Coffee competition

Milledgeville coffee aficionados experienced a new addition to their downtown coffee scene recently with the April 12 opening of Jittery Joe’s in the Campus Theatre.

According to employee Caitlin Smith, a sophomore nursing major, Jittery Joe’s experienced a rather “quiet opening”.

The Athens-born coffee chain, however, did kick off by offering free drinks during its first three hours of opening and continues to offer discounts and deals on its Facebook fan page. And, so far the coffee seems to be passing the taste test compared to downtown competitor Blackbird Coffee.

“Actually I think (Jittery Joe’s is) a little better (than Blackbird),” said junior Spanish major Rachel Ulloa. “I asked about the coffee beans and stuff, they have really specific coffee beans and roast-style coffee. It’s pretty good coffee.”

When it comes to choosing where to buy coffee, some students are more concerned with the atmosphere than the brew.

“I think that Jittery Joe’s has a different vibe,” Ulloa said. “I feel like to be at Blackbird you have to have a certain persona, if you will. … I think Jittery Joe’s is more welcoming to different types of people.”

Some students, however, describe Jittery Joe’s as corporate, whereas Blackbird fosters personal bonds.

“I’ve been coming (to Blackbird) for four years and I think it probably has a better atmosphere. … It offers familiar faces and more sense of community,” Zach Elliot, a senior fine arts major, said.

The two coffee shops certainly boast two different moods and some students find Jittery Joe’s better suited as a place to concentrate rather than socialize.

“For me, well, I need a place to work. … It’s a lot quieter here and the music’s not pumped up as much,” graduate student Amy Nix said.

Some students said they don’t think the opening of Jittery Joe’s will affect downtown coffee business much.

“I haven’t been to Jittery Joe’s, but I don’t really think it’s going to affect Blackbird at all,” said Lara Whitley a sophomore management and museum studies major. “I was here this morning and every seat was taken and there was a line.”

Sara Allen, a sophomore nursing major, speculated about which coffee shop upcoming freshmen will chose to give their business to.

“If they’re more city and they already have a Jittery Joe’s, than they are more likely to go over there,” Allen said. “But if they already know people here (in Milledgeville), those people already go to Blackbird.”

Posted by Rebecca Burns on Apr 23 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry