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A dispute is percolating in Brookside, where a steamed local merchant alleges that collusion between two national companies constitutes grounds for his imminent departure from the old-fashioned neighborhood shoppingdistrict.
David Nepstad plans to close Espresso Ah La Cart at 6227 Brookside Blvd. on Feb. 11, nearly six years after the specialty coffee stand came to Brookside.
Nepstad said his departure was forced by the prospective arrival of Starbucks (Nasdaq. SBUX), the Seattle-based java giant that also has expanded into Westport. Nepstad said Highwoods Properties Inc. (NYSE: HIW) of Raleigh, N.C., which owns much of Brookside's commercial property, won't let him stay because Starbucks insists on exclusivity in its category.
Barry Brady, Highwoods' senior vice president in Kansas City, said he couldn't discuss terms of Starbucks' lease because it's still in process.
But Keith Stewart, who oversees Starbucks' Kansas City stores from Chicago, said the company seeks to be the sole provider of its product in every market it enters.
"We want to make sure the interests of our customers and ourselves are protected," Stewart said, adding that he didn't know the specifics of talks in Brookside.
Speculation about...