All press is … good press?

What happens when the largest coffee chain in the world decides to open up a “neighborhood cafe” just down the street, under a new, non-corporate sounding name, after having spent a number of hours taking notes, and making observations in your cafe and cafes like it, well, while rumors are flying, we are yet to see.

The question I have been hearing most is: “Aren’t you angry?” and my response has been, “No, I am curious.” I am so interested to see what they will come up with.

So far, this past week, we have been able to show the world (on local news, on Channel Four, national cable news, CNN, in the print media, The Seattle Times, The Chicago Tribune, in the blogosphere, and on the radio (Dan was interviewed on the BBC!), what makes us successful (in our own little way, in our neighborhoods), different, and essentially unlike a large, top-down corporate structure (passion about our coffees, where they grow, how they are sourced, how they are roasted, prepared, and showcased, and involvement in our neighborhood in a bottom-up, community developed and nurtured, organic way). I sincerely believe that what we do is essentially different than what they can come up with, what we do (with passion, care, and detail) can not be mass produced in large scale industrial roasters (with a concern for the uniform over the unique).

I don’t know, but I think that it is it true what they say: imitation is the best form of flattery.