Gusciora Fires off a Letter in Aftermath of Announcement of Trenton Starbucks Closure
On March 30, the only Starbucks location in the Capital City will close its doors. Located at 102 S. Warren St., the store opened in 2017 as a Community Store, a selective program by Starbucks to open in distressed cities to give disadvantaged youth in Black and Brown communities their first jobs.
In response, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora sent a letter to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan expressing his disappointment in the decision and willfulness to help keep the company in the Capital City.
“Dear Mr. Narasimhan:
I am writing to you today as Mayor of Trenton, NJ, with a pressing concern that deeply impacts our city and the progress we’ve made towards revitalization efforts in our downtown corridor.
I must express my profound disappointment upon learning second-hand of Starbucks’ decision to close our Community Store in the Capital City. Since its establishment in 2017, this particular Starbucks location has been more than just a place to grab a cup of coffee for state workers; it has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for many of our young workers, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds in our black and brown neighborhoods.
As you fully know, the well-intentioned concept of a Community Store, as outlined in Starbucks’ own description, embodies the values of empowerment, inclusivity, and social responsibility. It serves as a vital pillar of support for local communities, offering not only employment opportunities but also a sense of belonging and dignity for individuals who may face systemic barriers to economic advancement.
The closure of our Community Store not only leaves a void in our downtown landscape but also deals a significant blow to the progress we’ve made in fostering a more equitable and vibrant city. The impact extends far beyond the loss of a business; it represents a setback in our collective efforts to uplift and empower our residents.
I implore you to reconsider this decision and explore alternative solutions that would allow the Trenton Community Store to continue serving as a catalyst for positive change in our city. Together, we can work towards finding sustainable ways to support our communities and ensure that no one is left behind in our pursuit of progress.
I am more than willing to discuss this further and explore potential avenues for collaboration. Your support in preserving the legacy of your Community Store would not only be a testament to Starbucks’ commitment to social responsibility but also a beacon of hope for disadvantaged youths in our community.
Thank you in advance for your consideration to this urgent matter. I eagerly await your response and remain hopeful for a positive outcome that benefits all stakeholders involved.”
A.Z. Johnson
P.I.O
Office of the Mayor, City of Trenton
“The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Trenton is 1 in 33. Based on FBI crime data … relative to New Jersey, Trenton has a crime rate that is higher than 92% of the state’s cities and towns of all sizes.”
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/trenton/crime
According to that site, you are five times more likely to be a victim of a violent crime in Trenton than in NJ as a whole.
Maybe when this is addressed, businesses won’t flee.
That Business went down because they fired my son in December. He held that store together due to lazy employees that would just leave before their shift was over, not do the work and he would cover their mistakes. He had Covid and they threatened to write him up if he didn’t go into work, which is a severe health issue so he went to work. He didn’t correctly do the day shift managers job (not his job responsibility, and he was sick..) So they fired him instead of the other manager that didn’t do her job. He has been harassed by them and by the filth Starbucks refused to remove by hiring a security guard. That manager would actually let addicts “help” for free coffee (lazy.) He has had hot coffee thrown in his face and viral threats. Now unemployed, we may be homeless in a month.
Glad to see it shutting down, go to Dunkin’ D., they don’t have those issues.
Sincerely, white family that lives in Trenton City.
I have lived in Trenton for 34 years – the malaise this city suffers is that of a lower class dumping ground imposed upon by the more affluent communities in the area as well as a big middle finger to the city from the State – without a serious investment plan in tourism – hotels- education and health care – this city will continue to wallow in its own incompetence and lack of external support – and let’s face it Starbucks is not an altruistic company – it is a for profit publicly traded corporation whose investors demand a return on their investment – if the Starbucks ain’t cutting it – the MBAs will cut it off – period
NY Post July 2022
Only a few years after opening all of its bathrooms to the general public as a grand social-justice gesture, the coffee chain is closing stores around the country — mostly in big, progressive, Democrat-run cities — because the locations have become too dangerous for customers and staff. Homeless people camp in the bathrooms or make mad scenes in the cafes. So many junkies are using Starbucks restrooms to shoot up that the company has been obliged to install needle-disposal boxes in some of its stores — Welcome to Portland! — and the employees who had to clean up those messes understandably complained about possible exposure to HIV and hepatitis.
