"It was always kind of a nice idea to me that we had a lot of local strings and independently-owned coffeeshops," said Michael Chladek, MU student. "I was disappointed when I saw that it was coming in."

Despite that disappointment, Lakota Coffeehouse owner Skip Ducharme hopes some people actually go to Starbucks.

"My hopes are Starbucks will bring some non-coffee drinkers in to try them and, perhaps, become full-time coffee drinkers and, at that point, start trying other coffees around town," he explained.

"I still think it's a little bit sad," said Jeremy Brown, manager of Cherry Street Artisan. "I think it's still detracting from the kind of the unique diversity that Columbia, and especially downtown, has to offer."

But, others welcome the nationwide chain. "We've tried to check it out for the last three days, so we're excited about it," said Janet Bradshaw, a Columbia coffee drinker.

Regardless of feelings, Starbucks Manager Kristin Held says the shop shouldn't cross any boundaries.

"There's lots of coffee to go around," she noted. "I've always said that there's plenty of coffee to go around."

Monday night's pre-opening was for friends and family of Starbucks' employees. The shop opens to the public at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.