Another Sign of the Apocalypse v2.0

In a moment of down time, I saw this article just posted on the limanews.com, which will no doubt be featured on the front page of tomorrow's paper:

NEW: Starbucks is here
Beth L. Jokinen | bjokinen@limanews.com - 08.07.2007

LIMA, 11:55 a.m., Aug. 7 — Your Starbucks coffee is now being served.

A Starbucks kiosk opened this morning in the 200 Building on the University of Northwestern Ohio’s campus. It is located across from the newly renovated bookstore and operated by Barnes and Noble College Booksellers.

The kiosk will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. There are designated customer parking spots outside the building.

University President Jeff Jarvis said construction of a full Barnes and Noble store, which will serve Starbucks, should begin soon and take about two years. The 16,000-square foot facility will be located off of Hartzler Road.

Read more about this story in Wednesday's The Lima News.

I have no doubt whatsoever that the line at this Starbucks will be ten miles long every single hour for the foreseeable future. You see, not much changes in this town, so when something new is added we lose our minds. Case in Point: I remember when Shoney's opened out by I-75 that you couldn't get a seat at dinner without waiting at least 30 minutes pretty much every night for EIGHT MONTHS! There was even an article about it in the Lima News back in the day.

Eight months waiting to eat at a Shoney's that ended up being so poorly run that it closed three years later. Heaven help us if we get a Chipotle Grill, A TGI Fridays, or an Outback Steakhouse. The town might come apart at the seams.

Anyhow, I'm sure the locals will rejoice greatly at this bit of good news. Thank goodness too that The Meeting Place, which is essentially been Lima's only real coffee house, has worked hard to upgrade the quality of it's product (to the point that you can get a pretty good cup of joe down there now.... kudos to their continued improvement) because having a nice place to meet downtown is real asset to the community (even though the meter maids patrol West Street like a maximum security prison). Yours truly, being no better or worse than the rest of the populace, will take a magazine with him as he waits in line for an hour for a Frappacino or a grande cup of Breakfast Blend. If that makes me nothing but a corporate toady and a a mindless sheep, then so be it... especially if it means I can get a decent cup of coffee out of the deal.

BAAAAA I say. BAAAAAA!

Welcome to Lima, Starbucks! Brace yourself for our "hello".