Wytheville Starbucks plans August opening

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

Amidst delays and speculation, Starbucks will open its Wytheville store next month, according to a company spokesman. The specialty coffee retailer will bring its products to 198 Commonwealth Drive in the Wytheville Commons shopping center on Aug. 12.
Starbucks district manager Kayt Binns said she didn’t know what delayed the store’s original opening date of June.
As of Tuesday, the company’s exterior sign had not been erected. Work crews were still inside the building.
At Starbucks’ request, the new building where it will share space with four businesses fronts Fourth Street, is visible from Interstate 81. It is located between KFC/Taco Bell and Wendy’s.
Starbucks will occupy 1,875 square feet of the building, which already has three tenants with one vacancy remaining. The business will feature a drive-through window.
Advance America Cash Advance relocated to the new address on June 6. Since then, Game Stop has opened next door while CitiFinancial is moving soon to the new building.
The space beside the Starbucks location remains empty.
According to Binns, the Wytheville Starbucks will employ 20 to 25 and will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
She noted that the Wytheville store will carry a full line of beverages, pastries and other company-related products. It will not stock lunch items, Binns stated.
The Seattle, Wash.,-based business recently announced it was closing 600 underperforming stores in the United States. It also expects to open fewer than 200 new stores in this country in fiscal 2009.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .