Starbucks is closing one of its stores located near Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, due to an increase in crime.
The Seattle-based coffee chain told KOMO News on Tuesday that they are closing the location on the corner of 1st and Pike, across the street from the popular market.
“As a standard course of business, we regularly evaluate our store portfolio to determine how we can best meet our community and customers’ needs and ensure partners are supported in crafting beverages in a warm and welcoming environment,” a Starbucks spokesperson said. “We look forward to continuing to serve the community and visitors at our other nearby locations, including the original store at 1912 Pike Place and 1st and University.”
Adam Hasson, the building’s leasing agent, told KOMO News that Starbucks has already signed an early termination agreement.
“We just saw the for sale signs that went up, and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s like, actually real,’” Deanna Cunningham, a manager of a nearby store, told the outlet. “The main focus is to have your customers feel comfortable, and if that isn’t happening, even if they are busy, it’s so many tourists that that’s their first interaction with Starbucks sometimes, and I understand that can deter people.”
That Starbucks location temporarily closed at the end of July 2024, according to The Seattle Times. Spokesperson Sam Jefferies said the company was evaluating “how best to offer a warm and welcoming environment for customers and partners [employees] at this store.”
Seattle, along with other cities, has suffered rampant criminal activity. The city’s rate of violent crime climbed to its highest in 15 years in 2022, the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) Year-End Crime Report found. This was after the Seattle City Council slashed the SPD’s 2021 budget. 122 police officers left the force in 2022, a police source said. Seattle business owners recounted their experiences with crime, drug use and homelessness to the Daily Caller News Foundation in 2023.
“They will take anything that isn’t nailed down,” businessman Peter Morse told the DCNF of the alleged behavior. “No one wants to be a police officer now.”
Back in 2022, Starbucks closed five Seattle stores over safety concerns, according to The Seattle Times. The decision to close those locations came as numerous crime-related complaints were logged at each coffee shop, a spokesperson told the outlet. Concerns sparking the move included theft, assault and drug use, a company spokesperson said. The move was part of a closure of at least 16 locations nationally. (RELATED: Walmart Eyeing Store Closures, Price Hikes Due To Rampant Theft)
Erin Bray, who had worked at the former Union Station location, told The Seattle Times she requested additional security, including guards posted in the lobby, after multiple assaults took place.