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The Bittersweet Taste of Coffee Beyond Reach

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Starbucks says its slow pace in Prince George's has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the lack of the big-box shopping centers that the chain prefers for its suburban locations. And the big boxes have stayed away because of fear of crime, developers say.

Jeff Ellison, a 20-year resident of Prince George's who is Starbucks' regional director for most of Maryland, says the problem is that developers "read the paper about Landover and Suitland and they don't realize that this is the home to the most affluent African-American community, so they shy away from building big shopping centers. But that's changing."

In the next year, Starbucks plans to open five outlets in Prince George's and only three in Montgomery.

"We could have had more stores in Prince George's," Ellison says, "and now we're actively looking for more locations. We were first in Forestville and in Oxon Hill, even though there was very little retail there."

"It's not an issue of reluctance anymore," Holman says. "We have old shopping centers, but that's changing quickly. Deals are being made."

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