Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) joined a letter writing campaign to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan this week, urging the company to reconsider its decision to close a Community Store in downtown Trenton.
“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 are moving away from your stated commitment to supporting and uplifting underserved communities?” Watson Coleman’s letter inquired.
Watson-Coleman noted that if Trenton Starbucks were to close, it would join just two other state capitals without a Starbucks.
“By closing the Trenton location, New Jersey would become one of only three states with no Starbucks in their capital city, joining South Dakota and Vermont, and depriving Trenton – an urban community with a 26.2% poverty rate – of the opportunity to continue on its path toward economic revitalization. This Starbucks location has become an important part of downtown Trenton and its community, and I hope that you will reconsider closing it.”
The other usual political suspects joined the Frappuccino fracas as Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Corey Booker (D-NJ) weighed in on the Starbucks departure while Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora implored Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan to reconsider closure plans.
“Since its establishment in 2017, this particular Starbucks location has been more than just a place to grab a cup of coffee for state workers; it 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,” Gusciora wrote.
For the record, should Starbucks close, Trenton would be the lone state capital without a hotel and no Starbucks. In 2002, Trenton ended 15 years of infamy as being the only state capital without a hotel when the 197-room Lafayette Yard Marriott Conference Hotel opened. The hotel showed early success before Marriott disconnected and demise followed. The hotel shuttered in 2017.
Amazingly, while Gusciora and cohorts voice distortion about the great revitalization of downtown Trenton, in this case, a small portion of South Warren St., reports exclude the boarded-up hotel or almost 15 businesses closed on East State St. Walk farther and see the large yellow “Store Closing” sign at City Blue, a clothing apparel business. News of a Trenton renaissance ranks as a ginormous exaggeration, especially when one ventures onto North Broad St.
Here’s the major question about Democrats Rep. Watson-Coleman, Gov. Murphy, Sen. Booker, Gusciora and all other political charlatans — Where were they when St. Francis Medical Center closed, leaving Trenton with one hospital? Not a word slipped off their hot latte lips about the loss of access to health care, lost jobs, nor the economic challenges faced in business communities when such closings occur.
And, since this bid to keep Starbucks here connects to opportunities for disenfranchised black and brown people, understand that St. Francis Medical Center closed and will face future demolition because the hospital could not endure the financial burden of all those color-shaded people showing up on their doorstep with no insurance. Just as the St. Francis Medical Center centered around bottom lines, a point made clear by Capital Health CEO Al Maghazehe who during meetings with community members before his company consumed SFMC, this Starbucks departure involves profits or lack thereof.
The closing of St. Francis involved a matrix of subterfuge as Capital Health merged with the financially-strapped 150-year-old hospital. Capital health closed SFMC and left a stand-alone emergency department with several outpatient services under a new name — Capital Health East Trenton.
The changes left many Latinos and other disenfranchised black and brown community members scrambling to understand nuances connected to the Capital Health movements although Mayor Gusciora offered insight.
“We used to actually have three hospitals. Now we’re down to two. And if (St. Francis) closes their doors, we’ll just have one,” Gusciora figured. Of course, the mayor alluded to the closure of Mercer Medical Center in November 2011. Capital Health purchased and closed Mercer then built a new hospital in Hopewell Twp.. The Mercer Medical Center property on Bellevue Ave. stands as a ginormous eyesore.
Watson-Coleman and others who champion city revitalization should know that Trenton lacked an official economic redevelopment director for months which makes planning extremely difficult and contradicts statements that the city heads toward major improvement. Trenton can survive without a Starbucks but it’s doomed without strong, effective leadership from political leaders.
Finally, Gov. Murphy could inject energy into downtown Trenton if he ordered state employees to return to work with a four-day in-office work week and one day working from home. Gusciora understands the important role state employees play in downtown business.
In February 2023, the Trenton mayor asked Murphy to return state employees to work in person full time to boost local businesses
This action will not save Starbucks but the move will help in bringing stability to downtown businesses.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.
