Marc Choquette
Assistant Perspectives Editor
Last weekend, the meanderings around Malibu helped me come to the realization that the corporation is changing the Malibu we know.
While it sounds cliche and is often dangrous to be critical of corporate America — some would probably call me a communist — the fact is that these people care about the bottom line and not much else. Service is poor, quality of the product is waning, yet the corporate invasion of American life continues.
Cruising past Zuma Beach to the nearest coffee hangout, which happens to be Seattle super-chain Starbucks, a fresh cup seemed to be a perfect fit for the exceptionally lazy Sunday.
Hunger pangs told me a bagel was in the cards. Most sensible people toast their bagels, but Starbucks apparently figured this is not the case as the teenage barista behind the counter informed me that the toaster would not be arriving until February, give or take a few months.
“Well I guess I will just have to come back in February,” I replied.
A friend ordered a cup of tea, which was equally displeasing. Unrest among the patrons in regard to the lackluster service was rising, and an outdoor table was hard to come by, so he emphatically threw the tea in the trash and we decided to cruise to Malibu Colony Plaza to try our luck with Diedrich Coffee.
Trey grabbed another tea and upon taking a seat, I quickly realized my Starbucks cup probably made me the Judas of the crowd. Normally this would not be an issue, yet the recent purchase of Diedrich Coffee Inc., by the Starbucks Corporation, ensured that soon nearly every cup of coffee in Malibu would soon have the green mermaid proudly displayed.
This recent addition will bring the total number of Starbucks in this town with a population of 13,000 to three, with two soon operating less than a half of a mile away from each other.
This leaves the options for the morning cup pretty slim. Besides your suspect $.79 brew at McDonalds, the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is the only other option that quickly comes to mind.
This is not the only change coming to the notoriously static city of Malibu. Point Dume Village on Heathercliff Drive has long been a reliable stop for those Malibu West residents who do not feel like shopping for $200 jeans and eating $40 breakfasts, or simply do not want to make the extra 10-minute drive to the Colony.
Many of the establishments here may be getting the boot if a new developer, Seattle’s Zan Marquis, has its way. In a scene eerily reminiscent of the aftermath of a pre-disaster frenzy, the local grocery store Cook’s Market had empty shelves and sad faces.
The cashier informed me that they would be closing immediately with a new Vons branch opening a few months from now.
The Dume Room is set to close its doors Nov. 30, and other businesses have been asked to close or relocate.
Of course these business dealings around Malibu have not gone unnoticed. Many have been signing petitions and phoning Zan Marquis’ property manager, pleading their case to prevent the redevelopment of Point Dume Village.
These changes would surely compromise our already weak choices regarding nearly every service in town, except maybe the fancy, expensive restaurants. Our coffee choice will soon be Starbucks and our late night choice is the horrifically good yet horrifically bad Jack In The Box.
This represents a recurring trend in United States where the corporation is pushing the little guy out. While some say this is simply economics operating at maximum efficiency, we have to wonder when this will end and how far it will go.
As our Starbucks adventure proved, many people that work for big chains like these simply do not care as much about the work they do than if they were working in a smaller, independently-owned establishment. It can be seen in the ambivalent attitude of the baristas.
Employees usually have better relationships with the owners and managers who tend to make their faces seen more than a corporate executive. They feel more responsible for the job they are doing when they know they are representing the owner, who many patrons know on a personal level.
Thus the service is better, and you feel automatically cooler for hanging out in a uniquely local place instead of a place that looks like millions of other places around the world.
This local, independent feel is what makes towns like Santa Monica, Venice and Ventura unique. While it is not conceivable Malibu could turn into places like the aforementioned, it seems the unique aspect that Malibu had even three years ago is looking to soon be very different.
Remember what you are missing out on next time you see the green mermaid or that strange looking Jack In The Box mascot because the choice that capitalism prides itself in no longer exists.
09-11-2006