in our Spotlight on Business Report to some it's just coffee but for many people in Trenton having a Starbucks in the state's capital city was a sign of economic progress so it came as a blow when the country's largest coffee house chain announced earlier this week it'll shutter Trenton's only store by the end of the month which served just more than drinks with fancy names but hope and opportunity for many of the city's youth Ted Goldberg reports would certainly leave a gapping Hole uh in the city uh if they leave Trenton could soon become one of the few state capitals with no Starbucks it's going to be sad to see it go I mean um I I like going to Starbucks I enjoy their coffee they make a good coffee um it just you know there's been a lot of businesses have closed in Downtown Tron so it's it's sad to see another one go it brings a lot of foot traffic um it's it's going to hurt the downtown you know economy earlier this week Starbucks said it would close its only Trenton store at the end of the month after nearly 7 years in business folks working at a nearby coffee shop were sad to hear that even with an expected bump in customers wanting coffee I can't really describe it any other way besides shock um and disappointment because I know it was more than just about coffee it was about a place for the community they give out jobs to like the black and brown communities and they hope for like first jobs and stuff like that so it's heartbreaking to know like there's a lot of kids in here that depend on the benefits for like tuition in school they're able to go on to successfully to other uh business opportunities so this has been a Wonder to um a lot of disadvantaged Youth in the capital city mayor Reed gashora hopes Starbucks will change its mind writing an open letter to CEO lockman NM simhan part of it says quote this particular Starbucks location 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 the closing represents a setback in our Collective efforts to uplift and Empower our residents I implore you to reconsider this decision congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman also sent him a letter asking given the clear and obvious alignment of the Trenton location's performance with the goals of the community store program is this closure a signal from Starbucks that you were moving away from your stated commitment to supporting and uplifting underserved communities it's really had that Starbucks effect where a lot of businesses have opened since 2017 and there there's seems to be a lot of more traffic and they feed off of each other this Starbucks has really been a beacon uh for the community uh just in terms of supporting local artists um also supporting local businesses as well this location was branded as a community store operating in distressed cities to help give young people their first jobs if this store closes at the end of the month people have ideas for what should replace it I think if we can get a uh an organization or a retailer that will uh that will attract customers that that's the bottom line that's what we need some kind of food option another cafe or another like local Lunch Spot would be great I'll have a idea for what they're going to do but as is beneficial for the community especially the kids and teenagers around this area they need something that they can rely on to get them off the streets and like doing things that they don't need to be doing this has a lot of possibilities it's a highly trafficked uh intersection and we hope that we'll be able to fill it soon in response to the story Starbucks sent a statement reading in part we want to thank our Trenton neighbors for the last 6 years we are continually evaluating our store portfolio to make sure it's meeting the needs of our customers and our communities they also say that 10 or so employees will be offered jobs at nearby locations after this store serves its last lattes on March 30th in Trenton I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight news support for the business report provided by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce announcing its free New Jersey business Summit Ann March 26th and 27th at Harris in Atlantic City event details online at NJ chamber.com