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Month: September 2025
Trouble is brewing for the country’s most famous coffee brand, as Starbucks announced it will lay off 900 workers and close down shops across the country, including dozens in New York City, some of which are unionized.
The Big Apple closures — including seven in Brooklyn — follow a Sept. 25 announcement from Starbucks that it plans to shutdown select shops as part of a review of its coffee houses in North America. The goal of the review is for every coffeehouse to deliver a “warm and welcoming space,” according to a public statement from Starbucks chairman and CEO Brian Niccol.
“During the review, we identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance, and these locations will be closed,” Niccol said in the announcement.
A public Google document was released listing the closings. Although some locations are unionized, a Starbucks spokesperson said it “was not a factor” in the decision-making process.
The Brooklyn Starbucks locations scheduled for closure include 309 Gold St. in Downtown Brooklyn, 45 Hoyt St. near Boerum Hill, 3 Flushing Ave. and 625 Atlantic Ave. in Fort Greene, 578 Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn Heights, and 969 First Ave. in East Williamsburg.
Other New York City closures are listed below (except where noted, all locations are in Manhattan).
- 330 W. 34th St.
- 219 First Ave.
- 111 University Place
- 145 Third Ave.
- 140 West St.
- 750 Sixth Ave.
- 510 Sixth Ave.
- 372 Greenwich St.
- 444 Broadway
- 405 Broadway
- 230 Varick St.
- 393 Third Ave.
- 261 Fifth Ave.
- 360 Lexington Ave.
- 871 Eighth Ave.
- 156 W. 52nd St.
- 969 First Ave.
- 11 E. 59th St.
- 159 Columbus Ave.
- 2252 Broadway
- 284 Saint Nicholas Ave.
- 1488 Third Ave.
- 550 W. 145th St.
- 2045 Broadway
- 245 E. 80th St.
- 21-02 49th Ave. (Long Island City, Queens)
- 21-03A Broadway (Astoria, Queens)
Some of the positions getting cut include non-retail employees. Starbucks notified those employees of the cuts on Friday, the company said.
“We will offer generous severance and support packages, including benefits extensions,” Niccol said.
Some coffeehouse workers might be transferred to other locations.
“We’re working hard to offer transfers to nearby locations where possible and will move quickly to help partners understand what opportunities might be available to them,” Niccol said. “For those we can’t immediately place, we’re focused on partner care, including comprehensive severance packages.”
Meanwhile, New York City coffee drinkers shared their thoughts about the closures on social media. Many people said they would not miss their local Starbucks. One commenter said the coffee was “overpriced and overrated.”
Another person said the company “built a brand, and then destroyed it.”
John, a native New Yorker from Manhattan, was “very sad” to hear that hundreds of workers would lose their jobs as a result of the closures.
“That’s very sad. It’s a lot of people,” he said.
Coffee drinker Karin said she was surprised that her local Upper West Side location was closing because it was often crowded.
“I’m shocked it’s not staying,” she said. “I liked the brown sugar shaken coffee, my dog liked the pup cup. How will I explain to her no more pup cups?”
The closure sweep comes after Starbucks shut its iconic Astor Place location last year, and its Park Slope spot in January — just months after its workers unionized. The Greenwich Village shop also poured its last cup of coffee on July 29, 2024. When it opened on March 30, 1995, it was the largest Starbucks in New York City.
A version of this story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site AMNY
Trouble is brewing for the country’s most famous coffee brand, as Starbucks announced it will lay off 900 workers and close down shops across the country, including dozens in New York City, some of which are unionized.
The Big Apple closures —including seven in Brooklyn — follow a Sept. 25 announcement from Starbucks that it plans to shutdown select shops as part of a review of its coffee houses in North America. The goal of the review is for every coffeehouse to deliver a “warm and welcoming space,” according to a public statement from Starbucks chairman and CEO Brian Niccol.
“During the review, we identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance, and these locations will be closed,” Niccol said in the announcement.
A public Google document was released listing the closings. Although some locations are unionized, a Starbucks spokesperson said it “was not a factor” in the decision-making process.
The Brooklyn Starbucks locations scheduled for closure include 309 Gold St. in Downtown Brooklyn, 45 Hoyt St. near Boerum Hill, 3 Flushing Ave. and 625 Atlantic Ave. in Fort Greene, 578 Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn Heights, and 969 First Ave. in East Williamsburg.
Other New York City closures are listed below (except where noted, all locations are in Manhattan).
- 330 W. 34th St.
- 219 First Ave.
- 111 University Place
- 145 Third Ave.
- 140 West St.
- 750 Sixth Ave.
- 510 Sixth Ave.
- 372 Greenwich St.
- 444 Broadway
- 405 Broadway
- 230 Varick St.
- 393 Third Ave.
- 261 Fifth Ave.
- 360 Lexington Ave.
- 871 Eighth Ave.
- 156 W. 52nd St.
- 969 First Ave.
- 11 E. 59th St.
- 159 Columbus Ave.
- 2252 Broadway
- 284 Saint Nicholas Ave.
- 1488 Third Ave.
- 550 W. 145th St.
- 2045 Broadway
- 245 E. 80th St.
- 21-02 49th Ave. (Long Island City, Queens)
- 21-03A Broadway (Astoria, Queens)
Some of the positions getting cut include non-retail employees. Starbucks notified those employees of the cuts on Friday, the company said.
