Local coffee shops grow concerned over franchises entering the area
Kaitlyn Jones is the owner of Big City Market and Coffee Bar and Stevi Russ is the barista. The local coffee shop has been open for over a decade.
By Emmy Fazenbaker
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MADISONVILLE, Kentucky (WEVV) — Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts will soon open in the City of Madisonville.
Local coffee shop owners are growing concerned about the impact franchises will have on their business.
Big City Market and Coffee Bar is a place that has been open for over a decade, and they have created a blissful environment that is memorable for many.
“I get to take my time and create a really good quality beverage that is perfect for each individual customer,” says Stevi Russ, the barista.
Madisonville is home to numerous locally owned coffee shops, and for each of them they depend on foot traffic.
“We don’t have the backing like these other corporate businesses have so they’re always going to be here no matter what. We need people to come in our doors,” says Kaitlyn Jones, the owner.
Stevi Russ tells 44News she worked at a coffee franchise for almost seven years, and she says she could never provide an individual experience.
“I also felt that way about my customers. They were just a number coming through,” says Russ.
It’s the opposite experience of what Big City Market and Coffee Bar, along with other local coffee shops aspire to create inside their doors.
“We know these people. We know their personalities and their families. We get to know those parts of them and it feels very authentic,” says Russ.
Thomas Cook has remained a devoted customer since the beginning, always hosting his Thursday business meetings, and bringing his family every weekend with his favorite iced americano in his hand.
“There’s an atmosphere. They know me. I’ll come in and they will have my drinks made. They know what I’m going to get. They’ll ask me to try this because they know the things that I like and I don’t get that at Starbucks,” says Thomas Cook, a customer.
It’s all about the connection. The relationships made inside the coffee shop that unites a small town just like this.
The power of supporting your local shops is what makes any small hometown, just like here in Madisonville, so special.
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