Our Starbucks is safe (for now anyway)

Bad news, foes of our Starbucks: the Newburyport store is not slated for closure (see the list, by state, here on the Wall Street Journal site). No surprise, since they just did that remodel.

But for those of you who love Starbucks, the piece accompanying the map also talks about the Save Our Starbucks campaign.

One woman in NYC, Kate Walker, a facilities manager for software company SunGard Financial Systems is "devastated" by the slated closing of the Starbucks in the building where she works - she is in charge of consolidating people from 7 other locations to that building and used the presence of the Starbucks to "psych people up" about being re-located.

I'm not sure that would be enough to psych me up, but hey, to each his or her own!

I find it interesting that none of the numerous Starbucks stores in Boston are on the list. In that 3-block radius I often mention around Copley Square, there are, or were, 5 Starbucks stores. Compare that to two Dunkin' Donuts shops (three if you count the one in the Back Bay MBTA station) and one (or maybe 2) Au Bon Pain - not sure if the one in Copley Place is still there.

Were all these Starbucks always busy? Yes, mostly. The one on Newbury St. was less busy than the one by the T station, but there was also one nearly right across the street, in the Westin. The one further up Boylston St. (towards Mass Ave.) had comfy chairs and tables, which was nice.

But it's still a reflection of a lifestyle that I am inclined to reject. As you know, I love my lattes, but there's nothing to replace the ambiance (or the aromas) at a Caffe di Sienna or a Greta's. I do have to say, however, that the Newburyport Starbucks is a lot more friendly than the ones in Boston, which makes sense.

I don't know if that comes down from corporate or not, but whoever instructed the clerks and baristas to chat with the customers made a good decision.

Not that I ever go in there. Well, I have not been in there since it re-opened. And now I notice that Abe's is offering espresso drinks (I used to go to Abe's for my bagel and Starbucks for my latte).

I got that info off an A-frame sign ...