The opening of a new Starbucks in Easthampton is the talk of the town and a much-needed addition to our community. It has, however, been causing a bit of tension between day and boarding students.
The new location has lifted the spirits of many, and students are often revealing how relieved they are that there is now a Starbucks within walking distance of campus. Prior to this, many people had to give up their Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonades and their Iced Chai Lattes with pumpkin cold foam while living on campus.
Before Starbucks moved in, the previous owner of 99 Northampton St. in Easthampton was a local ice cream shop called Tasty Top which had been around for more than 50 years. In May of 2022, the land was sold for $2.2 million; Starbucks open this September.
Previously, the closest Starbuck was about a 15-minute drive — or a two hour walk — to Northampton. Many boarding students could not as easily find opportunities to take a field trip.
Junior Stella Michalski said the local outpost has made her caffeine consumption that much easier.
“I go probably at least like once on the weekend and then like sometimes I’ll go during the week,” to get, “either the Pumpkin Cream Chai or a Strawberry Acai Refresher.” Stella said she used to go “probably like once every couple of weeks to the one in Northampton.”
Although Stella brings her peers coffee when they ask, she also acknowledges that boarding students are fiending for Starbucks way too often, and it can get a bit bothersome at times.
“My friends will either ask me to bring them there or they’ll ask me to like pick up their mobile orders,” Stella said. “I find it a little bit annoying, but if I’m already going there then I find it less annoying.”
Senior Naomi Simpson agrees with Stella.
“It annoys me a lot when they always bombard me constantly,” she said. “I can name five people off the top of my head right now that always ask me.”
Not only is Naomi always being begged to bring her friends Starbucks, but she is made to feel guilty when only going for herself.
“Every time I like get it for myself people always ask why I don’t get it for them,” Naomi said.
Even though some boarding students take their desperate need for Starbucks out on Naomi, she still loves going there. Her favorite drink to get is either an Iced Chai Tea Latte or a Strawberry Acai Lemonade with light ice, and says she now gets it, “probably five times a week.”
It is clearly not only students with cars who are excited about the addition. Even the boarders who can’t drive there are thrilled to be able to finally feed their caffeine desires during the school week.
Senior boarder Hayden Hedstrom is an avid Starbucks drinker and is very delighted she now has more people that can easily access it, so she can get an Iced Shaken Espresso with classic syrup and almond milk.
Although it’s quite the trek to Starbucks, Hayden admits that, “If it’s a hot day I would really go to great lengths to get an Iced Green Tea from there.”
Like Hayden, Spanish teacher and Hathaway dorm parent Blanca Peñalver said that she would walk to Starbucks with no hesitation.
“I will walk because also I’m used to going everywhere by walking; I’m from Spain, so I often walk those distances,” she said.
Peñalver reveals that she prefers Starbucks to Dunkin’.
“In Starbucks I feel like it’s more familiar, like they really treat you with more kindness and it is more welcoming to stay there,” she said.
Starbucks is owned by more than 1,500 institutional shareholders and is worth more than $107 billion. So,it’s not just the Williston community that is obsessed. According to the Starbucks website, they were, “recognized by Fortune on their 2023 World’s Most Admired Companies list, keeping our #1 spot in the Food Services industry, and ranking 14th overall – out of 645 companies – determined by nearly 4,000 executives, directors and analysts across all industries.”
