This Starbucks store has finally run out of steam.
The infamous Starbucks at 13-25 Astor Place, known for its dilapidated public restrooms, sleeping homeless people and begging inside, quietly closed its doors on Sunday evening after nearly three decades in business opposite the Cube.
“I’ve seen staff unlock the door and have to drag someone out on multiple occasions,” one Yelp reviewer claims. “At one point, one of the staff members banged on the door and told the person inside to ‘shoot up heroin outside.'”
Still, regulars lament the decline of the East Village brewery, which was once home to Manhattan’s largest Starbucks.
“I’m actually a little sad because I’ve had lots of coffee here, lots of good conversations and even a few failed Tinder dates,” Katia Jimenez, 24, told The Post outside the store on Sunday.
“I’ve probably bought coffee here 50 times over the years,” Diana Heckman, 41, told The Washington Post, adding that while the Washington Square Park location is closer to her, she would be willing to travel further for the Astor Place location.
“I’ve spent many winter Sundays here sitting on my laptop because it’s a particularly large and cozy place for a Starbucks, so I would shed a tear for Starbucks,” Heckman said.
One barista told customer Eric Aksakova, 29, that he was closing down because the rent was too high.
“Are you serious? How high can the rent get to the point where Starbucks can’t even stay open here?” Aksakova told The Washington Post, adding that the coffee giant’s policy of not turning away non-customers allows homeless people to spend “all day” in the space and drive away customers.
Management told Hyperlocal Blog EV Greaves The rent “has become so astronomical that even Starbucks headquarters cannot afford it,” he said.
Aksakova also said that the store’s employees forming a union in 2022 “did not increase the chances of the store remaining open,” but the company maintains that the union had nothing to do with the closures.
“That is not true,” a Starbucks spokesperson told The Washington Post.
“We have the same focus on evaluating, modifying or closing both unionized and non-unionized stores based on their ability to deliver the Starbucks experience to our customers and support both our partners and our business,” the spokesperson added.
Starbucks made headlines in 2022 and 2023 for closing several unionized stores, including three in Ithaca, New York. One store closed just weeks after the vote. The New Republic reported.
“The College Avenue property may be the best property in all of upstate New York,” said former Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick. I have written “Over 15,000 pedestrians cross the street every day. How can they not make a profit? Seems like union busting,” he tweeted at the time.
Last year, the National Labor Relations Board alleged that Starbucks closed 23 stores to prevent labor unionization. Reuters reported. NLRB Administrative Judge Sentencing in May Starbucks alleges it violated labor laws at its unionized stores in New Orleans, but the chain faces dozens of other complaints, including for closing unionized stores and firing union supporters.
Still, Starbucks and the National Federation of Labor Unions have made “substantial progress” and will continue framework bargaining sessions, the company said in a June statement. statement.
Meanwhile, at another union member store Williamsburg closed on June 30th.Green Pointers reported.
A Starbucks spokesperson told The Washington Post that the company is working with a coalition of workers to relocate the 17 employees affected by the Astor Place closure.
“The terms and location of partner relocations, or severance pay for partners who choose not to relocate, will be subject to agreements negotiated with Workers United, but Starbucks is committed to ensuring all partners in these locations are supported during this transition period,” the spokesperson added.
The huge Astor Place store was known for being often chaotic.
Dave, a 28-year-old homeless man from Boston, previously told The Washington Post that police only show up at coffee shops if there is someone dangerous inside.
“Workers come in and gently ask the sleepers to wake up and move on, but those same people soon fall asleep again,” he said.
Still, longtime customers expressed concern to The Post about yet another wave of vacant storefronts in Manhattan, where the number of vacant retail spaces has doubled since the pandemic began.
“I [Astor Place] “A lot of the charm of this neighborhood comes from its character, so it shouldn’t be able to rent space to a bank or some other soulless thing. It’s not like Starbucks has had a ton of character, but I think they’ve found an identity here,” Jimenez added.
“I would really love to see another coffee shop or cafe open here, one with character and love that will make this area a better place.”
Alessandra Hubbs, 28, simply cited changing tastes and coffee trends, adding that she would like to see an independent roaster take over the popular spot.
“Starbucks was once everyone’s favorite coffee, and for many it still is, but in New York City, cozy, independent shops rule the day,” she told The Post.
“In the ’90s, Starbucks brought about the demise of independent stores, but I think it’s the opposite now. There’s a huge demand now for authenticity.”
