It was witnessed in the mountain town of Taos, New Mexico, where the company was to open up its first drive-through café; it faced a fierce backlash. After two separate arson attacks on this construction site, the coffee giant has had a torrid time trying to lay down roots in this notoriously rebellious community.
Because of this, it was nicknamed “Charbucks” and stands as a rallying point in the fight against the town’s commercialization. Taos, a town of 6,500 people, had its initial showdown with the outside world in the 1680 Indigenous Pueblo Revolt, and more recently, it stood in opposition to a billionaire’s ski resort construction.
However, the decision by the local town council to okay the Starbucks store based on job creation and additional tax revenues sparked concern among the town’s residents. Local people, such as a holistic healer named Todd Lazar, state that they ‘loved’ arson attacks, which is supported by more general disapproval that Starbucks interferes with local identity and takes money out of the neighborhood.
Since the town’s economic development director admitted that the Starbucks fires have kept other national chains at bay, the future of the “Charbucks” project appears tenuous at best within this perpetually rebellious alpine municipality.
