After pre-application plans from Arkansas-based 7 Brew Coffee were submitted to the city of Battle Ground, a question has been raised: In a city where coffee stands have become part of the community's identity, how much room is left for another one?
For a pair of Battle Ground coffee shop owners, it is a reason to wonder how many more stands the community can support.
7 Brew currently has no locations in the Pacific Northwest, with a pre-application conference possibly on the horizon, adding another drive-thru competitor to an already crowded market is raising concerns and excitement from area residents.
7 Brew Coffee submitted materials for a pre-application conference at the end of August for a proposed location at 805 W. Main St., near Thirst Trap Soda Shack and Espresso Express. As of press time, no pre-application conference has been scheduled as Battle Ground staff continued reviewing the plans, with the review phases scheduled to be completed Friday, Sept. 11.
The proposal remains in its early stages and does not represent final approval for construction.
While the proposed 7 Brew would potentially become the city's 20th coffee-centric business, it follows the anticipated January 2027 opening of Brewed Awakenings as the 19th.
For some local owners, the number itself is becoming difficult to ignore.
“It's a little upsetting. It's very discouraging as a small business owner, just because it's a small town and we already have so many coffee shops, let alone big chains,” said Sam Cruz, owner of Espresso Express in the Wilco parking lot.
Cruz has worked at Espresso Express for nearly 15 years, including about five years as its owner. The business itself has operated in Battle Ground for more than 30 years.
That history has given Cruz a base of regular customers and relationships that she believes help distinguish a small, established business from a national chain.
“I have my regular customers that I see daily. I've gained friendships, they're very loyal,” Cruz said. “And so they want to come and support me as a small business.”
But the prospect of 7 Brew locating near Espresso Express creates a different concern than previous additions to the city's coffee scene.
“I have to feel like I have to be in competition with someone that's right next door to me,” Cruz said, adding that she does not want to feel like she has to do extra just to keep up with a national chain. “I don't want to feel like every day … we have to do extra, just to keep up with these big businesses that can do extra things that we can't as small business owners.”
Cruz said Espresso Express has survived previous competition by maintaining its own identity rather than attempting to duplicate what other stands offer.
Among those offerings are specialty blended drinks, including a popular toffee crunch drink.
“I just make sure I stay consistent with everything,” Cruz said. “I can give out drinks that maybe are a little different, without being too much.”
The concern, she said, is not simply about attracting customers. Large chains can offer promotions and discounts that may be difficult for a small business to match.
“I would hope that people put into consideration that like, as a small business owner, we can't do the extra things that big chains can,” Cruz said. “So as much as I can depend on my loyal customers that come through, when they're doing these big sales, or like buy three, get a free one or whatever, like, I can only do so much of that.”
Cruz said she hopes those considerations are part of the city's discussion as new businesses are proposed.
“Because this is a small town. It's about community,” Cruz said. “It's about, you know, wanting to support small and being a close community all around.”
Austin Slagle, owner of Dev’s Coffee Bar, views the potential arrival of 7 Brew a little bit differently.
Slagle said he does not personally expect the chain to significantly hurt his business, in part because Dev’s has developed its own customer base and identity in a slightly different part of town in comparison to Cruz’s stand that would share the same entrance and practically the same parking lot.
“I don't think we'll see any loss in business if there is a 7 Brew that opened because we have a different relationship I think with our customers,” Slagle said.
However, that does not mean Slagle is enthusiastic about another national chain entering Battle Ground.
“Do I want 7 Brew to come here? No,” Slagle said. “I think there's a hundred different things that Battle Ground as a community could use other than a 7 Brew for coffee.”
Still, Slagle said businesses cannot control every competitor that enters the market. He added that many businesses have to find a way to stand out and be different, rather than take a backseat approach to national competition.
For Dev’s, that differentiation includes food. Slagle said more than half of the business' sales come from bagels, giving customers another reason to visit beyond coffee.
Slagle said he sees a similar pattern across Battle Ground's coffee businesses. While many sell coffee, individual businesses have developed different atmospheres, specialties and customer bases.
“Every single one of these coffee shops has a specific thing that they're known for,” Slagle said. “They're the same but they're not.”
The potential 7 Brew, however, represents a different kind of competitor to Slagle.
He said the chain's model is similar to existing national drive-thru brands such as Dutch Bros and Black Rock already in Battle Ground.
Ultimately, Slagle said the future of Battle Ground's coffee market will depend partly on what customers value.
He said small-business owners invest time, money and personal relationships into their businesses in ways that customers may not always see.
“I just wish people would slow down,” Slagle said. “Stop reading what you hear on the Internet and, you know, go visit some of these local coffee shops and see the people that are working there.”
For Cruz, the stakes are more personal.
The long-term goal for Espresso Express was once to remain in Battle Ground indefinitely and potentially pass the business to her children. The prospect of increasingly intense competition, however, has made her reconsider how long she wants to continue.
“If it's really going to be just feeling like on edge with competition, constantly with new shops continuously coming in, then maybe it just won't be something I want to do forever,” Cruz said. “I want to be able to enjoy it, not feel like, oh, this is just becoming stressful at this point.”
For now, 7 Brew remains a proposal, not a new coffee stand just yet.
Editor's Note: The Reflector will continue to engage with local coffee shop and stand owners for comment as the process for the proposed 7 Brew location continues to progress. Please email cade.barker@thereflector.com for input.
