MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Starbucks on Sunday closed its Astor Place location after 30 years in business, according to EV Grieve.
A manager told EV Grieve the store closed because of too-high rent prices, something the store’s landlord denied.
Photos posted to social media show the storefront without the Starbucks sign and windows covered up, and hundreds of people shared stories of the infamous location.
“Surprised to feel a bit verklempt about this closing,” wrote one patron on X. “Over the years purchased umpteen (subpar) matcha lattes from the Astor Place location.”
In 2022, the workers at the Astor Place location voted to form a union with Starbucks Workers United.
The Astor Place spot was the chain’s largest location when it opened in 1995 at 4,000 square feet. After Astor Place, Starbucks opened in Times Square in 1996, then the Upper West Side in 1998.