“We will offer generous severance and support packages, including benefits extensions,” Niccol said.
Some coffeehouse workers might be transferred to other locations.
“We’re working hard to offer transfers to nearby locations where possible and will move quickly to help partners understand what opportunities might be available to them,” Niccol said. “For those we can’t immediately place, we’re focused on partner care, including comprehensive severance packages.”
Meanwhile, New York City coffee drinkers shared their thoughts about the closures on social media. Many people said they would not miss their local Starbucks. One commenter said the coffee was “overpriced and overrated.”
Another person said the company “built a brand, and then destroyed it.”
John, a native New Yorker from Manhattan, was “very sad” to hear that hundreds of workers would lose their jobs as a result of the closures.
“That’s very sad. It’s a lot of people,” he said.
Coffee drinker Karin said she was surprised that her local Upper West Side location was closing because it was often crowded.
“I’m shocked it’s not staying,” she said. “I liked the brown sugar shaken coffee, my dog liked the pup cup. How will I explain to her no more pup cups?”
The closure sweep comes after Starbucks shut its iconic Astor Place location last year, and its Park Slope spot in January — just months after its workers unionized. The Greenwich Village shop also poured its last cup of coffee on July 29, 2024. When it opened on March 30, 1995, it was the largest Starbucks in New York City.
A version of this story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site AMNY
RiseBoro Community Partnership, focused on community development, social services and affordable housing, held its annual fundraiser.
The post ✰PREMIUM <br>Key Brooklyn leadership honored in Manhattan fundraiser appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.
A Bay Ridge resident is in critical condition after he was rescued from an apartment fire on Saturday.
The blaze broke out just before 4 p.m. in a second-floor apartment at the corner of 91st Street and Third Avenue, according to the FDNY, trapping 89-year-old Richard Martin inside.
Firefighters crawled through thick smoke and flames to find and rescue an unconscious Martin, who was reportedly treated on the scene before being rushed to Staten Island University Hospital. The fire was extinguished at about 4:30 p.m., per the FDNY, and no other injuries were reported.
Martin remained hospitalized in critical condition as of Sept. 28, according to News12. Neighbors believe his cat was killed in the blaze.
Locals told ABC7 that Martin was a veteran well-known in the area. One said Martin uses a walker, and struggles to get up and down the stairs on his own.
In a local Facebook group, locals said Martin was dedicated to his pet cat, and dozens prayed for his recovery.
The FDNY fire marshal will investigate the cause of the fire.
The Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church of Brooklyn hosted its annual Greek Festival from Sept. 20 to Sept. 22 on Ridge Boulevard.
The post ✰PREMIUM <br>Annual Greek Festival in Bay Ridge draws thousands appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.
My Conversations with the Gemini: April – September 2025 thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com…
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Sep 29, 2025
On National Coffee Day, many Brooklynites will grab their morning cup from a beloved café or neighborhood cart. But in Brooklyn Heights, one new business is serving up more than caffeine. Laundry and Latte, a laundromat-coffee shop hybrid, is transforming an everyday chore into a community ritual.
For owner Jean-Roch Dumas, the concept grew out of a desire to turn something routine into something meaningful. After working for 20 years in management consulting for a top finance company, he decided he needed something “a bit more tangible.”
“I wanted to have client interaction, and use what I’ve learned to make it something real,” he told Brooklyn Paper.
Dumas, who moved to New York from France 13 years ago, said the idea of opening a laundromat came almost by accident.
“I had no passion at all to wash clothes, but I said, ‘Why not explore that?’ So, I started to look around and visited hundreds of laundromats,” he said. “I quickly realized that a lot of these places were dirty and not technology-enabled. So I saw a real opportunity to make a difference.”
But he knew laundry alone wasn’t enough. He decided to pair it with a lifelong ritual.
“During my time in Paris, I always loved coffee — I spent a lot of time in the morning having it, Dumas said. “The name also came naturally because it’s self-explanatory, right?”
After spotting the perfect laundromat just three blocks from his Brooklyn Heights home, Dumas negotiated with the previous owner and set to work. Laundry and Latte opened in March, with the coffee counter launching in May. The space is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Choosing the right beans was essential, so he partnered with Bushwick-based specialty roaster Loveless Coffees.
“I wanted a roaster in Brooklyn, so I talked to a lot of people in the coffee industry, and Loveless stood out to me,” he said. “I didn’t want a place that is just a random coffee.”
The result is a simple but carefully crafted menu, designed to be approachable for laundry customers and serious coffee drinkers alike. Options include coffee, lattes, matcha and more.
Dumas said some locals were initially hesitant to see the laundromat change, but later leaned on design to bridge the gap. A circular bench at the entrance encourages conversation and community.
That sense of togetherness is central to his vision.
“In France, I was always sitting at a coffee bar. You always had people next to you engaging in discussion and that’s really what I wanted to recreate.”
Brooklyn Heights, he added, was the ideal setting.
“It’s a real community. This is something that potentially, in other parts of Brooklyn, wouldn’t work.”
The neighborhood also reminds him of the small village in France where he’s from, making his concept feel like a natural fit.
For those looking for a unique way to spend National Coffee Day, Dumas said Laundry and Latte offers both convenience and connection.
“Laundry and Latte is a new, innovative laundromat with the latest technology,” and the “best coffee in Brooklyn,” he said. “It’s just a place to hang out, meet people and get to know us.”