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Neighborhood report

Indie java shop gets a real jolt: Starbucks

Jammin Java doles out smoothies and coffee on W Gandy, but now the chain wants to move in a few feet away.

By SHERRI DAY
Published March 3, 2006

Ryan and Leslie Canell left Seattle two years ago to pursue their java dream.

They planned to start a drive-through smoothie and coffee shop on Gandy Boulevard near Himes Avenue. Jammin Java opened at 3601 W Gandy Blvd. in July. Business has been brisk.

But that may soon change. Starbucks plans to open a few feet away in the southwest corner of Publix's parking lot.

The prospect worries the Canells.

"We moved here because we thought we would have a little bit of a chance," Leslie Canell, 23, said Monday afternoon as she manned Jammin Java's drive-through. "Then, within a few months of opening, Starbucks."

A coffee war over customers who live south of Gandy Boulevard seems imminent. The brewing battle provides the latest example that the area is moving from blue collar to bourgeoisie.

According to city zoning records, Starbucks will ask the City Council to rezone a 19,084-square-foot parcel in Publix's parking lot April 23. Plans call for an 1,800-square-foot coffee shop with a drive-through window, bike racks and an outdoor patio.

This is the third such deal that pairs Starbucks with Publix. An Atlanta Publix has a Starbucks inside, Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said. Starbucks also plans to build a standalone store in a Lakeland Publix parking lot.

Neighboring homeowners and civic association leaders said they welcome Starbucks.

"I don't think it's going to change the traffic patterns other than what's already there," said Al Steenson, chairman of the Gandy Civic Association. But they're not "going to get a lot of my business. I'm not paying $3.50 for a cup of coffee. I make coffee right at my house, and it's good."

Sue Lyon, president of the Bayshore Beautiful Homeowners Association, supports the business, which would be next to her neighborhood.

"I throw myself in front of the buses, but not on this one," she said. "This will be a good fit."

The Canells are readying for a fight. They plan to erect more eye-catching signs and show up at the council meeting to protest the rezoning application.

While a new Starbucks wouldn't keep Sonya Martin from Jammin Java - she comes twice a day, for hot chocolate and a strawberry smoothie - she predicts the national chain could cripple the mom-and-pop shop.

"It'll probably put them out of business," Martin said Monday as she waited for Canell to prepare her drink. "They do well, but people are into trends."

Liz Wagner, a Hillsborough Community College student, also said she would remain loyal to Jammin Java.

"I come for the smoothies," she said. "I like Starbucks, but they're pretty expensive."

The Canells hope their loyal, smoothie-loving customers will help keep them afloat. The couple plan to open a second shop in Town 'N Country.

Above all, they remain optimistic.

"I haven't had one person say that they don't like us better than Starbucks," Canell said. "We've had a lot of people say, "I'll never go to Starbucks again.' "

[Last modified March 2, 2006, 13:56:08]