Toronto just lost another one of its staple Starbucks locations

Starbucks lovers in yet another pocket of Toronto will have to find somewhere else to grab their morning brews, as one of the city's stalwart locations of the ubiquitous coffee giant has recently shut its doors for good.

The outpost of the Seattle-founded brand that has long adorned the intersection of Spadina and Richmond with its distinctive forest green-and-white livery is officially no more, with the corner unit now only bearing papered-up windows and a series of goodbye notes taped to the front door.

One comes from Starbucks corporate, stating that the company had to make the "incredibly difficult decision" to axe the cafe.

"We know this may be hard to hear — because this isn't any store. It's your coffeehouse, a place woven into your daily rhythm, where memories were made, and where meaningful connections with our partners grew over the years. We're deeply grateful for the community that’s been built here," head office states, going on to encourage locals to pick up their pumpkin spiced latte at another nearby location instead.

Becky Robertson

The second letter is a brief, handwritten one from staff, thanking "our cherished customers" for everything, and signing off with a "we will miss you all."

It appears that the store had its final day of operations at the end of last month, having ceased taking delivery orders on September 27.

Becky Robertson

Starbucks has embarked on a few significant rounds of closures impacting the city lately, starting in 2020, when it announced plans to restructure its Canadian presence and potentially close or "reposition" 200 stores during the following two years.

This increased to up to 300 stores by the end of March 2021, in an acceleration of what was initially supposed to be a five-year strategy to adapt to the effects of the pandemic.

This year, after multiple menu changes that included both cuts and new offerings, the chain announced a new "Back to Starbucks" mission that will see it further streamline operations globally — which means, yes, culling more stores that are no longer performing as optimally as hoped, and where executives "don't see a path to financial performance."

A handful of Toronto stores were identified as fitting this bill, some of which have been serving their communities for many years, including this one hidden behind the giant thimble statue at 438 Richmond St. W.

Other high-profile Starbies that we've lost as of late range from the iconic Queen and John location (closed last September but supplemented with a new store near Queen and University) to 10 Lower Spadina and Queen St. E, at Brookmount.

An update on the Back to Starbucks closures shared on Sept. 25 states that by the end of the fiscal year, the corporation will have decreased its North American footprint by 1 per cent. This figure takes into account new store openings and the many closures, which necessitated the layoff of about 900 staff members.