Starbucks shutters Tacoma store due to safety reasons

There’s one less Starbucks in Tacoma as the store on 640 N. First St. has closed due to safety reasons, according to Starbucks officials.

“Our stores are windows into America and every day, our partners witness the challenges facing our communities,” said Starbucks spokesperson Sam Jeffries.

Jeffries cited substance abuse, chronic homelessness, issues magnified by COVID, and a growing mental health crisis as just some of the challenges the company faces.

“These challenges play out within our stores – affecting our partners, our communities, and our customers alike,” Jeffries said.

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The store was open for five years and was known to carry local artwork.

Starbucks told The News Tribune the closure had nothing to do with the union that has been rallying several stores in the region.

The end of the Tacoma café is just one of many sudden closures. Starbucks has recently closed 16 stores across the country, including five in Seattle, with safety concerns operating as the primary reason.

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The other locations included one on Everett, one in Philadelphia, one on D.C., six in Los Angeles, and two in Portland.

The closures spawned Tiffany Smiley, the Republican candidate for the Washington Senate this upcoming election, to run a campaign ad accusing Democratic police reform as the reason these stores can’t stay open.

“These doors are closed because it’s too dangerous to ask employees to work here anymore,” Smiley said in the ad while standing in front of the E. Olive Way Starbucks.