Published: July 28, 2008 08:49 pm      

LOCKPORT: Starbucks closing is creating local buzz

Residents looking for support to save Lockport location

The Starbucks ship is going down, but there are some people who are trying to save South Transit Road’s doomed coffee shop.

Lockport resident Paul Rousseau is looking at starting a petition to try and save the local Starbucks Coffee Co. store. The goal is to show Starbucks officials what the location means to the community.

“I want to get one going,” he said of the petition. “But we want to encourage others to write a follow-up letter to the company, too. We’re just seeing what we can do.”

Rousseau moved from Washington D.C. about three years ago, about the same time the Lockport Starbucks opened. He said having something familiar like Starbucks helped with the move and adapting to a new area.

“It’s a more grassroots movement,” he said of the effort to stop the closing. “I think most don’t know (that the store is closing).”

Starbucks announced July 1 it will close about 600 company-owned stores due to the company’s economic hardships. CEO Howard Schultz said in a news release the decision to close the stores was the most “angst-ridden” the company has made in his 25 years. He said poor real estate decisions and a very troubled economy had convinced Starbucks the stores would not reach acceptable levels of profitability.

That’s not stopping residents like the Rev. Jonathan Hunt of Beach Ridge Free Methodist Church in North Tonawanda. He was at Starbucks Monday with a petition of about 100 names. Hunt said he is a frequent visitor to Lockport’s Starbucks, quite often with church members.

“I’m here almost everyday,” Hunt said. “Starbucks likes to say their people’s third place, after home and work. But this was my second place, really.”

Rousseau and Hunt both said they have made friends with some of the Starbucks employees. There are some who rely on the job for health insurance or other benefits who may be out of work soon. The closure could happen within six to eight months.

Nationally, Starbucks has been receiving a number of similar petitions and requests from patrons of stores that are closing.

“Starbucks is humbled by the support its received from partners and customers regarding the closure of its stores. The company recognizes the impact this announcement has had on the communities where it operates and values the feedback,” a Starbucks statement released Monday said. “Currently, Starbucks is working to address the questions it has received.”

There is a Web site for people who want to save their Starbucks, located at www.saveourstarbucks.com. There are links to petitions and message forums about the store closures.



GOOD TO THE LAST DROP

Local Starbucks closing

• Walden Galleria Mall, 2000 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga

• 160 Main St., East Aurora

• 5774 South Transit Road, Lockport