Big, Messy... Story Idea

I've been having trouble coming up with a big messy story idea. I kept kicking different things around in my head, and none of them seemed really feasible.

But then it hit me last night as I was in Ravenwood Coffee. I want to look at the competition between Beaner's and Ravenwood, and how Ravenwood has been affected by their competition. I want to look at who goes to which place, and why. What makes one location preferable? How do small buisnesses survive in the face of chain competition? I suppose I could even pull in Rocketstar Cafe, and look at that competition too, but I'm not sure I can handle a project of that size in the time that we're given.

I want to know more about the college coffeeshop business. I have been a coffee aficionado for a long time, and far too many of my paychecks have ended up being "drunk away" in coffeeshops. This is something that really interests me, and I feel as though I would be motivated to get the different interviews that I would need.

Is this a decent story idea? Is it messy enough? Do I have enough journalistic distance? I don't personally know many of the employees of either location, and I certainly don't know any management.

Let me know.