LITTLE VILLAGE -- Some Southwest Side neighbors are pushing back against a Starbucks that opened Tuesday in the plaza housing the Little Village Discount Mall.
About a dozen protesters with the Ni Una Gota!, or Not One Drop coalition, stood outside Starbucks, 3015 W. 26th St., Tuesday morning, urging neighbors to boycott the spot.
Protesters said the coffee chain does not represent the community's culture and "is a threat" to coffee shops and bakeries owned by local families. Local businesses sell "great coffee" and are a cornerstone of the neighborhood's culture and economy, said Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council, which is part of the coalition.
"The reason we started this campaign is to genuinely stop gentrification from coming to Little Village," Enriquez said.
The Little Village Starbucks is the company's fourth Chicago community store, "purpose-defined to better support" employees, customers and communities "in ways that meaningfully drive lasting connection," company spokesperson Betsy McManus said.
But after the store's opening was announced, some neighbors said they worried it could contribute to gentrification in the area and increasing prices at the Discount Mall. Neighbors also worry the influx of large developments and corporations could displace longtime neighbors, as has happened in neighboring Pilsen.
The Lower West Side community area, which includes Pilsen, decreased from 88 percent Hispanic or Latino in 2000 to 71 percent in 2020, according to the UIC Great Cities Institute.
The coalition called on Starbucks to refrain from "taking flavors" related to Mexican and Mexican-American culture.
"We don't want them selling a churro-style cappuccino or a horchata latte. We're protecting our culture from these corporations," Enriquez said.
The protesters also want Starbucks to hire staff from Little Village, provide a livable wage of $20-$25 per hour and turn the cafe into a nonprofit restaurant, according to a press release.
The Little Village store has 15 employees, including nine neighbors; features a customer mural by Chicago-based artist Diske Uno and was built in partnership with diverse contractors, McManus said.
"We are incredibly proud to have opened a Starbucks community store in the Little Village community this week, and we will continue to work closely with the community as this store and our employees connect with their neighbors, build partnerships with local organizations and support community events," McManus said.
Enriquez said he is disappointed by local elected officials and the Little Village Chamber of Commerce for supporting a large corporation that could hurt local businesses in the working-class neighborhood.
"This corporation does not agree with our values, and we do not agree with their values," Enriquez said.
Instead of shopping at Starbucks, the group encourages neighbors to support local coffee shops and bakeries like La Baguette, Azucar, Cafecito, 26th Street Cafe and Cafe Catedral.
"There are pastries and coffee next door," one neighbor told a Starbucks customer, pointing to La Baguette, a Mexican bakery.