Starbucks Closes Massapequa Park Location

The Starbucks in the Southgate Shopping Center has shut its doors for good.

The store that was once home to the Massapequa Park branch of the popular coffee chain now has a sign announcing the vacancy in the window.

The sudden closing has left residents and surrounding businesses wondering what happened and  will take its place. “It happened all so quickly,” said an employee at the Spa which is right next door. “I’m not really sure what happened, I mean there were some rumors that the business was slow, but I honestly can’t imagine that. They always seemed pretty busy to me.”

An employee at the indicated it could have something to do with the price of rent in the complex. “I heard that the lease didn’t get renewed,” he said. “I know for a small business owner the rent can be pretty steep and if you don’t make the money for the rent, you could be in trouble.”

The Starbucks Corporation released a statement about the closing, which shed little light on why the decision was made.

“As part of Starbucks standard course of business, we continually evaluate our business to ensure a healthy store portfolio," it said.  "After
careful consideration, we’ve determined that it is best to close this store at this time. As difficult as this is, we must make the right business decisions for the sake of Starbucks long-term growth and economic prosperity.

"We hope to have the opportunity to serve the Massapequa area at the stores at the Sunrise Mall, Wantagh Avenue and Massapequa Village Square.”

Baristas at the nearby Massapequa Village Squaresaid they seemed surprised by the sudden closing, but welcome the additional business coming their way. “We get all of the traffic coming from that location,” the barista said. “I heard that the location was on the slow side, but I really can’t imagine it being too slow anytime. We are always pretty busy here and now we have even more business to deal with.”

One customer said he didn’t know the other Starbucks on Merrick Road closed but said he wouldn’t mind seeing another restaurant in its place.

“Howcool would it be if they added another Burger,” he said. “I think that would be awesome.”