Grande closing: Regulars lament end of a Summerlin Starbucks

Longtime customers of a popular Starbucks store in Summerlin that closed permanently on Sunday said they were sad to see the coffee shop shut its doors for the final time.

The Starbucks coffee shop, at 1900 Village Center Circle, near North Town Center Drive and Summerlin Parkway, was known for its leafy outdoor patio seating, which approximated a European-style people-watching vibe as much as is possible in a Las Vegas suburb.

“It makes me really sad to see such a staple and anchor of the community go,” said Sophia Martino, 47.

Martino, who said she would visit the Starbucks about three to five times a week, said she worried that the loss of the Starbucks would precipitate a decline at the Trails Village Center plaza where the store was a fixture for about 25 years. It’s not publicly known what’s going to replace the Starbucks.

“Because I’ve seen this happen all throughout town and when you know Starbucks goes, it’s like, OK, there’s trouble brewing,” Martino said.

Starbucks wouldn’t allow a Review-Journal reporter and photographer on to the store’s property or into the store on Sunday to interview customers. Review-Journal journalists were also told they couldn’t interview the store manager or employees.

A Starbucks spokesperson said in a phone call and email statement that all store employees were given the option to transfer to other nearby Starbucks stores.

Because three other Nevada Starbucks stores have recently filed petitions to unionize, including a North Las Vegas store in May, the spokesperson was asked if the store’s closure had anything to do with either the store’s employees considering or attempting to unionize.

“No, this location has not petitioned,” the Starbucks spokesperson said in an email.

After a Review-Journal story published last week initially cited a rent increase as the reason for the closure, a Starbucks spokesperson declined to say in that story, or this one, whether that was the impetus for the shuttering of the store.

“As a standard practice, we continually evaluate our store portfolio to ensure it’s meeting the needs of our customers and the communities we serve,” the spokesperson said.

A representative for the owner of the center denied in an email to the Review-Journal last week that the closure was due to a rent increase.

A Starbucks spokesperson said that in areas where there are multiple Starbucks locations, as is the case in Summerlin, the company assesses whether it makes sense to keep so many stores open.

“It’s not the only store in the area, so when we look at the spread of locations that we have and how best to serve the community as it is now, this was the outcome,” the spokesperson said in last week’s Review-Journal story

For the customers saddened by the closure, it’s not like they would have to go far to find another Starbucks. There is another one literally across the parking lot inside the Albertsons grocery store. And a sign announcing the Sunday closure on the door of the Village Center Circle store said customers could also go to another store at 1260 North Town Center Drive, just over a mile away.

But still, to the regulars of this Starbucks, those stores aren’t the same.

“Sad, very disappointed,” said Socorro Saucedo, 62, who then explained why she and her husband liked their regular Starbucks. “Because of the space we have in here. We’ve been coming here for a long time, we enjoy sitting there.”

“Same thing, I feel so sad,” said Vincente Saucedo, 65. “We moved here 20 years ago, and we always come here.”

Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com