SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The Starbucks store on Fifth and Robinson avenues in Hillcrest has been a fixture in the neighborhood for a very long time.
“Since I’ve been here; I think it was one of the first three Starbucks in San Diego, if I’m not mistaken,” said Seven Clark, who has been working in Hillcrest for 17 years.
Sadly, the writing is on the window of the store that opened in 1994.
A Starbucks spokesperson told ABC 10News the plan is to close the location on June 29.
“Me and all my coworkers, we go there regularly before we start work, like on our breaks and everything like that,” Clark said. “And we’ve gotten to know all of the employees in there. It’s really sad to see them go; I understand why they have to.”
The spokesperson said the reason for the closure is after evaluating the store portfolio, the ability to create a safe and welcoming environment for employees and for customers is not attainable at this time.
Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association, told ABC 10News what they’re hearing, despite being a profitable store, is there’s a lot of pressure for employees to deal with when it comes to the homelessness situation in the area.
“They’ve had to remove all of the retail items. They’ve had to remove all of the tables and chairs. They’ve had to lock the bathroom just because of the hostile behavior of a lot of the homeless community,” Nicholls said.
Others who work in the area have heard similar stories.
“They’ve had a lot of incidents with people stealing drinks and throwing chairs,” Clark said. “This block has gotten a little wild, so I understand why they have to go.”
The Starbucks spokesperson also told ABC 10News the cause of not being able to provide that safe and welcoming environment is a comprehensive evaluation of store factors -- not specifically tied to homelessness or those who are homeless.
Aside from supporting safe camping initiatives in the city, Nicholls is hoping other programs can happen in Hillcrest like there are in other communities.
“We need to advance a ‘clean and safe’ program for Hillcrest much like they have in Little Italy where property owners donate resources to security,” Clark said.
The spokesperson from Starbucks said all employees at the Fifth and Robinson location have the opportunity to transfer to different Starbucks stores.
