Above: La Colombe, at 130 South 19th Street
Below: Starbucks, on 19th and Chestnut Street

If you are a faithful patron of any of Philadelphia's well-established coffee houses, then you doubtlessly would have observed a disturbingly pernicious trend over the past several years; namely, the arrival of a Starbucks Coffee within tin-can telephone range of your beloved beanery. Whether it's Olde City Coffee or The Bean, Millennium or The Last Drop—it truly seems that no cafe is sacred. This should not come as a surprise. But what may come as a surprise is the fact that, until quite recently, the coffee shops in Rittenhouse Square seemed blithely immune to the scourge of the "green monster." Sure, Starbucks has long made their presence felt in the area, with their location at 16th and Walnut, and also through their licensing agreement with Barnes & Noble Booksellers; yet it still seemed that there was enough breathing room for the Square's independent cafes to peacefully co-exist. However, the recent addition of a Starbucks at 19th and Chestnut—dangerously close to La Colombe Torrefaction—seems to violate some intrinsic, unspoken rule of free market etiquette. After all, La Colombe, established in 1994 by Jean-Phillipe Iberti and Todd Carmichael, has put Philadelphia coffee on the map. Its notable devotees include restaurant heavyweights Alain Ducasse and Georges Perrier, as well as domestic maven extraordinaire Martha Stewart.

Is it histrionic to claim that this seemingly minor display of corporate hegemony constitutes an unforgivable affront to taste and decency? And why should Philadelphia care? Isn't it just coffee? For proponents of local businesses and Rittenhouse loyalists, it may be that there is more at stake than just a cup of coffee. Perhaps what this indignation reveals is an appreciation for a kind of business model that is all too rare in this corporate age. As exemplified by La Colombe, this artisanal ideal values consistency over novelty, places elegance above trendiness, and of course, strives for quality rather than quantity. Starbucks, on the other hand, typifies the opposite on all these counts.

Recalling the activities of both Starbucks and La Colombe throughout 2007, the contrast between the two companies is starkly highlighted. In his now infamous "Valentine's Day memo," CEO Howard Schultz (then Chairman) bemoaned "the watering down of the Starbucks experience," referring especially to the replacement of the traditional La Marzocca espresso machines with the "faster" push-button variety. Given that the corporation pledges in their mission statement to "preserving [their] uncompromising principles," one can reasonably conclude that serving real espresso is, curiously, not among those principles. Though Schultz, in the memo, had accepted his share of the blame for the company's mistakes, he had apparently exonerated himself by the time he ousted former CEO Jim Donald in January, 2008. Ironically, the lackluster profits and plummeting share values reported in 2007 were attributable to uncontrolled growth—growth that Schultz continually championed.

In contrast, the modest expansion of La Colombe in 2007 included the addition of a cafe in New York City. Like the two Philadelphia cafes (the other, La Colombe Panini, is in Manayunk,) the Tribeca location is a unique entity—the decor, which is tastefully warm and austerely European, includes a redesign of their eponymous dove logo that includes an elegant line drawing of the Manhattan skyline. True to form, the espresso machines are vintage Faema models. And of course, you won't find CDs, board games, or teddy bears jockeying for space. The intent of co-owner Todd Carmichael, as reported by Rare Daily, was "to make a place where people could step outside the marketing/commerce whirlpool and simply have the best coffee attainable." This is a point that Howard Schultz, who, regretfully acknowledged the "commoditization" of Starbucks, would do well to consider.

While the end of 2007 saw Howard Schultz busy playing the corporate blame game, Todd Carmichael was making his own headlines by attempting a record-setting, unassisted two-man trek to the South Pole. The purpose of the mission was to raise awareness of global warming, while benefiting charities such as the Echoes Foundation in Uganda, the Meningitis Trust, and the Orangutan Foundation. Though unrelenting white-out conditions forced a premature end to the adventure, Carmichael had nonetheless conquered nearly half of the 700 miles by the 24th day, and returned from the trip determined to make another attempt later this year. In the meantime, Carmichael will keep busy with a number of speaking engagements.

For more information on Todd Carmichael's Antarctic expedition go to: www.subzeroexped.com