In Blacksburg, the coffee business is a growth industry. With the opening of the new Starbucks in Kent Square, there are now more than five established coffee houses in the Blacksburg area.
Jaimie Harrison, store manager of the Kent Square Starbucks, said, “We don’t get as much business as the Starbucks on University City Boulevard because a lot of people don’t know that we are even here.”
Since its opening on Aug. 12, the Kent Square Starbucks is “having parking issues,” Harrison said.
Smaller coffee shops are also beginning to prosper in Blacksburg.
“We are part of a franchise out of Winchester, Va. which has been around for 10 years and spreading south down Interstate 81, there are also goals to open shops in Texas and California,” said Jen Christopher, shift manager of the Daily Grind Coffee House.
Christopher said the store originally opened in January 2002, but it closed in October 2004 because of bad management and opened again six weeks ago after a complete renovation.
“We are reaching a point where regular customers are putting the word out, but there hasn’t been much advertising thus far. We’re making plans to begin advertising to increase our customer base,” Christopher said. “We share customers with Mill Mountain, and I hear some of our customers talk about Starbucks, but a lot of customers say that we are better.”
Christopher said that Daily Grind sees between 100 and 150 customers on an average day.
“I’ve had a customer say that he wished we did well enough to see Starbucks pushed out,” Christopher said.
“We have seen fewer faces this year while we continue to see our regulars, we have not increased our clientele because there is stiff competition with all of the new coffee shops opening up,” said Scott Elich, owner of Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea.
Elich said Mill Mountain was the first coffee shop in Blacksburg, opening in 1991.
“We have been roasting our own coffee for 14 years and we try to keep our atmosphere welcoming and comfortable with the hanging of Blacksburg Regional Art Associations’ featured paintings,” Elich said.
“We are privately owned and been here since 1994,” said Miguel Harvey, manager and veteran employee of Bollo’s Coffee Shop.
Harvey said that compared to a couple of years ago, the opening of new coffee shops like Starbucks has affected the “to-go” crowd in the mornings.
“As school opens up every August, business improves, but because Blacksburg is so transient, a lot of clientele will disappear to other shops for unknown reasons,” Harvey said.
Harvey said Bollo’s gets a mix of customers because “we cater and bake our own goods.”
“On average, if I had to guesstimate, we see about 300 to 400 customers daily, on average,” Harvey said.
Harvey said that each coffee shop has their own niche, and Bollo’s is always changing and adapting to fit its customers’ preferences.
“We just started roasting our own coffee and we are pushing our full-time employees to learn as much knowledge about coffee as possible,” said Valerie Sutherland, general manager of the Easy Chair Coffee Shop.
Sutherland said coffee is the focus of the business, not sales.
“We have several full-time employees that are accredited and certified baristas and roasters,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland said Easy Chair Coffee Shop has worked and volunteered at the Specialty Coffee Association of America and the Barista and Roasters Guilds, both of which are chapters of the SCAA.
“Our business has done nothing but steadily increase, even after the opening of the Starbucks of University City Boulevard around a year and a half ago. We weren’t really affected,” Sutherland said.
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 Annabelle Ombac/SPPS |
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