Starbucks has long been one of the few chains we enjoy. While the coffee's not as good as our local coffee shops, it beats the heck out of Folger's or Maxwell House, and it's a godsend when traveling. But when they moved in right next door to Lucy's on Southside, we cried foul. Looked to many like Starbucks thought their big brand place would force the local competition out of business.

We are happy to report that if that's what Starbucks execs were thinking, they were wrong.

Last week, the Birmingham News reported that the Starbucks next to Lucy's Coffee & Tea, as well as one that recently moved into downtown Homewood near longtime local favorite O'Henry's Coffee, will be among the 600 underperforming locations the coffee giant is closing nationwide.

Lucy's owner Lucy Bonds, who started out with a coffee cart before opening her shop, told the News that despite sharing a wall with the coffee behemoth, she was able to retain her loyal customer base throughout the competition. We don't get to the UAB area often, so have not been regular customers, but we did enjoy our visit during our downtown Birmingham vacation about a year ago (see photo).

Maybe next time Starbucks will think twice before opening a location next door to a successful local coffee spot.