as new coffee shops debut, starbucks counters with longer hours
Downtown loves coffee, and there’s no more evidence of that than by the popularity of hangouts like Lost Souls, First Cup Caffe and Banquette. But in a neighborhood adding businesses and residents at a furious pace, those spots won’t be alone for long.
Hot on the heels of Lot 44 Coffee‘s debut this month comes Crown Cafe with an early June opening (if all goes as planned). The Los Angeles Street coffee shop is going for an urban-hip vibe on a street known for its discount clothes and wholesale cell phone covers.
Mississippi-based High Point Coffee has just announced it’s entering the California market — with a Downtown LA store planned for The Promenade’s retail courtyard at 1st and Hope. An early summer opening is planned.
Earlier this year, Lost Souls added a food menu and evening hours, staying open until 10:00pm daily. And now that they’ve fixed their WiFi, I can get back to ordering up a soy latte every once in a while.
Never one to buckle in the face of competition, Starbucks has responded by keeping some Downtown-area stores open later. Last week the chain’s 11th and Grand location (in Elleven) extended hours to 9:00pm daily, and next week the Pacific Center store at 6th and Grand will stay open until 9:00pm as well.
And if you prefer to be surrounded by skyscrapers in the middle of the night, you’re in luck! Starbucks at the 7th+Fig shopping center will remain open until 11:30pm starting next week, and City West’s Wilshire and Bixel store will stay open until 11:00pm beginning June 1.
As grand plans continue to falter amid the housing market, it’s time to focus on the little things that make our community better. Being able to grab a cup of coffee in the middle of the night Downtown is definitely a start.
11 comments
I’ve stopped by Lot 44 twice, once on a weekday at 6:30 or 7pm, and this past Saturday at 3:00 with a client…they were closed on both occasions. Downtown businesses need to service neighborhood residents, not just people who work downtown. The city does not shut down after 5pm on weekdays, or on weekends.
David,
Lot 44 opened up with “soft” hours until 5:00 pm to test the market. They should be implementing later hours after their grand opening. http://www.angelenic.com/lot-44-coffee-begins-brewing-this-monday/
I think that 7+Fig location opens at 4:30 a.m. Why don’t they just take the plunge and go to 24 hours already?
Downtown could probably handle one 24 hour Starbucks.
In case you didn’t know, BREAKING NEWS:
The Subway on Sixth between Grand and Hope is now open 24 hours!
Thanks, Scott! We’re on it…
YES! A 24-hour Starbucks downtown!! I’ve Ventura Boulevard can have one in the Valley, we can.
What I think is strange is the Starbucks at 7th + Fig shortened their hours last fall b/c they claimed business was dead at night – now they’re expanding again. But every time I’m there late they have to kick people out when closing. At least we’re moving in the right direction now.
I had a similar experience with Lot 44. I walked by. There was a man behind the counter, but he wouldn’t open the door. Odd way to greet the neighborhood.
They have been taking free coffee drinks to the LA TImes workers to promote themselves in the AM, though. I think their focus is on the office workers more than residents at this point?
I stopped into Lot 44 last week and tried one of their special brews. It was fantastic. They told me they are trying to get to 7 am to 7 pm every day, but that right now they are not technically open yet. The grand opening is still in the future.
I forgot they were still in soft opening hours and stopped by last week right after work (around 6pm). I hope Ariel is finding good business during this time to support longer hours, b/c if not, I’ll only be able to visit on weekends – and I suspect many downtown residents will be in the same position.
just fyi, Kelly’s Coffee and Fudge at 8th and Broadway is supposed to open this Thursday. Exciting!
Reporting live from Lot 44 broadcasting on their free wifi – well, we just came from the new Kelly’s at the Chapman (opening day) and are completing our coffee fix here… i’m definitely impressed with the coffee (Fair Trade Brazil and the Fair Trade Mexico blends). we’ve been sitting here for about 45 minutes and we’ve seen a flow about five people. there was a big push for them to open late. today’s only been day 3 of their later hours, but keep in mind, if we want them to stay open later, we need to support them and come in during the evening. this place seems like a place you can come and hangout and talk or even bring your books to study. there’s tables inside and a lot of tables in the pleasant inner courtyard. come support this place! one thing that bugs us though is the KIIS fm playing in the background. if i come here to study i’ll bring my ipod next time. one thing i like about some indie coffee shops is that the barista will play a mix of their own music which i think is cool.
In regards to hours, we went live with our extended hours this week to support the residential community,after a soft opening of closing @ 5pm weekdays and 3pm on weekends for our first two weeks. We have done our best to sample up and down Spring as well as sample in the store to let the neighborhood know we are now open, and yes, we do want the Times, as well as all the residents, and workers in the area to know we are open. Unfortunately, we can only walk so far with the samples – so please know that we want to take care of our regulars and local customers as well. So pop in, and ask one of the baristas to turn you on to the local “secrets” and specials. Also as far as the KIIS fm goes the baristas are encouraged to bring in their ipods and we usually have jazz, classical or ecclectic music depending on daypart. If you hear the radio again – let the manager know or feel free to request a change of music! I will pass the feedback on – thanks – Ariel