Safari Cup Storefront for Lease, Business Likely to Close

Safari Cup’s storefront hit the real estate market Monday, months before a new Starbucks location is slated to open next door.

The 1,600-square-foot coffee shop at 3404 N. Southport Ave. is up for lease, confirmed Matt Gould, the broker for the property with Mid-America Real Estate Group. Sitting right next to the Southport Brown Line station, the new listing is described on their website as a “Rare and Prime Retail Space.”

While Gould could confirm the store is ready for a new tenant, Safari Cup’s owner Dave McLaughlin could not, saying Monday afternoon he did not put the space up for sale. But later in the evening, an employee at the coffee shop confirmed the storefront is on the leasing market, saying McLaughlin would "have plenty to say about it."

Gould added later Monday evening that although the property is on the market, there are still a few items to be finalized, and he did not intend for anyone to see the listing on Mid-America's website.

McLaughlin has been vocal about his opposition regarding national retailers like Starbucks and Gap moving to the Southport Corridor. In January, he said the Starbucks—or as he calls it, "the green cancer"—expansion next to Safari Cup would make the fight interesting.

“It’s sad, and the question is, how much support do people in the Southport Corridor have for the independents?” McLaughlin asked. “Will we be shuttered out in the next couple years, or will they start to support us?”

But with the new Starbucks yet to open, some critics say they wonder if the national chain was a scapegoat. The current Starbucks across the street from Safari Cup has been there roughly 20 years, while McLaughlin opened his store in 2009.

“If this is in fact true, and Safari Cup is closing, then clearly the national chain had nothing to do with it,” said Frank Campise, CEO of JAB Real Estate Opportunity Funds and owner of multiple Southport properties, including the one Starbucks plans to expand into.

“Starbucks has been there for almost two decades,” Campise continued. “If Safari Cup is closing, it had nothing to do with a national retailer’s expansion plans. Starbucks was there before him, and now he’s leaving.”

And the prime piece of real estate is already generating some buzz. While the Forever Yogurt at the soon-to-be-vacant Bell Studio fell through, a source reveals they plan to look into the Safari Cup location.

Gould says more details on the property could be released by the end of the week.

Follow Us on Facebook!