The Starbucks in downtown Newark, which is right next to my office building, is among the 600 stores the company is closing. And people are not happy, including the city’s leadership.
I’m not really a coffee drinker, and I don’t think I’ve ever set foot inside the store, but I’m annoyed that it’s closing. It’s usually crowded and it makes downtown Newark feel like a real place. Already the FedEx/Kinko’s has closed. More importantly, the Duane Reade closed last year, so there’s no place to buy sundries during the day. (Duane Reade is like CVS but worse.)
Oh, and I would give my left arm for a big chain bookstore nearby. There are practically no bookstores in Newark.
I saw that story about the bookstores awhile ago. Hopefully there are at least libraries in most neighborhoods. But it sounds like Newark is in pretty sad shape. Hard to believe there’s not enough business for a drugstore. Is there anything left downtown? I’m not a coffee drinker either, although I do enjoy a tall, nonfat chai every once in awhile.
We should probably seriously consider nationalising Starbucks and making all their employees federal workers in one stroke of the Presidential pen. In terms of benefits for literally thousands of underemployed Americans this would mark a considerable effort to help the the exponentially growing Underemployed Middle Class.
rob@egoz.org