Independent vs. Chain Coffee Shops: Room for Both in the Fan

With so many choices for food and beverages in the fan area there can’t be too many coffee shops.

By Jessica Porter

The fan area, especially around VCU, is crawling with independent businesses that give the area its charm. Even with the presence of chain corporations, locally owned coffee shops are able to thrive.

Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream is often packed full of people who choose to spend their money at an independently owned business despite a Saxbys Coffee near the dorms, two Starbucks on campus and three more Starbucks in the area. The owner of Crossroads, Jeff Kroll, does not even view the chains as competition.

“The population hungers for something different that reflects the neighborhood,” said Kroll. He is sure to incorporate things that appeal to the diverse residents of the fan and VCU Students. A larger menu and the option for ice cream make an experience at Crossroads different from that of a chain.

Another coffee shop, Common Groundz, offers organic fair trade coffee people go out of their way for, said owner Scott King, 38. Common Groundz also provides a large food menu.

“We have 70% food and 30% coffee, that alone negates competition,” said King.

A benefit of going to a locally owned coffee shop is employees are able to “develop relationships” with customers and “a persons coffee can be started as soon as they walk in the door.” said King. Face and name recognition is very important, he said.

Independent coffee shops are able to make the building more personal by choosing what music to play, what decorations to put up and the overall mood of the coffee shop, said Kroll.

The atmosphere is “not nearly as structured” and provides an “environment around creative people” you can’t get at a chain like Starbucks, said Crossroads employee Will Gowdy, 30.

Rostov’s Coffee & Tea is an independent coffee shop different from the others because it is not a café. Rostov’s roasts and sells their coffee by the pound and also sells tea, mugs and other drinking accessories. Owner Tammy Rostov, 41, is confident about the coffee provided.

“What we do is unique, there’s no coffee that has not been roasted and ground in the store,” said Owner Tammy Rostov. “Anyone who sells coffee actually helps us because people realize what we have us better.”

The “big green monster on campus” is not a worry Kroll said, “Because there is enough population for independent and chain coffee shops.”

This is not the case for all independently owned coffee shops in the area. The Common Cup, located near Crossroads, recently closed for reasons that are not clear. There is speculation from a neighboring business that the closing was due to the economy. Attempts to reach the owner of the Common Cup were unsuccessful.

But many people choose to stay loyal to chain business like Starbucks because they get caught in a routine and that particular store is the most convenient. Nikki Thompson, a junior at VCU, gets beverages exclusively from Starbucks because of its convenient location in the VCU commons.