New Starbucks closed without explanation

A sign says “now open” but Augusta’s newest Starbucks on Walton Way was closed Monday. The closure was posted online but Starbucks representatives did not respond to questions about why the month-old store was not open.

Date: October 24, 2022

Walton Way commuters hit a roadblock Monday morning. Barely a month old, the new medical district Starbucks was closed. 

A company spokesperson didn’t immediately return an email or voicemail seeking comment. A sign in the window stated store is “temporarily closed” and that the company was working to reopen “as quickly as possible.”

The closure comes on the heels of the coffee giant’s clash with Georgia workers seeking to form the state’s first Starbucks union in Augusta. At the Augusta Exchange location, employees in May voted 26-5 to unionize, according to prior news reports.

In July, union employees picketed at Augusta Exchange and called for a public boycott until working conditions improved. 

Then in August, a district manager fired lead organizer Jaysin Saxton, saying he engaged in “disruptive behaviors” during the protest. Saxton vowed to file a claim with National Labor Relations Board.

The freestanding Walton Way store opened Sept. 16.

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The Author

Susan McCord is a veteran journalist and writer who began her career at publications in Asheville, N.C. She spent nearly a decade at newspapers across rural southwest Georgia, then returned to her Augusta hometown for a position at the print daily. She’s a graduate of the Academy of Richmond County and the University of Georgia. Susan is dedicated to transparency and ethics, both in her work and in the beats she covers. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including a Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Fellowship, first place for hard news writing from the Georgia Press Association and the Morris Communications Community Service Award. **Not involved with Augusta Press editorials

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