Starbucks is coming to Frankford Ave. in Fishtown despite years of community debate
The Starbucks will be located 0.1 mile from La Colombe.
After more than five years of community debate, Starbucks has signed a lease on a space in Fishtown at 1405 Frankford Ave., according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.
In 2018, The Inquirer reported that the coffee company was considering bringing one of its specialty Reserve shops to the neighborhood, much to the chagrin of some neighborhood residents who worried the national chain was a poor fit for a retail corridor composed mostly of independently owned businesses.
A year later, residents voted against allowing the coffee shop into the neighborhood at a community meeting that was required because of a zoning restriction, according to Philadelphia Magazine. Philadelphia’s Zoning Board of Adjustment ultimately rejected the special exception zoning permit, preventing Starbucks from moving forward.
Joe Kain, then the Fishtown Neighbors Association president, said in 2019 that several neighbors thought the national company didn’t fit into the area, which already had many coffee shops, according to Philadelphia Magazine.
Coffee shops in Fishtown currently include Gilda, Persimmon Coffee, MilkCrate Cafe, Reanimator Coffee, Buzz Cafe, and Coffee House Too. The flagship location of La Colombe, the Philly-born coffee company that was sold last year to Chobani, is 0.1 mile from the new Starbucks.
Starbucks also has locations in a shopping center at 2401 Aramingo Ave. in Port Richmond, on North Second Street in Northern Liberties, and inside the Acme at 180 W. Girard Avenue.
In the last few years, Frankford Avenue in Fishtown has seen the infusion of several national chains, including Chase Bank and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. A Lululemon Athletica also had retail space on the corridor for several years.
A permit was approved in 2021 for a portion of the ground-floor space at 1405 Frankford Ave. to be used for food, beverages and groceries, according to city zoning records.
The new Starbucks will occupy a 2,405-square-foot space on the ground floor of a building that includes 30 condominium units and is owned by Asana Partners, a real estate investment firm based in North Carolina.
Starbucks did not respond to questions about the lease on the space in Fishtown.
“At this time, we remain focused on serving customers in Philadelphia at our existing stores and have no store-opening plans to announce,” a Starbucks spokesperson said via email on Friday.