Interesting article about why Starbucks actually helps mom and pop coffeehouses. When the line at Starbucks is too long people start going to the coffeehouses.

…a new Starbucks doesn\’t prevent customers from visiting independents in the same way Wal-Mart does—especially since coffee addicts need a fix every day, yet they don\’t always need to hit the same place for it. When Starbucks opens a store next to a mom and pop, it creates a sort of coffee nexus where people can go whenever they think \”coffee.\”

[ From Signal vs. Noise ]