Fairhaven Starbucks in the Works; Tropical Smoothie Eyes New Home

Coming off the heels of a new Starbucks location in New Bedford, the popular Seattle-based company is ready to expand here on the SouthCoast.

Starbucks is looking to build a new location in Fairhaven.

A notice of a public hearing has been issued by the town to discuss a special permit application from Michael Panagakos. The local real estate mogul is requesting approval to knock down the former Alden Road Dunkin' location and Tropical Smoothie Cafe to make way for a new Starbucks with an expanded parking lot and drive-thru lane.

"That’s our plan," said Panagakos. Starbucks is our tenant at the Coggeshall Street location. This will be our second Starbucks tenant location is approved by Fairhaven." If it doesn't work out with Starbucks, Panagakos tells us that he has a backup fast food tenant waiting to set up shop in the vacant Dunkin building. "This fast food business would use the building as it is and would not require planning board approval."

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The plan displaces Tropical Smoothie Cafe, but Karyn Ferreira said she absolutely wants her business to remain in Fairhaven.

"Our customers are very important to us, so we want to stay as close to our original Fairhaven location as possible," she said. "We are currently negotiating to get another location in Fairhaven ASAP. We love this town."

As it stands, the current Tropical Smoothie location will close on the last day of August, but that could change if the timeline shifts.

"Our goal is to find a new location and start construction as soon as possible. We are really hoping for reopening our new location sometime in October/November.

"We've had a great 10 years there, and we can't wait to get started on the next 10 years with Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Fairhaven."

The Alden Dunkin' location has been vacant and shut down since Dunkin' moved behind McDonald's off Huttleston Avenue. A second Dunkin' location has since opened in the Bridge Street Mobil station in Fairhaven.

The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, August 22, 6:30 p.m., at Fairhaven Town Hall.

Where to Find the Best Coffee on the SouthCoast

Whether you like it hot or iced, flavored or straight up, chances are you have a favorite place for coffee. Lucky enough for us, there are a bunch of high-quality java spots to choose from. Here is a map of the best coffee shops in town, as voted by you.

Top Coffee Shops in Each State According to Reader's Digest

Whenever I am traveling, I am always on the hunt for a coffee shop. Next time you are touring the U.S. or just out for a road trip in your own state, go grab a cup of coffee from the top shops in the United States according to Reader's Digest.

How did they pick the best in each state? According to their story, they checked out "customer reviews and roasting reputation". The story has more insight on each place and you can find that at readersdigest.com.