When I saw that we were planning a story on Starbucks opening in Wai'anae, I immediately thought two things: Is this really news and if it is news, how are we going to treat it?

The opening of a Starbucks in any other area of O'ahu would not rate much more than a paragraph, if that, but we gave this story prominent centerpiece play on the cover of the Friday, April 20, newspaper with a large photo, map and even the Starbucks logo. The headline ("It's Starbucks, Wai'anae kine") was so big that it jumped off the page.

The newsworthiness of the piece was sound. Starbucks had established 66 other locations over the previous decade. This was the newest store and it opened in an area that could use as much economic juice as possible. Most of the story dealt with the excitement over a new and established business and the fact that Wai'anae residents would not have to drive into Kapolei to enjoy Starbucks coffee.

However, it then swerved into a bit of stereotyping that I could have done without.

Though it is obvious that many of our homeless are living on the beach along the Wai'anae Coast, I wondered how much of the Starbucks story had to be tied to the homeless situation. Offering blanket statements about the area can be tricky and possibly offensive to one group or the other.

Reporter Will Hoover opened his story this way: "After a decade in Hawai'i, Starbucks is ready for Wai'anae. But is Wai'anae — where some would say $1.65 might be better spent for a meal than the cheapest cup of Starbucks coffee — ready for Starbucks?"

Hoover is a veteran writer and has covered this area for many years. He was co-author of an award-winning Advertiser series on homelessness in the area and knows what he is talking about.

But questioning whether Wai'anae was ready for Starbucks and inferring that people who live there might be in for sticker shock over a cup of coffee seemed unfair.

Hoover also quoted the Starbucks manager, a local resident, about the homeless situation and she mentioned that she had contacted a transitional shelter about bringing over leftover pastries. The manager also said she and her marketing team had discussed how to help the homeless. The story was soon followed by a description of employees handing out free samples to beach dwellers.

"Hey, if it's free, we'll be there," one park dweller was quoted as saying.

The story brought just two complaints, but one was especially salient. A woman from the area said that had a story been written about a Starbucks opening in Mililani or Hawai'i Kai, it would not have had the same tone.

"We welcome new businesses that give us the opportunity to experience what Kapolei does," she wrote. "The working class in Wai'anae do not all share the view 'Hey if it's free, we'll be there.' That is what differentiates the classes of people in Wai'anae, just as everywhere else. I am disappointed to see, once again, the stereotyping of the area in which we live."

Hoover wrote to the woman, explaining that the homeless situation is interwoven with what is going on in the area. He mentioned those in the piece quoted as saying how pleased they were that Starbucks had arrived and that Starbucks officials had reacted favorably.

Dan Woods, Hoover's editor, believes including the homeless information in the story was fair, given that the Starbucks is about 100 yards from a beach park that is frequented by the homeless. Had the Starbucks been located several miles away from the beach, he doesn't think it would even have been a story.

It made me wonder if we would have tried to bring the homeless angle so prominently into a story about another business, say a Sam's Club or Kmart, choosing to locate in the area. Certainly not. It had more to do with the contrast between high-priced coffee and those least able to afford it.

I would have preferred to answer some other questions, such as what took Starbucks so long to come to Wai'anae and if there were some concerns, what were they? Going further, I would have liked to know that with Starbucks open, would other high-end businesses or restaurants follow?

There's nothing wrong with writing about Starbucks or writing about the homeless situation. I'm just still not convinced they belong in the same story.

Mark Platte is vice president/editor of The Honolulu Advertiser. Reach him at mplatte@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8080.