Downtown Starbucks closes its doors

Saratoga downtown Starbucks closing down.

The students said that the nearby Argonaut location will see more students and downtown generally will see fewer students as a result of the closure.

The Starbucks located in downtown Saratoga closed on Oct. 2 because of a combination of staffing problems and the end of a lease, according to senior Victoria Prillwitz, who worked at the location between March and August. When contacted, Starbucks representatives did not respond for comment.

Prillwitz said the location was convenient because of its short distance from the school. Still, despite the store’s closure, Prillwitz said she thinks there won’t be too much of a negative impact since there is a nearby Starbucks located at the Argonaut Center and Quito Village.

However, for senior Shannon Wang, that particular Starbucks location was a primary spot to hang out with friends right after school.

“I was surprised when I heard it was getting shut down because it was usually really busy,” she said. “I don’t really go downtown anymore since my friends and I usually just went to hang out at Starbucks.”

Junior Maren Hofman, who has been working at the Starbucks located in the Argonaut plaza since this summer, said the closure will have a negative impact.

“It was the one place downtown that was directed more towards the younger community here in Saratoga because everything else is mostly fancier restaurants,” Hofman said. “Now, kids don’t really have a place to go after school.”