photo by mycelium
by mycelium
Local businesses exist not as isolated independent entities but as a constantly shifting balance of supply and demand, with mutual benefits. When one business does well, businesses around it tend to do well if they’re not competing for the same market.
There’s a coffee shop named Speedboat Coffee down in the Foster-Powell neighborhood, lovingly nicknamed “Fo-Po”. They’re being forced to close down their drive-through window because the asphalt where the cars drive through technically belongs to Subway.
Subway and this coffee shop do not conflict. People who buy subs come into the coffee shop. People who buy coffee go into sub shop. What the heck is wrong with Subway?
Don, the owner isn’t interested in becoming hostile towards Subway. “I’m just a guy who wants to serve coffee. This is a family business with a few employees.”
But don’t let his peacenik-ness stop the rest of us from telling Subway what we think of them.
Tomorrow, Friday March 16, Speedboat Coffee on 50th and Foster is having a $1 any-drink-on-the-menu deal. Stop in and get a drink, and after getting jacked up on caffeine, walk over to Subway and give the manager a piece of your mind.
This is Portland. Let’s stop letting ourselves get bullied by Big Corporations.
photo by mycelium
