Three different coffee shop chains are competing for student business in Oxford.
Locally owned High Point Coffee has been in Oxford since 2002 and has two store locations, one on the Square and one on Jackson Avenue.
“The coffee is roasted less than 10 miles down the road from both stores,” barista Nathan Adams said.
Adams described working at High Point as “awesome.” Adams admitted he occasionally visits the other coffee shops in town, however.
“I honestly go to all three,” Adams said. “I enjoy the new reserve coffee at Starbucks, but if the local shops are open and not full of students, I go to High Point or Cups.”
One-year-old Cups is a new franchise in Oxford, hailing from Jackson. Owner and Oxford resident Lee Bowie said he believes opening a Cups was a “no-brainer.”
Cups is known for its flavored espressos, such as its Blondie, which is a latte with caramel and white chocolate.
Bowie said Cups likes to get ingredients from local businesses, such as Brown Family Dairy and Honey Bee Bakery.
“It’s not being done to be different,” Bowie said. “It’s just what we like to do.”
Bowie said Cups offers open mic nights and poetry readings. The shop is also covered in local artists’ paintings and photographs. This is done to give Cups a welcoming vibe for students to study or hang out, Bowie said.
Cups barista John Bobo thinks local coffee shops have “more to offer customers than certain mega coffee chains.”
“I think customers have more options and can get better tasting drinks when you don’t get your latte off of a conveyer belt,” Bobo said. “Eventually, Starbucks will be like a little Redbox kiosk at your local Walgreens.”
The recently added Jackson Avenue Starbucks has expanded the city’s coffee options and given students a third location for the popular chain. Known for having more than 87,000 possible drink combinations, the Seattle-founded coffee chain offers food as well as drinks.
Freshman Kelsey Knecht said she enjoys going to Starbucks because it’s “comfortable.”
“That was my first coffee place,” Knecht said. “I know I’ll leave there fulfilled.”
With three chains and multiple individual locations, students have their pick of coffee places.
“There’s a demand for coffee in this town,” said junior Morgan Fyfe.
Connor Paul Heitzmann
