King and Union Corner Anticipates New Use of Old Starbucks

Alexandria, VA — While the appetizing aroma of freshly brewed coffee is missing from the historic retail building housing the newly shuttered Starbucks at 100 S. Union Street, the expectations of an active return of business at the iconic intersection are running high for the future. For now, the stone and antique brick building’s sign is covered with black plastic material and the inside of the windows completely covered in brown paper.

The abrupt closing of hundreds of Starbucks coffee shops around the country including the Starbucks located at 100 S. Union Street on Friday, Sept. 26, came as part of the “Back to Starbucks” campaign, announced by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol who indicated the action was part of a corporate decision.

Its Customer Service Office could not supply information this week regarding how many employees of the S. Union Street location would be relocating to other Starbuck stores.

In a statement, CEO Niccol stated that “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. For those we can’t immediately place, we’re focused on partner care including comprehensive severance packages. We also hope to welcome many of these partners back to Starbucks in the future as new coffeehouses open and the number of partners in each location grows.”

The Starbucks Customer Service Office could not supply information regarding how many employees of the S. Union Street location would be relocating to other Starbuck stores. A customer service contact said the company could not identify what store employees were able to transfer to other Starbucks in the area, noting that “it was management information that we don’t manage” publicly.

Austin Elouafa, who identified himself as the manager of the closest Starbucks at 532 King Street, said he could not comment as to whether any of the laid-off Starbucks workers would be working at that location. “Business as usual,” was his comment when asked whether he noticed perhaps an increase of customers in the past few days from the S. Union Street location.

Niccol said that as the corporation began its new fiscal year in October, “I’m sharing two decisions we’ve made in support of our Back to Starbucks plan. Both are grounded in putting our resources closest to the customer so we can create great coffeehouses, offer world-class customer service, and grow the business.” In addition, he noted that during the review, “Starbucks had 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. Each year, we open and close coffeehouses for a variety of reasons, from financial performance to lease expirations.”

While Starbucks did not comment specifically as to how stores were selected for closing, area merchants lamented the loss of the nearest water-view location in the heart of Old Town, stating they were optimistic for a replacement business and also about the welfare of the former employees.

“It is sad to see businesses closed,” said Allison Strunk, director of food and beverage at King & Rye, adding that with regard to employees, she felt local businesses would be eager to hire the workers. “There are lots of open positions in Old Town. Good people are hard to find.”

Working just two doors southeast from the now-closed 100 S. Union Street store, Del Ray native Grace Hart of The Old Town Shop noted that “the location” was probably the biggest reason why she felt the coffee shop location would reopen quickly as another business, though she lamented losing the warm hospitality offered by her neighboring Starbucks.

“They were always busy,” said Hart, adding that she popped in to pick up her preordered drinks for a fast return to her sales job at The Old Town Shop. “They had the nicest people working there. Anytime you said ‘thank you’’—anyone who heard you—and sometimes all of them heard you—they’d say ‘you’re welcome!’ And this was even when the store was packed.”

Old Town resident Dianne Fogarty, who said she lives a couple blocks from The Old Town Shop where she was shopping on Wednesday, said “I did hear that there might be another coffee shop as the area is so busy with visitors and tourists. Everybody either jogs or bikes or walks and would stop in there afterwards. It was a busy place.”

The Lucky Knot store manager, Raven Rutherford, sighed as she looked across the corner to the historic building framed by the Potomac River and said that the closing was “an end of an era.” Rutherford, who said she had worked at The Lucky Knot for 10 years, commented that she expected the handsome historic building would have another life soon, wondering what changes were in store. “I know it has lots of foot traffic and that it’s one of the oldest buildings in the area.”

In his announcement, Starbucks CEO Niccol reported that Starbucks would end September with nearly 18,300 total Starbucks locations – company operated and licensed – across the U.S. and Canada. He noted that in fiscal year 2026, “we’ll grow the number of coffeehouses we operate as we continue to invest in our business. Over the next 12 months, we also plan to uplift more than 1,000 locations to introduce greater texture, warmth, and layered design.”