The Starbucks coffeehouse in Waban Village carried out its last day of business on Saturday, September 27. The Waban store had become a staple of the neighborhood that will be sorely missed by residents.
Two days prior, the staff received notice that the store was shutting down. This is one of more than 400 locations to close across North America as part of the corporation’s restructuring plan. In a press release on September 25, Starbucks chief executive officer Brian Niccol explained that the company had evaluated North American stores’ performances and determined cuts were necessary to start the next fiscal year.
“We identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance, and these locations will be closed,” Niccol wrote. CBS News reported that Starbucks has closed 17 locations in Massachusetts.
At around 11AM on a sunny Saturday morning, frequent customers flocked into the Starbucks in Waban for one more cup of coffee. David Rothenberg and Lauren Comando stopped at the coffeehouse on their way to Green Line Waban station nearby.
“This is one of my favorite Starbucks in the world,” Rothenberg told Fig City News with his coffee in hand as he stood outside. Rotherberg said that there is a range of quality from one Starbucks to another, and baristas at the Waban location consistently made better coffee than any other Starbucks.
Comando used to teach fourth grade at Angier Elementary School, a couple of blocks away. Every morning, she would walk over to Starbucks to get her morning coffee. Many of the kids she taught at Angier went on to work at the store in high school.
“It is a loss for the community,” Comando told Fig City News.
Adam Kaplan stopped in to buy some drinks and treats for himself, his daughter Sawyer, and her friend Stella. The two middle-school girls had just finished soccer practice and were wearing their bright orange uniforms. Adam’s wife had told him in the morning that she saw on social media that the store was closing. It came as a shock to him.
“I literally had no idea,” Kaplan told Fig City News.
Adam frequently takes his daughters and their friends to Starbucks after school or after soccer practice – a tradition for them. Adam was confused by Starbucks alleging underperformance as a reason for the closure of this particular store. He found it surprising given how busy the store is every time he comes by.
“So sad it’s going to be leaving,” Kaplan said.
Sawyer said she prefers the drinks at Waban compared to other Starbucks she has been to. Stella added that the workers are “super friendly.”
“It’s the cafe of Waban,” Sawyer told Fig City News.
As the three of them walked out, Stella said the workers appeared emotional. Sawyer hopes another coffee place can fill the void.
Mike Halperin, a retired shoe salesman, drinks only decaffeinated coffee and said Starbucks has the cheapest decaf coffee he knows of. He has walked two miles from his house over to Starbucks for a cup almost everyday.
“This has become my neighborhood place, and the only[Starbucks] that I ever cared about,” he told Fig City News. “It’s a great part of my routine, which is now going to be gone.”
He claimed that other Starbucks lack the same neighborhood feel that this one holds. He expressed surprise at the closure since the store appeared to do good business – one of the few stores that had made the leap to become integrated into the community, he said.
Craig, who lives close by, said he has been coming to the Waban Starbucks with his family for 10 years – including one of his daughters who has been coming since she was born. He said that any time he needed some quiet time to get some work done, he walked over to Starbucks, and he liked seeing all his neighbors when he went. His daughter once held a bake sale outside the store, and the employees brought out a cake pop for her.
“I’ve gotten to know a lot of the people here over the years,” he said of the staff. “I hope they are going to be taken care of.”
The store has struggled to generate significant revenue over the years. Some people come into the store to study, work, or hangout but do not always purchase drinks or food, two employees told Fig City News anonymously. While there were 30 to 40 seats, there were not a lot of beverage sales per seat. In contrast, the Starbucks in Newton Lower Falls has no seating and sells a lot of beverages, and it has significantly stronger economic performance.
“It’s always been in the back of our minds that if Starbucks starts cutting stores, we could be one of them,” one employee said.
Closing on short notice has been hard on the staff and has saddened the community, one employee said. A teacher from Angier brought a pile of letters from kids thanking the staff for everything they’ve done. The employee said it has been cool to see kids grow up over the years, noting that kids in the area will now have to find another communal area to hang out.
All of the approximately 15 employees at the Waban store – including the store manager and four shift managers – will continue to be paid for “several weeks.” A shift manager indicated that they will be paid for already scheduled shifts, which extend to about October 20. An assistant manager in another location said that employees may also get a week of pay for each year of tenure.
Over the next few weeks, some Waban Starbucks employees may be able to move to work in other Starbucks locations such as Auburndale and Lower Falls. Those who cannot be placed elsewhere will receive “comprehensive severance packages,” Niccol wrote in the press release.
Starbucks customer Rothenberg, who works in technology systems for restaurants, said he has noticed an overall decline in consumer purchases. He speculates the closing of several Starbucks stores might be an early response to the effects of rising inflation in the economy.
“Starbucks is probably just trying to get ahead of the curve from a corporate profitability perspective,” Rothenberg said. “They see what’s coming and so if you’re not a top-performing store, then goodbye.”
Starbucks intends to be down to 18,300 stores in North America by the end of the weekend. Niccol wrote in the press release that the company plans to add more coffeehouses again in 2026 while updating them to “introduce greater texture, warmth, and layered design.”
At 4PM, the Waban store was less busy. A manager from another store in the area dropped by to take some of the chairs from Waban.
By the end of Sunday night, trucks will have moved out the remaining Starbucks equipment and furnishings from the Waban location.
