Sorry to hear about the Hard Bean, I mean, where will all the hipsters go now?? Seriously, though, that sucks. :(

. Chipotle is just ok, not the greatest, but better than Moe's. I REALLY hope they don't put a Chipotle there....I would really like to see another coffee house or an independent store. Keep the chain stores in the mall where they belong. It is really sad that small town merchants are being priced out of downtown. Soon, all the charm will be gone....next thing you know they will be putting in a McDonald's! Ugh. Hope I never see that day. Just please, no more t shirt shops.

Buy local! Chains suck! Choose soul over no-soul!

The heart and soul of Annapolis is the city dock area including the market space/house. Turning it into a chain/fast food destination may will turn Annapolis into anywhere USA and downtown into Mall #3. But not to worry. McDonald's failed on West St. and so too will two chain burrito places fighting it out for scraps in a town that would rather eat seafood and support local business.

No, no, no! Chains should be kept out of downtown. I'm very sad about Hard Bean, go there all the time. Chipotle has good food. Having one at the mall is enough.

Hard Bean is the collest place in town. No fuss, no issues, just a really relaxed good place to relax and chat with friends. Chipotle will probably do their fair share of business , but downtown Annapolis will suffer from the loss of another great place that makes the city dock area special. I would rather see Chipotle go into the Starbucks spot and then they and Moes can fight it out side by side. No real fan of Annapolis likes Starbucks anyway.

Chains do not belong in downtown Annapolis. The character keeps being drained from a quaint beautiful small town. If the hardware store goes will we get a small Wallmart? Support local businesses. C'mon Gary, would be great if you could stay where you are. Barb C

Why would the City Planning and zoning change the rules to allow another Mexican carry out within one block of each other in the prime location of city dock? The City should have another small “mom and Pop” store, coffee shop or bakery location at the City Dock. If the City allows Chipotles, which is owned by McDonalds, to have this location, the next step is for the City to allow a McDonalds on City Dock. Does Annapolis really need two Mexican restaurants in downtown? We should all call the Mayor’s Office to voice our objections to this crazy idea.

My disappointment and heartbreak over seeing Hard Bean close will only be surpassed by my disappointment and disgust to see it replaced by another chain store. I enjoy chipotle's food as much as the next person, but chipotle will never provide the personal touch a locally owned store like Hard Bean can - I love those employees and their friendly service.
Plus, I don't know anywhere else that I can get a stamp pressed for buying a large cup of Jazzy Java coffee, and receive refills for only $1.
But if Hard Bean must go, please let us see another small business owner take its place. If downtown Annapolis keeps selling out to the major businesses, the historic district is going to lose all of its appeal. So, like the other commenters, I BEG the city of Annapolis to not allow another chain store/restaurant into the downtown area! Stop being greedy, and cut the small guys a tax break so they can beat out better established (i.e. corporate chain) competitors.

Isn't it enough that chipotle is 2-3 miles away at the mall ?!

The appeal of downtown is its charm and uniqueness. People don't flock there to eat food you can already find Everywhere!

If this chipotle comes in, there will be no telling what other run of the mill food will be allowed. Sadly the corporate monster shows its ugly face again.

Please preserve the identity of annapolis....don't sell out.

I know this is an old story, but I just have to put my oar in. I LOVE Hard Bean. I love the look, the feel, the books, the food... I know of no other place that I can get those delicious spinach artichoke croissants. It is my favorite place to go study (it happens rarely, but it's still my favorite!). PLEASE don't put Chipotle in downtown Annapolis. We have enough chains down there (though I do love Moe's). Let's keep the old town look and feel of our little city!

I wish I had the chance to put in another coffee shop in Downtown. I opened one in Edgewater at South River Colony behind Kmart and where the Original Steak House is. I thought that a nice family owned coffee shop would be better to the area than a chain. I knew going in that I was taking a chance since the foot traffic was very low, but usually when something is good, word of mouth travels fast. All of my customers were very happy with my choice of coffee that I served and I also served stuffed deli sandwiches as well. I had 36 different flavors with 10 - 12 on the counter everyday and flavors would be switched out each week and keeping only the main sellers everyday. But without having enough traffic the sales were not good enough to keep going. I invested everything I had and lost it all since I was only open for 4 months. The landlords did not want to work with me and would not except the money I had for the rent in which was only $400 short. Maybe one more month and them working with me may had helped, but not too sure. I am looking to open again one day in a unique location and maybe one day it will happen in DT Annapolis. I did have a nice website, but in time the hosting had expired and I lost all data and they could not restore my site. If you have Facebook, I still have the page up and you can find it here: http://www.facebook.com/Jayhannahscoffee