Starbucks to close high-profile coffee shop in downtown Milwaukee

From the article:

The popular downtown Starbucks at Red Arrow Park will end its long-term lease with Milwaukee County and close on Nov. 30, Starbucks corporate officials confirmed on Thursday.

Sam Jefferies, a spokesperson for the Seattle-based Starbucks company, said, “As a standard course of business, we continually evaluate our business to ensure a healthy store portfolio. After careful consideration, we have deemed it necessary to close our store at 920 N. Water Street in Milwaukee. We’ve enjoyed serving the community at this location and are committed to continuing to do so at our other stores in the area.”

Jefferies said that employees at the Starbucks Red Arrow Park location are being offered transfers to other stores.

It is the second Starbucks location the company has closed in downtown Milwaukee in recent years. Starbucks permanently closed its café in Milwaukee’s 3rd Ward neighborhood in April 2021.

The county opened up requests for proposals for the Red Arrow Park space on Thursday and “is open to a variety of options,” said Joe Mrozinski, assistant director of Recreation and Business Services for Milwaukee County Parks.

Starbucks originally leased the location in 2002 from Milwaukee County with a yearly rent of $30,000 until 2007, when it increased to $33,000. Under an extension established in 2014 with the county, Starbucks would pay the county $27,132 in annual rent payments until November 2018, when payments increased to $29,845 until 2023, Mrozinski confirmed.

"This is a prime downtown location, and we are looking forward to a new vendor moving into this space in spring 2024," Mrozinski said.

For the upcoming ice-skating season at the park, Mrozinski said the county plans to offer hot chocolate, coffee and bottled beverages for skaters to purchase.

Red Arrow Park attracts more than 45,000 skaters each season during its Slice of Ice activities in the winter, according to the county, and is open for other activities year-round. The county noted in a press release that the space is directly across from the Marcus Center for Performing Arts and the Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel. County officials added the park is “at the center of activity” with local events by Milwaukee Downtown BID 21 that include Jack-O-Lantern Jubilee, Downtown Ice-CAPE-ade and Summer Spinz.