Starbucks is permanently closing its University Way Northeast store near the University of Washington on April 5, 2026, adding another Seattle-area closure following the news that the coffee giant is moving corporate jobs out of Washington State.
According to The Daily, the closure comes after the Ave location was temporarily shut for roughly three months during a strike that began on November 13, 2025, Red Cup Day, one of Starbucks’ busiest annual promotions. Workers at unionized Starbucks locations around the country joined that strike to demand better staffing, higher take-home pay, movement on unfair labor practice complaints, and a contract. The University Way store voted to unionize in 2022, and no contract has been finalized.
In a statement, Starbucks said the store closure followed a routine review of how locations serve their neighborhoods…