East Wenatchee and Ritzville lose Starbucks in company cutbacks

Starbucks has closed two of its longtime locations in North Central Washington as part of a larger round of shutdowns across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

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The East Wenatchee store at Valley Mall Plaza and the Ritzville store on West Galbreath Way both closed Sunday. Signs are posted at the sites, and Starbucks’ online locator now lists them as permanently closed.

Nationwide, nearly 200 stores have been identified by employees and customers as closing. Starbucks says it will end its fiscal year with about 18,300 North American locations—down from more than 18,700 in June.

For customers in Ritzville and East Wenatchee, the closures mean the loss of a familiar stop for both locals and travelers.