Starbucks has finally made its way to Whitewater. On April 11, Starbucks opened its doors in Whitewater for the first time. Located at 1280 W. Main St. the location was previously the Whitewater Quick Lube. Thursday was officially the first day Starbucks was open, but the idea behind the most recent addition in Whitewater has been in the works for a while now.
Starbucks proposed plans to the City of Whitewater to initiate the process in early 2023. A lot of planning involved The City of Whitewater’s Plan & Architectural Review Commission (PARC) researching the area and making sure the location met the city ordinances. The original building that belonged to Quick Lube was torn down and Excel Engineering was credited for building the replacement building. Once the zoning regulations got checked out and authorized, PARC accepted the design, and approved the Conditional Use Permit. After that, the building was ready for renovations and reconstruction.
“Whitewater is excited for the growth of another business. Our staff is looking forward to future developments like this,” said Whitewater Chief of Staff Becky Magestro. “We hope for a positive impact and hope that other businesses will soon follow suit.”
The city of Whitewater had a great showing on opening day and brought in a lot of customers. This could potentially be the start of multiple businesses implementing their industry in the city if this goes over well. Not just coffee houses, but other businesses moving into Whitewater that bring in more money for the city. If projects like these have success, it would be hard for the city to pass up on more additions in the future.
“The city will continue to support and, where possible, invest in opportunities that create housing, jobs, and bring new businesses to the city. Starbucks is a welcome addition to that tapestry,” City Manager John Weidl said in a statement when Starbucks first looked to come to Whitewater.
The opening showed the success a business could have by moving to Whitewater. Soon an Aldi grocery store will be in Whitewater and will also be located on W. Main Street. The city of Whitewater will continue to look for opportunities like this and seek to bring more resources to the community. These new businesses that are being added will also try to bring more people to the area. The idea would be that more people will translate to more expenditures for the city. These resources will try to encourage more positive activity in the community and fortify the city’s funding for future endeavors.
The new location aims to increase city action and create new opportunities for businesses to be successful. With the new developments in the city, it will be interesting to see what the city has planned next. Until then, Starbucks and other stores in the city will continue to bring a lot of new people into the community. Starbucks’ new location has been well received so far and should continue to be around for a long time and encourage other businesses to follow suit.