Starbucks to close outlet

Joe Culpepper/Gulf Breeze News The Starbucks Coffee Drive Thru at 3703 Gulf Breeze Parkway opened about a year ago but never produced the kind of profits corporate headquarters had sought. The Starbucks Coffee Shop in Tiger Point will serve its last cup of joe Friday as it is closing its doors as a result of poor sales.

"We're closing purely because of financial reasons," said Garry Warford, District Manager.

Starbucks is in the process of closing close to 600 company operated stores nationwide. For the past year, corporate leaders have been reviewing which store locations would be closed. They recently broke the news.

"We just found out who was on the closing list about a month ago," Warford said.

Many businesses have closed their doors during this rough economic stretch, sending its workers into the ever-growing unemployment line. That, however, will not be the case with Starbucks employees.

"Every employee of the store has been given the opportunity to work at another Starbucks in the area or somewhere else," Warford said.

As of now, the fate of the building is unknown.

"I have no idea what will happen to the building. Starbucks merely leased it from a landlord," Warford said.

In this case, it seems even the customers won't have to do without.

"There's another store in Gulf Breeze just eight miles away that can serve the customers who frequented this store," Warford said.

Store closings usually aren't good news, but in the case of Starbucks the suffering seems to have been kept to a minimum.

"It's a tough thing, but Starbucks takes care of its people," Warford said.