From Pawn Shop To Hard Rock
Corporate sterility is on the march up Pike Street. Can it possibly be true that there are still significant numbers of tourists in the world that think it’s a “must do” to go to the Hard Rock Cafe? And get the t-shirt too? Mercy me. I want the old pawn shop back.
The new Hard Rock is half a block from the main entrance to Pike Market, arguably Seattle’s most iconic location. And the main reason Pike Market is so iconic is precisely because there is no corporate schlock allowed.  On cue, in swoops corporate American franchise blandness to co-opt and cannabalize that colorful, authentic character.
When it comes to the plague of corporate franchises, our tribal instincts are seriously doing us wrong. The familiar feels irresistibly safe—it’s deeply embedded in our social psyches. And that’s the root cause of McStarbucks Nation. If we simply stopped going to these places, they would disappear.
But evil doesn’t always prevail. Across the street the gawdawful Johnny Rockets and its hateful 50’s rock ‘n’ roll that assaulted passersby from tinny speakers is no more. Replaced by none other than the producers of the consistently best doppio espresso in the entire City of Seattle. Namely, Seattle Coffee Works.
With loving hands
And their arms are stretched so wide
They can’t seem to take a breath
Knowing evil will prevail,
And a million people
Seems like a lot,
And a million people can be wrong
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