Starbucks leaving NJ city despite pleas by governor and mayor

☕ Starbucks announced the Trenton location was to close at the end of March

☕ Gov. Murphy, Sen. Booker and Rep. Watson Coleman tried to stop the closure

☕ The company helped employees find work at nearby locations

Starbucks has decided to move forward with its plan to close its only location in downtown Trenton and will shut the doors on Saturday but there is hope for a return.

The shop, which opened in 2017 on Warren Street as part of its community store initiative, was slated to be closed at the end of March.

Mayor Reed Gusciora enlisted Gov. Phil Murphy, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker D-N.J., and U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. 12th District, to persuade the company to reconsider. But meetings, phone calls and a tour by company executives were not enough to save the story.

Starbucks spokeswoman Betsy McManus would not disclose a specific reason for the closure and echoed the original reason for closing.

"As we shared we continually look at our store portfolio to make sure we're meeting the needs of our customers and our partners and we've had to make the challenging about this store. But we will continue to work with leaders to identify ways that we can support and invest in the Trenton community and the local nonprofit relationships that we've had in Trenton for some time," McManus told New Jersey 101.5.

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Gusciora was pleased at the effort made by Starbucks to collaborate on a way to keep the store open.

"From the outset, our priority has been to ensure that the dedicated Trenton workers impacted by this closure are supported in finding suitable opportunities," the mayor told New Jersey 101.5.  "I am pleased to report that Starbucks has been proactive in offering these employees positions at other locations within their network, demonstrating a commitment to the well-being of our community."

Gusciora earlier said one issue Starbucks is concerned about is the amount of foot traffic in the downtown area, which has decreased since the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to work from home. It's a habit that workers found they liked. New Jersey state workers are only required to work in person three days a week.

"Our local businesses depend on state workers, and we would welcome the return of all state workers to Trenton," Gusciora said.

Trenton is surrounded by Starbucks with locations in Hamilton, Lawrence Township, Pennington and Princeton.  And Trenton may not be Starbucks-less for long.

"I know there are interested parties willing to reopen the store as a licensed franchise," Gusciora said.

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