First one comes directly to WSB from a reliable source that’s contributed important news here before, reporting that the closure was announced to the staff at a meeting within the past several days – this is the Starbucks store that replaced Infinity Espresso less than a year ago on the north side of Jefferson Square, 
NOT the “licensee” stand inside Safeway. Second report of this (hat tip to TPN from Blogging Georgetown) comes from a map the Times has been keeping of reported closures. This Starbucks is so relatively new, it’s only been 11 months since we first reported it was coming – it opened in late fall. The company itself has drawn criticism for the time gap between its announcement that 600 stores would close and its upcoming public announcement of which stores are closing. Its spokespeople are not currently confirming or denying closure reports for any specific locations; we requested comment on this one and received an official (albeit generic) statement – read on for the full text:
The stores identified for closure are spread across all major U.S. markets with approximately 70 percent of them opened since fiscal 2006. Starbucks plans to communicate the status of each store to its partners (employees) by mid-July, with notification to the first 50 stores scheduled to close by July occurring immediately. Concurrently, approximately 6,600 remaining U.S. company-operated stores will be
notified that they are not affected.At this time, I cannot confirm any store closures for West Seattle. Out of respect and dignity for partners, Starbucks will only share store closure information with impacted partners first, details around specific locations will not be disclosed at this time, however Starbucks plans to publicize a full list of the first 50 stores on
www.starbucks.com by mid-July. The remaining impacted stores have closing dates that will be staggered over the next several months. Each month, after a 30-day closing notice has been communicated to all affected partners, Starbucks will post a list of the stores that are scheduled to close. Store closures will continue through March 2009.We commit to treating all partners with dignity and respect. As such, we expect to place many of the affected partners into available positions at nearby Starbucks stores. Those partners who are not offered a comparable position within a reasonable distance of their current location will be offered a severance payment to aid in their transition.
All affected partners – including full-time and part-time – are eligible for severance based on job title and current pay rate.
Besides the Jefferson Square store, Starbucks’ other company-owned stores in West Seattle are the drive-thru next to Taco Time in the Fauntleroy Triangle area, Admiral (the first WS SBUX), Westwood Village, Alki, and Morgan Junction.
| 24 COMMENTS