Yinz Coffee in the North Side was recently greeted by an ominous sight across the street — a new Starbucks, set to move into the ground floor of the Residences @ the Garden apartment complex.
Despite the mega-chain’s pending arrival, Yinz Coffee and its customers said they aren’t overly concerned.
“There's one thing Starbucks can't be, and they can't be local,” said Ken Zeff, owner of the Yinz Coffee stores throughout Pittsburgh. “We always like to promote the community, and we always like to promote people hanging out in our facilities.”
From knitting classes to Spanish clubs — and even couples being married in Yinz — Mr. Zeff said that community events are a crucial component of the store’s atmosphere.
In 2021, Yinz Coffee opened in the former-Crazy Mocha coffee shop location, at the corner of Federal Street and North Avenue. Mr. Zeff, who was the former owner of Crazy Mocha before selling it in 2018, brought coffee back to the location after Crazy Mocha filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and shut down its North Side location.
Since then, Yinz Coffee has expanded and today has eight locations in the city.
“People that like Starbucks go to Starbucks,” said Mr. Zeff. “Fortunately, a lot of people prefer not to go to Starbucks. We'd love to be that alternative.”
Mr. Zeff added that he believes Yinz Coffee is strong enough to compete with Starbucks, and that Starbucks’ decision to move to the North Side is an indicator that they saw what local businesses saw many years ago when they invested in the area.
“Starbucks is always looking for great locations to better meet the needs of our customers,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in a email to the Post-Gazette. “We are happy to confirm that we will be opening a new location at 4 West North Avenue.”
The spokesperson said the location will employ 20 people, but did not set a date for the opening.
Whenever it opens, Mr. Zeff will be ready.
He said he faced a similar situation when he owned Crazy Mocha and a Starbucks opened in a storefront right next to his in Liberty Center. He noticed “very little change” because some people just prefer to support local businesses, he and others at Yinz said.
The whole Yinz business model — from the coffee and pastries to the employees and the owner himself — are all local to Pittsburgh, Mr. Zeff said.
In addition, the Central North Side has traditionally been favored by and supportive of local operators who invest in the area and become rooted in the community, he said, while the new Starbucks is expected to bring a more corporate climate.
Sarah Halter, a local artist and musician who has worked at Yinz for two years, shares Mr. Zeff’s optimism that Starbucks won’t stop the business. Since word got out that Starbucks is coming, she said, many customers have voiced their support, pledging to stay loyal to the local coffee shop and “Team Yinz.”
“We have a very solid customer base,” Ms. Halter said, one which she believes is growing.
And with people moving into new apartments above the Starbucks, she added, Yinz has a chance to actually increase its base by appealing to new residents who also prefer local.
The new apartment building is part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s plan to revitalize the block.
Katie Sue Bailey, who has lived in the area for the past two and a half years and is a regular at Yinz, said that the revitalization project was a positive development for the neighborhood. Still, she was disappointed that the URA allowed a Starbucks to be leased across from “an amazing local business that is a huge part of the community.”
“They know us when we walk in, know our kids, know our order,” said Ms. Bailey.
Whether the new Starbucks resonates with North Siders remains to be seen. But Mr. Zeff and other members of Team Yinz said they are confident in their staying power.
“The one thing that has some significant meaning in the coffee industry,” he said, “is being local.”
Emma Kim: ekim@post-gazette.com
First Published: June 30, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: July 1, 2023, 8:01 p.m.
