San Francisco's Anti-Starbucks History
If you're like us, when you heard that a small contingent of residents/business owners in the Richmond was trying to block a Starbucks franchise from opening on Geary between 4th & 5th Avenues, you didn't give the underdogs much of a shot at success against the big business.
Well, maybe the Richmond has a chance after all:
In the summer of 2003, the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association also successfully kept STARBUCKs from moving into their community. The following year the late Tess Manalo-Ventresca and Sunset Neighbors in Action organized a successful grassroots campaign to keep STARBUCKS out of their neighborhood as well. Later that year, SF's Japantown activists successfully blocked a Starbucks they say would have harmed many of their small businesses as well.Of course, as best we can tell, there are nearly 100 Starbucks outlets in San Francisco, so it's not like these anti-Starbucks people are playing the Great Wall to the coffee giant's Mongolian marauder role. But still; at least it's starting to look like this isn't a one-sided fight.
Chinese People Kick STARBUCKS Out of the Forbidden City... [Stop Starbucks Blog]
Earlier: Coffee Imperialism: Your "Stop Starbucks" Update [MenuBlog]
