Finding a Spot: East Hampton Has a Starbucks. Why Not Southampton?

There was a rumor going around Southampton that Starbucks was going to open up a shop in town. A few people were suspicious that a new location would open up on the corner of Main Street right across the street from the Golden Pear. It had a lot of people excited and riled up, but the rumor was quickly dismissed by representatives from Morley Real Estate, who are representing the vacant storefront.

But the very thought of Starbucks opening up shop in Southampton had a lot of people excited. It wouldn’t be the first time that Starbucks gave it a shot in Southampton. The current location of the Dunkin’ Donuts used to house a Starbucks, but the property simply didn’t work for them. If you remember it, when you walked into that location, the ceilings were incredibly low and there were very few places to sit in the store.

But it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Starbucks opened its doors again in Southampton. After all, they are located in East Hampton and in Bridgehampton, why not Southampton?

We here at Dan’s Papers have been giving this a lot of thought, and since the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, lives in the Hamptons during the summertime, and most likely reads Dan’s Papers, this is an open letter giving him suggestions. Below are the top locations in Southampton that we here at Dan’s collectively think that Starbucks should open.

The Old Saks Fifth Avenue Building: In the spirit of opening up Starbuck’s in legendary spaces, we think that the old Saks Fifth Avenue building that closed down back in 2010. The 15,000 square foot building would make an incredibly large Starbucks that would certainly draw in lots of customers. The building itself still stands vacant, and it is so incredibly large and gorgeous, it’s a shame nothing is going on in there. A few lattes later and that building would be hustling and bustling in no time.

98 Main Street: You know what we say about the rumor? Make it reality! The space on 98 Main Street, which is across the street from the old Saks building, would make a great location for Starbucks. The property is 935 square feet of prime Main Street Hamptons real estate.

Benton Plaza Medical Building: So what’s the first thing you want to do after you go to the doctor and find out that you need to have a mole cut off? You want a Frappuccino, that’s what. Why not? Yes it would be kind of strange to see a Starbucks opening up in a medical building, but doctors love coffee. You have a customer base right there, and I don’t know about you, but I want to have a doctor who is alert as ever when he’s reaching for the scalpel.

The Southampton Starbucks Barge: A barge, a coffee barge, it will be a beautiful thing. Starbucks could buy a giant barge and float it out in Mecox Bay and you could swim out to it, climb aboard and get yourself a grade A+ mocha skinny wet macchiato with light foam.

The Old Thyme and Again spot: You remember Thyme and Again near the movie theater don’t you? Why not a Starbucks there? Remember how awesome the soups were there? Don’t you want to replace those soups with a Starbucks Frappuccino with a shot of caramel?

You know what? We hate to say it, but just turn every empty storefront into a Starbucks in Southampton. You know you’d go, and you know you’d still complain that there weren’t enough around town.