Starbucks Has Invaded Marion

Well the big news here in Marion Indiana this week is the arrival of Starbucks. Now in most communities, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but here in Marion, it certainly is. While I’m not a huge fan of Starbucks, I do appreciate a good cup of coffee. I must admit that at one time I had an addiction to Starbucks. Back in the early 1990’s, I had a job with American Express that required me to travel all the time. Detroit Metropolitan Airport was like a 2nd home to me. I had a ritual, where before every flight, I had to stop at the Starbucks located between concourse E and F at Metro. At that time, Metro Airport was the only place I knew of in Michigan that served Starbucks. I just couldn’t get enough of that unique dark roast taste that Starbucks is known for. My early affinity for Starbucks helped me to become the amateur gourmet coffee connoisseur that I am today. Once Starbucks started sprouting up like dandelions in spring, the uniqueness wore off and I very rarely visited Starbucks.

I lenjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning while I am at work. Mainly for economic reasons, I usually brew up a single cup of coffee on the Black & Decker “Brew’N’Go” I have at my desk. Sometimes though, for a change of pace, I’ll buy a cup of coffee at the Tree of Life bookstore or the BP gas station. I try to avoid doing this because at $1.80 at Tree of Life and $1.29 at the BP, a cup of coffee a day can quickly drain the discretionary income fund of someone dependent on the meager wages of Indiana Wesleyan University. (that’s a topic of discussion for a later date).However, since the Starbucks opened up last Friday, I’ve been there 4 times already. On two occasions, I dropped $4.20 for a Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte. Although it was excellent (tasted like liquid pumpkin pie!), it wasn’t worth the money. On the other two visits, I opted for the more “economical” Venti Verona fresh brewed coffee with cream. They only cost me $1.80 plus tax.

I’m sure that just like my old favorite coffee shop at Metro Airport, the novelty of Starbucks will soon wear off. I’m sure I’ll get my java fix by making a hot cup at my desk, or I’ll splurge and get some at the BP gas station. Just think of the money I’ll save. But then again, I hear that Starbucks Cinnamon Spice Mocha is pretty darn good……..