Starbucks headed for larger space

It looks as if Starbucks is hoping to capitalize on the traffic of one of Penn's busiest intersections. In a month, Starbucks will be relocating to the corner of 34th and Walnut streets, serving its famous frappuccinos in a considerably larger store, according to a top Penn real estate official. Currently located on 34th between Walnut and Sansom streets, the three-year operator at Penn will replace the former Funderburg Information Center. To accommodate Starbucks' new size, neighboring Roses Florist has lost about one-third of its space. Store owner Michael Toroghi said,"We are happy if we can maintain our place." "If Starbucks is going to be next to us, that would help us bring in new customers," he added. According to John Greenwood, a top official for the University's real estate company, the relocation of Starbucks will be "responding to the need to revitalize that corner." Talks with Starbucks about the move began several years ago. "It's probably one of the busiest intersections on campus," Greenwood said. "That corner is a really terrific hub for activity." The manager of the Starbucks on 34th Street and several Starbucks representatives declined comment due to company policy. Students, many of whom are happy about a larger Starbucks, agreed that its bigger space on the corner should draw more customers. "I have a lot of friends who like Starbucks, so if it's an easier location to go to... it might become more of a social hangout," College freshmen Sally Tedesco said. But some students who frequent Comet and Xando -- two other area coffee shops -- have said they don't think they will stop going to their usual coffee spots. Although many students said they felt neutral about a bigger Starbucks, some see it as a sign of an increasingly franchised campus. And Engineering senior Melanie Gnazzo said that while the new Starbucks is "going to be very convenient," its presence at the major street corner will be blunt and visually overpowering. "It's going to be the first thing people notice about Penn," she explained, referring to the corner as the entranceway to campus. Local coffee shop competitors have said they believe Starbucks will not pose a threat to their own businesses. Wendy Papadopoulos, owner of the independent coffee shop Comet, believes a bigger Starbucks will not hurt her business, citing the distance between the two coffee shops -- a full six blocks -- and Comet's small, personal atmosphere. "I deal with people on a one-to-one basis," she said, calling Comet "a different cookie altogether." And according to Rammy Harwood, marketing director for Xando, the company's coffee shop in Sansom Common offers a "very comfortable [space]... and unique design that is always going to make us stand out above our competition." If anything, coffee shop competitors in the neighborhood believe the new Starbucks will help coffee shop business in the area overall. President of Bucks County Coffee Rodger Owen said, "There seems to be room for us all." "We consider coffee shops a promotion of coffee in general for students," explained Colleen Dolan, a Bucks spokeswoman. According to Greenwood, the University is brainstorming whether the soon-to-be-vacant Starbucks and the neighboring location formerly held by University of Cards will be given to one or two new operators.

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