A Starbucks location in Toronto that’s been around for over a decade will soon be closing down for good.
Oh, Starbucks. We’ve come a long way since the early days of the Seattle-based coffee house.
What was once viewed as an indie enclave for pretentious bohemians has evolved into the McDonald’s of coffee shops. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but, indeed, no matter where you venture — be it within Toronto or, really, anywhere else in the world — you’re sure to find a Starbucks location not too far away.
For my part, living within spitting distance of a handful of exemplary indie coffee houses with the nearest Starbucks location a longer walk away, my own patronage to the coffee chain has waned in recent years, but I once could have been the poster child for the chain.
More specifically, growing up in the Beaches, the location at Queen East and Brookmount was a second home to me, supplementing early mornings in high school and hunger that could only be sated with a pink cake pop before after-school activities.
Though I’ve since moved out of the neighbourhood and don’t visit that location much anymore, I couldn’t help but be heartbroken to learn that that very location — 1842 Queen Street East — is slated to shut down for good this spring.
Losing Starbucks locations is nothing new for the neighbourhood, who have seen locations at Queen and Hammersmith (now a Pizzaiolo location) and Queen and Waverley (now What A Bagel) shut down in years past, nor is it for Toronto, who saw dozens of Starbucks locations close down in a restructuring back in 2021.
More recently, locations on Queens Quay and Queen West have closed down, too. Maybe they just don’t like Queen?
A representative from Starbucks tells me that, rather than some Queen-related bias, the closure of my beloved Queen East location actually comes as the result of a natural lease expiration.
“When we approach the end of a lease with any of our stores, we review the partner and customer experience, and after careful consideration, we decided to not renew our lease at this location,” they explain.
The last day of operation for the location will be May 18, they add.
According to the representative, all of the staff at the location will have the opportunity to transfer to other nearby locations, including a location at 1960 Queen Street East, which is just about a 10-minute walk away.
On the bright side, though, maybe this is a great opportunity to find a new favourite coffee shop in the neighbourhood. If you find yourself in need of a java hit on your next visit to The Beaches, Bud’s and Simple Coffee have my vote.
