    

    
     
      But
      is
      the
      coffeebar
      just
     
    
   
   
    
     
      \
      }\
      another
      trend?
      Not
      as
      far
      as
     
     
      “|
      Starbucks
      is
      concerned.
      Cur-
     
     
      E|
      rently
      the
      largest
      coffeebar
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      chain
      in
      North
      America,
     
     
      Starbucks
      was
      transformed
      in
     
     
      the
      mid-1980s
      when
      CEO
     
     
      Howard
      Schultz
      went
      to
      Italy.
     
    

    
     
      Charmed
      by
      the
      coziness
     
     
      of
      the
      Italian
      coffeebar,
      Schultz
     
     
      decided
      to
      recreate
      that
      feel-
     
     
      ing
      in
      North
      America.
      His
      first
     
     
      step
      was
      to
      base
      the
      store
     
    
   
   
    
     
      around
      espresso,
      a
      drink
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
      limited
      exposure
      in
      North
     
     
      America,
      rather
      than
      straight
     
     
      coffee.
     
    

    
     
      With
      1995
      sales
      of
      $631
     
     
      million
      (US),
      North
      Americans
     
     
      seem
      charmed
      by
      his
      inter-
     
     
      pretation.
     
    

    
     
      Currently,
      there
      are
      more
     
     
      than
      970
      Starbucks
      across
     
     
      North
      America
      and
      Japan.
     
     
      From
      its
      Seattle
      headquarters,
     
     
      Starbucks
      is
      planning
      to
      ex-
     
     
      pand
      throughout
      the
      Pacific
     
     
      Rim
      and
      into
      Europe.
      Some
     
     
      financial
      consultants
      estimate
     
     
      that
      the
      number
      of
      coffeebars
     
     
      will
      quintuple
      in
      the
      next
      five
     
     
      years.
     
    

    
     
      For
      some,
      this
      is
      a
      sure
     
     
      sign
      that
      the
      trend
      is
      about
      to
     
     
      peak.
      And
      not
      surprisingly,
      as
     
     
      Starbucks
      becomes
      more
      and
     
     
      more
      of
      an
      urban
      presence,
      it
     
     
      has
      begun
      to
      experience
      a
     
     
      backlash.
      In
      Minneapolis,
      one
     
     
      community
      successfully
      or-
     
     
      ganized
      to
      keep
      Starbucks
      out
     
     
      of
      their
      neighbourhood,
      citing
     
     
      the
      need
      to
      protect
      the
      local
     
     
      coffeehouse
      and
      businesses.
     
    

    
     
      While
      such
      occurrences
     
     
      may
      be
      rare,
      Toronto
      experi-
     
     
      enced
      a
      similar
      reaction
      last
     
     
      year
      when
      two
      downtown
      To-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ronto
      coffeebar
      neighbour-
     
     
      hoods
      heard
      that
      Starbucks
     
     
      was
      planning
      to
      move
      in.
      Al-
     
     
      though
      they
      were
      not
      success-
     
     
      ful
      in
      stopping
      the
      Starbucks’
     
     
      openings,
      their
      protest
      sparked
     
     
      a
      city-wide
      debate
      about
      the
     
     
      meaning
      of
      community.
     
    

    
     
      With
      such
      complete
      in-
     
     
      filtration
      by
      the
      chains
      into
      the
     
     
      consciousness
      of
      coffee
      drink-
     
     
      ing
      and
      non-coffee
      drinking
     
     
      North
      Americans,
      where
      do
     
     
      the
      independent
      coffeehouses
     
     
      and
      bars
      stand
      a
      chance?
     
    

    
     
      The
      entire
      concept
      of
      the
     
     
      coffeehouse
      has
      been
      rede-
     
     
      fined
      in
      North
      American
      terms
     
     
      —
      while
      emphasis
      is
      ona
      qual-
     
     
      ity
      product,
      it
      is
      also
      on
      quan-
     
     
      tity
      and
      profit.
      As
      we
      become
     
     
      addicted
      to
      caffeine
      by
      the
     
     
      masses,
      the
      coffeebar
      will
      be-
     
     
      come
      just
      another
      stop
      in
      our
     
     
      daily
      routine.
     
    

    
     
      As
      far
      away
      from
      their
     
     
      roots
      as
      they
      have
      gone,
     
     
      Starbucks
      and
      other
      chains
     
     
      would
      like
      nothing
      more
      than
     
     
      to
      be
      that
      necessary
      stop
      in
      our
     
     
      daily
      routines.
      And
      while
      they
     
     
      insist
      that
      the
      market
      is
      big
     
     
      enough
      for
      everyone,
      there
     
     
      may
      not
      be
      a
      place
      for
      an
     
     
      independent
      coffeehouse
      when
     
     
      a
      chain
      coffeebar
      sprouts
      up
     
     
      on
      every
      corner.
     
    

    
     
      But
      as
      more
      and
      more
     
     
      coffeebars
      show
      up
      every-
     
     
      where,
      will
      they
      just
      assume
     
     
      the
      coziness
      of
      another
      neigh-
     
     
      bourhood
      institution,
     
     
      McDonalds?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Great
      |
     
     
      Movies
      _—
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -Downtown-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WIFI
      Cid.
      64
      King
      St.
      368-
      3669