NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Starbucks customers were in for a rough wakeup call Monday morning—the long-standing Astor Place location abruptly closed after nearly 30 years.
The store at 13-25 Astor Pl. closed permanently on Monday, according to a statement from Starbucks.
"As a standard course of business, we continually evaluate our store portfolio, using various criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers," the company said in the statement to 1010 WINS.
"We do not take the decision to close stores lightly. Our relationship with our customers is deeply personal, and we are honored to have been their Third Place," the statement continued.
The 4,000-square-foot store at Eighth and Lafayette streets was the largest Starbucks location when it opened in March 1995.
The coffee and people-watching spot had since become a fixture of the corner, even as new developments popped up nearby. The store was right off the Astor Place subway stop and across from the Astor Place Cube.
According to EV Grieve, which first reported the closure, the Starbucks closed after Sunday evening's service, and the signage had already been removed by Monday morning.
Starbucks didn't go into details about the reason for the closure, but a manager told EV Grieve that "astronomically high" rent was a factor.
A spokesperson for ASG Equities, which owns 21 Astor, responded to reports the decision may have been rent-related, saying Starbucks was offered the same rent they'd already been paying.
"ASG is appreciative of Starbucks’ decades-long tenancy at 21 Astor," the spokesperson said. "We are sad they chose to leave, even as we offered a lease extension that would have allowed them to remain in their existing space at the exact same rent. This corner on top of the Astor Place subway has extensive glass frontage, tremendous signage, and incredible foot traffic. We are quite confident that this space will be of interest to a wide range of community-oriented retailers."
The store's closure also came about two years after workers there voted to unionize, according to Workers United.
In its statement, Starbucks said, "We have engaged Workers United to collaborate on next steps, including transfers options, for the 17 partners currently employed at this location."
The company encouraged Starbucks customers to head to nearby locations at 665 Broadway, 45 West 4th St. and 145 Third Ave.