Huntsville will be getting two new coffee chains, 7 Brew Coffee and Dunkin’ Donuts, later this year, sparking mixed reactions amongst locals.

7 Brew Coffee—a drive-thru coffee brand with over 600 locations nationwide—is projected to complete construction on a location at 1718A 11th Street by early August, according to HelloHuntsvilleTX.com. Documents from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation show that Dunkin’ Donuts will be located at the Walmart at 141 Interstate 45, with a projected completion date of July 30.

For both companies, their closest current location is in Conroe.

As Huntsville continues to expand, so will the variety of businesses. Some residents are excited for the convenience and variety these new additions will provide. Others are concerned that these large corporations could threaten Huntsville’s locally owned shops.

Huntsville is home to a variety of local coffee shops, such as Sipsy’s, Farmhouse Cafe and CAT Cafe. 

With the addition of the big chain coffee shops, some residents fear the smaller businesses will struggle to compete.  Other residents think the local businesses offer enough to the community to stay in business. 

Sipsy’s barista Brooklyn Sparks, 21, said, “We’re here to sell products, but we’re also here to sell Sipsy’s as a whole, so it’s very relationship-based.” 

Huntsville already has a few Starbucks locations, and local coffee shops say they have not seen any effects from it. 

“With the community and how much we offer here, I don’t think it’s really comparable,” Sparks added.