Despite Starbucks Jitters, Most Coffeehouses Thrive

By KEVIN HELLIKER and SHIRLEY LEUNG
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The news gave quite a jolt to the owners of a coffeehouse here called Broadway Cafe: Starbucks Corp. was planning to open one of its outlets next door.

Fearing that their cafe wouldn't survive a war with the coffee giant, the Broadway's customers and owners collected a thousand signatures on a petition asking city leaders to thwart the plan. But Starbucks won city approval and pushed ahead.

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