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Brewing battle for Cleveland Circle as Starbucks gets ready to open up shop

The Boston Licensing Board today approved a license for a Starbucks at 1944 Beacon St., across the street from a Dunkin' Donuts.

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Is this all there is to the story? Nobody's put a brick through the Starbucks site? Nobody from JP has biked out to protest? No Dunks old-timer who's sat at the same table every day for 40 years has vowed to switch allegiances over a petty squabble? No NYC Mud Truck bringing coffee into Cleveland Circle's 30-minutes-or-less food truck lot?

C'mon. Give us SOMETHING. Have we really reached a point in Starbucks' life cycle where an opening is... news?

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The reason I even posted it is because the idea of a Starbucks in Cleveland Circle struck me as kind of funny. I mean, Cleveland Circle, home of Eagles Deli and Mary Ann's?

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But my college haunt in Syracuse got the same treatment. An old pizza place called Archie's shut down after I graduated and became a frappucino factory. Some college tastes don't change, but Starbucks seems to be part of the deal now.

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When I lived near there I remembered there was sign in the Cleveland Circle DD stating "15 Minute Table Limit - Police Take Notice". As if the police had nothing better to do than to keep track of and throw out people who lingered too long over their purchases.

Dunkin Donuts motto should be "Buy it here but don't eat it here."

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As a Cleveland Circle resident, I'm psyched. Starbucks isn't my favorite, but it will be a nice addition to the neighborhood. The recent Cityside and Eagle's renovations were a huge improvement and will hopefully pave the way for more improvements to the neighborhood.

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Personally, I'm just glad they're doing something with the space. The empty Verizon storefront was getting to be an eyesore.

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Works pretty well on Mass Ave!

IMAGE(http://i43.tinypic.com/fy1gty.png)

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There are lots of locations sporting a Dunks and a Starbucks facing opposite one another. Most people prefer one or the other, and the two brands aren't really in direct competition.

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can be found on Sears Crescent (aka Cornhill) at Government Center.

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As a Cleveland Circle resident for all of my 23 years, this is what I have to say about Starbucks moving into my hood.

Welcome to the neighborhood. You will playing by our rules on our court.

Starbucks will not be permitted to move into the site until their proposed facade is approved by the Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District.

The AACD is the sole driving force behind the pleasant facades that have been exposed in recent renovations (Chipotle, City Side, CitiBank and Eagle's). It is mandated for new or renovating businesses to comply with the AACD's guidelines.

As for the impact of Starbucks...

I hope this will make Dunks raise their game because they've sucked recently.

Likewise, I hope the well-established Dunks forces Starbucks to offer competitive prices.

Lastly, I wish Cleveland Circle will become the home to establishments that offer a cultural and intellecutal experience.

But that will probably not happpen because the Circle's overwhelming clientele is BC fratbrodouchers from NY,NJ,CT(easily the worst classification of humanity after child rapists and Nazis).

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Boy you really have made yourself into something, haven't you?

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Some random observations:

There are few cities where a statement like

Welcome to the neighborhood. You will playing by our rules on our court.

Starbucks will not be permitted to move into the site until their proposed facade is approved by the Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District.

could actually be correct. This is definitely one of them.

As someone who has lived within a short haul of CC for 16 years, I'd offer that any hope of a burgeoning cultural intellectual experience is with the old movie theater site and a cleaup/enhancement of the DCR pool/rink site, not a Starbucks. But who knows. I was hopeful about the old WaterWorks, but those folks keep to themselves (although the museum is pretty cool) and it appears to be too far away from CC to have affected it.

That Dunks is kept in business by the T employees. I don't see them going over to Starbucks.

"Fratbrodouchers" was definitely a new one on me. I've heard of the stupid bro thing (as an alum, I'd like to slap these knuckleheads upside their heads), but I think BC is still frat-free. I suspect some of the students use/have used douches. I hope they're all girls.

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God Save Donald Duck, Vaudeville and Variety!

Hate to tell you this, Grand Poobah, but Starbucks has a facade for just about every zoning board and historical district in this country. They played this game on Beacon Hill and Starbucks opened two locations along Charles Street (though I guess one's actually on Beacon) just to show how well they can play the game.

It may be "your court," but they know just about every game you'll throw at them. But, of course, your 23 years of life experience probably taught you all that and more. After all, they don't leave the fate of Queene Anne and Georgian Revival facades to just anyone...

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I'm not against Starbucks moving in at all.

I'm glad my neighborhood has zoning regulations that force them to pull a facade from their "A-list," and not just some cheap pop-up facade.

They will have to spend a little more time and money on this one.

It will be a tremendous improvement over what's been there for years (nothing).

As for my 23 years in Cleveland Circle...

My mom chasing a robber out of the Dunks back in '96.

Chasing a robber up Sutherland Road back in '03.

Getting peed on by BC students: 3 times.

Sneaking into the back of the Circle Cinemas every summer.

I never paid for a baseball. I just collected discarded ones from the Park League games at Cassidy Field.

MorningStar and his many herion overdoses.

Talking to Steve Tyler about our birthday (3/26).

3 trolley derailments.

Never getting caught by the Brookline Police.

The Ryder Cup in '99.

Getting free trolley rides to my corner on pullbacks from BC to the Reservoir Carhouse (Back when there were a few old-timers left).

Ringing the bell and honking the horn on the trolley when I was a wee lad. Some of the operators took a liking to me.

Never getting caught by the Boston Police.

So so so so many slices of Presto's.

Watching the marathon from my kitchen window every single year since 1989.

Not bad for 23 years!
What a trip down memory lane.

P.S. The original face is Deco.

I have made you my son tonight.

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Starbucks will need to do very little to play by the rules of CC.
They will thrive there.

And am I the only one not happy with the Eagles change? I loved the old old system of getting food there.

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I liked the order style before too, but the seating area is much improved over the 50's cafeteria seating they had before that.

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Everyone knows Pino's is the better place in CC.

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One of them was a Coffee Connection before Starbucks bought that chain.

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Boy, you've got Issues! "Nazis," really?? I wonder how much you actually know of the history of WWII, what the nazis did, etc?? Also, your taste in architecture leaves a LOT to be desired. "Revealing" the facade of that building is EQUIVALENT to creating an eye sore! Then again, the entire CC area's architecture lacks appeal, to say the least. Finally, the coffee prices are pre-set, these are not mom-and-pop stores we are talking about, so pls stay @ DD if you can't afford decent coffee.

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You shouldn't live near a college campus if you have an issue with college students and the places they frequent. You know what you are getting yourself into.

- Cleveland Circle Homeowner

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So, with stores in historic districts throughout the world ... including the historic area of Seattle where their HQ is that is as old as most areas of Boston ... DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS IS A NEW ONE ON STARBUCKS?

Aren't you funny, special, and in sore need to get out of town once in a while.

On the other hand, Dunkin Donuts seems content to ignore local boards and smear tacky pink and orange plastic everywhere it wants without anybody able to say anything about it.

That "competitive prices" thing tells me that you don't get out much - Starbucks downtown is CHEAPER than DD!

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