Starbucks leaves bad taste in my mouth

By: Michael J Birklein

Up front let me say I have nothing against Starbucks as a business, in fact I admire them, they built from the ground up and have become big business. But they don't belong in Inglewood.

My wife and I searched for a full eight months for a home in Calgary, we viewed houses in nearly every quadrant of the city and owing to viewing exhaustion (ours and the realtor's) and lucking out by finding a house we really loved, settled in Inglewood. That was 4 years ago. We knew very little about the neighborhood and I'm happy to report that we still don't. Why? Because every time we venture out we find something new to enjoy or that satisfies are immediate needs with a unique twist. (Welcome our newest arrival 'ESPY'.)

When I heard the news that Starbucks was moving in to the hood I was surprised considering it would be the first chain allowed to locate here. I recall myself saying when we first moved to Inglewood that they neighborhood could use some business to draw more people and development, and I stand behind that, but Starbucks isn't it. Went there and wow, it takes away all sense of neighborhood, it's just like being on Macleod Trail or any other suburban facsimile. If 9 avenue (Atlantic Avenue) becomes a strip mall then it ceases to be an attraction and livable place, we might as well move to the suburbs. Look at 4th street SW or 17th Ave SW, they are becoming beltline strip malls.

My vote is to innovate, don't imitate.