The Starbucks coffee shop in Osborne Village has permanently closed its doors amid a changing market and safety concerns in the neighbourhood.
The chain closed the River Avenue and Osborne Street location May 5, saying it was temporary.
But Leanna Rizzi, spokeswoman for Starbucks Coffee Canada, said Monday the store is shuttered permanently.
She said the company “routinely evaluates its store portfolio to determine how and where we can best meet the needs of our… (employees), customers and the communities we serve.”
Asked for details about that review, Rizzi said the “personal safety and security” of its staff is always among the factors considered when the company reviews its stores.
Rizzi was vague about the reasoning when the doors closed early last month. Osborne Village BIZ’s executive director Zohreh Gervais said she believed the decision was tied to a violent incident the day before at the adjacent Manitoba Liquor Mart.
Gervais said Monday that Starbucks told her the closure was largely tied to market and customer changes.
“What they said to me… was that several factors were taken into account,” she said . “Most fell under the umbrella of site and market potential, including customer patterns.”
Gervais said she thinks the location, which she described as always bustling with foot traffic, will be a viable spot for another business.
The business association director said she suspected the closure was, at least in part, tied to the fact the location had no drive-thru, though Rizzi said that was not a factor in Starbucks’ decision.
“This will create a really lovely opening, hopefully for a local business to step into that space, a business that wants to have foot traffic only,” said Gervais.
“So I’m not super worried about what this reflects for the Village — if it was closing for… just the safety reasons, that would be different, but having spoken with them, they’ve cited site potential, market changes, customer needs changing and looking at their long-term planning.”
She said the shop will be missed by area residents and others.
“I understand that this is going to leave a big hole in the neighbourhood for residents who are looking for a coffee fix,” she said, adding that Little Sister Coffee Maker on River Avenue remains open, while two other coffee shops are slated to open in the neighbourhood soon.
There have been several violent incidents in the neighbourhood, including an assault on River Avenue May 25 and a stabbing at the adjacent Shoppers Drug Mart last fall.
Gervais said provincial Justice Minister Matt Wiebe reached out to discuss neighbourhood concerns following Starbucks’ closure in May, The Winnipeg Police Service increased its presence in the area later in the month.
WPS spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon confirmed the service has undertaken a “more visible police presence” in the area in the short term, with a more longer-term strategy expected soon.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.