It's official!

The signs went up yesterday so we can finally put all those "yes they are!" vs. "no they're not!" rumors to bed. The 'bucks is coming to the 'banks. Don't have any word yet on when the new Southern Shores Starbucks will be opening, but I can confirm that build out began Sunday. I have very mixed feelings about this. Don't get me wrong, I love my grande non-fat two-pump no-whip high-maintenance white chocolate mocha as much as the next girl. I'm just not sure how I feel about being able to walk to get it (as opposed to the HOUR drive it takes now). See, as a small business owner in a small town built on small local businesses, it's sort of sad to see a chain the size and power of Starbucks come to town. Does this mean we've finally arrived? or is this the end of the charm of the outer banks? Personally, I think that charm came to a screeching halt when Hooters and Wings came to town. Across the board I like Starbucks a whole lot better than both of those, this just somehow feels like the tipping point. It reminds me of the days when I worked for the Washington Wizards. (just hang in with me here for a sec, non-NBA fans) We would work our butts off promoting our team, trying to get fans to support the local team. And they did! They loved us (well most of the time. Ok, at least when we were winning). Then the Bulls and Michael Jordan would come to town and it was all MJ and not much love for C.Webb. I gotta admit, it hurt a little. So now I have visions of caravans of idling black Suburbans awash in NY and NJ plates, crowding the Marketplace on Saturdays and Sundays, making it difficult for me to get my bacon egg and cheese at Tommy's. OR watching said SUV's fly down Duck Road, cruising right past the oh so yummie Mucky Duck's and Coconut Crunch coffee at Duck's Cottage, or the fresh baked daily treats at Tullio's, picking off walkers and cyclists in their wake in search of what they call "real" coffee, which c'mon, it isn't all that. Sure, change and growth are a good thing, but all I ask is this....don't forget to support the home team.