Java lovers will have to find their daily caffeine fix somewhere else in Oxford because Starbucks Coffee is closing.
It appears the rumors are true that the Seattle, Washington-based coffeehouse chain is leaving its home of 11 years in the Oxford Professional Center located at 51 S. Washington St.
A visit to the Monaghan & Company website, a commercial brokerage services firm located in Farmington Hills, showed the 2,257-square-foot downtown space occupied by Starbucks is available for lease.
It is the only space for lease in the entire two-story, 13,944-square-foot building located next to Centennial Park. Other than Starbucks, the building has six other tenants.
According to Frank Monaghan, Starbucks? lease expires in the fall and he was ‘recently? informed the coffee shop would be moving out.
When asked why Starbucks is leaving, he replied, ‘I have no idea.?
After two weeks of attempting to contact a media representative from Starbucks corporate headquarters, their response was to neither confirm nor deny the store’s closing.
‘We have made no announcements about this location, and have none to make at this time,? according to a May 7 e-mail from the corporation’s media relations department.
Oxford resident Jake Shagena, who visits the downtown store a minimum of three times a week, was disappointed to hear about the closing.
‘I think it kind of stinks,? he said. ‘I come here frequently and it’s not really the coffee I come here for, it’s the staff. They’re absolutely unbelievable. They’re very customer-friendly and make you feel at home, which is the cool part about this place.?
Shagena, 28, indicated he’ll simply find another coffee place in town to frequent when Starbucks closes.
‘I try to give my business to Oxford,? he said. ‘I’m not going to drive all the way to Lake Orion.?
The next closest Starbucks is located in Lake Orion.
For more information about leasing opportunities concerning the Starbucks space, visit www.monaghanandcompany.com or call Frank Monaghan at (248) 254-1585.
The asking rate on the space is $18 per square foot, plus taxes, insurance and maintenance.
‘It’s an end cap location, so it has a lot of visibility from the street (M-24),? Monaghan noted.