No, sadly it’s the “community” that has let Trenton become the dumpster fire it is. Simple solution to having more stores is don’t be scumbag “community members” who steal and shoot up the whole city. Plain and simple. Used to be a word you could call the trash in that city.
I lived in Trenton Broad Street Apartments back 2009 through 2010. Beautiful and brand new apartments. On my 3rd week of my lease I started to see less than low income families moving in. In less than 9 months after I moved in the place was a disaster. You had drug dealers, prostitutes and drugs all over the building. Marijuana smell consumed the entire building. We had an old man that was our security guard. He has a desk on the main floor by the elevators and he also worked as a boiler engineer. But noone ever respected him the trenton cops were alwaysrespondingto the building but they never did anythingto help the residents. To be very honest the Police Director at that time lived in the building as part of his residency requirement. But he never helped to keep the building clean or safe. It was a nightmare. So me and my family within 10 months broke our lease and moved out to Lawrenceville N.J. where the current mayor was a prosecutor. Small world. Look at him now crying the blues because starbucks shut down. I dont blame the owners of Starbucks i would of left that same year that they opened because it was horrible then and its no different now. But what can you expect from a democratic ran state. Nothing but bad policies and laws in the country. The worse taxes and the most corrupted politicians in the country. I loved NJ it was all I knew. But once I retired I moved to the Midwest and I can say people out here are very friendly and very helpful to each other. NJ at onetime it used to be the same. But those days are long and gone. Now the good people of NJ need to stand up and elect good people to make a difference or else NJ will continue on a stairway to hell and there’s no coming back from that. Respectfully a concerned former NJ resident.
I lived in Trenton Broad Street Apartments back 2009 through 2010. Beautiful and brand new apartments. On my 3rd week of my lease I started to see less than low income families moving in. In less than 9 months after I moved in the place was a disaster. You had drug dealers, prostitutes and drugs all over the building. Marijuana smell consumed the entire building. We had an old man that was our security guard. He had a desk on the main floor by the elevators and he also worked as a boiler engineer, noone ever respected him. The trenton cops were always responding to the building but they never did anything to help the residents. To be very honest the Police Director at that time lived in the building as part of his residency requirement. But he never helped to keep the building clean or safe. It was a nightmare. Me and my family within 10 months broke our lease and moved out to Lawrenceville N.J. where the current mayor was the former prosecutor and let me tell you he’snot a very nice person. Look at him now crying the blues because starbucks shut down. I dont blame the owners of Starbucks i would of left that same year that they opened because it was horrible then and its no different now. But what can you expect from a democratic ran state. Nothing but bad policies and laws in the country. The worse taxes and the most corrupted politicians in the country. I loved NJ it was all I knew. But once I retired I moved to the Midwest and I can say people out here are very friendly and very helpful to each other. NJ at onetime it used to be the same. But those days are long and gone. Now the good people of NJ need to stand up and elect good people to make a difference or else NJ will continue on a stairway to hell and there’s no coming back from that. Respectfully a concerned former NJ resident.
Trenton downtown is full of homeless bums and on the weekends when no state workers going there, basically no business. Not surprised. Then there’s the EMPTY hotel not far away. The mayor disappointed?!! Trenton residents been disappointed for years while HE ( The Mayor) was living in Princeton!! 🤬
Instead of our mayor pleading with the coffee chain to reconsider its decision, he should be talking about security throughout the city. Our downtown is a mess when government workers leave. It has become a hangout area for homeless and drug addicts . Even the train station is no longer safe as it used to be. Imagine, the state’s capital without a single restaurant or hotel. I think, instead of focusing on a coffee shop closing, he should focus on cleaning up the city in order to attract more tourists and businesses.
Wnti cop,anti white and pro abortion establishment.Trenton lost nothing but over priced stuck up coffee.Goodridence.