Starbucks Closings May Have You Foaming

Don't cry over spilled (steamed) milk.

Starbucks announced Thursday it is closing 12 stores in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. The shops are among 600 under-performing stores nationwide that will shut down between now and 2009, the coffee chain said.

Many of the cafes closing in our area are in malls or shopping centers where several Starbucks stores are located, including one of the two Starbucks stores in CityPlace in downtown West Palm Beach.

The news left latte-lover Gerald Arroyo disappointed but optimistic.

"There's a Starbucks right here," Arroyo said. "There's a Starbucks in Lake Worth. There's a Starbucks in the hotel across the street. One Starbucks closing isn't really gonna affect every other Starbucks."

According to the company, the stores closing in Palm Beach County include:

• Delray Beach: Lake Ida and Jog Roads
• Jupiter: Abacoa II
• West Palm Beach: CityPlace II
• Boynton Beach: The Boynton Beach Mall
• Palm Beach Gardens: Downtown at the Gardens
• Palm Beach Gardens: The Gardens Mall
• Palm Beach Gardens: PGA Commons Central

On the Treasure Coast, the following stores will be closing:

• Jensen Beach: The Treasure Coast Mall
• Port St. Lucie: Becker Road and the Turnpike
• Stuart: U.S. 1 and Market Place
• Stuart: SE Ocean Blvd.
• Vero Beach: The Indian River Mall