Coffee Shop War Brewing?

Fairhope, Alabama 

 

 

Gayfer at Greeno Road.

 DAVID vs. GOLIATH? 

Cryptic signs popping up at intersections around town refer to the effort by local coffee shop 'Provision on then Fly' on N. Greeno Road (David, 23764 US 98) to lure potential customers from the newly-opened Starbucks on S. Greeno (Goliath, 53 S. Greeno).

A Starbucks receipt entitles Provision customers to a free coffee there, according to other media reports.

This campaign is reminiscent of a similar one in 2007, to keep the big chain stores out of town to save locally-owned  mom-and-pop ones. That campaign against Walmart was unsuccessful.

Seattle-based Starbucks has 38K stores world-wide; Provision has two. 

Provision owner's statement according to the AL.com report: 

William Hanes issued a challenge on Monday: “While it might be natural to fear big corporations negatively impacting our quaint town, we are confident that we have something truly unique in Fairhope that cannot be taken away from us – commitment to our sense of place and one another,” he wrote in a Provision announcement. “To embrace this notion, we invite you to visit the new Starbucks and bring us your receipt in exchange for a complimentary drink. All we ask is that you’d post on social media and compare your experiences and drinks.”

Provision coffee.

Starbucks.