Westbard Starbucks closes at Westwood Shopping Center in Bethesda (Photos)

Take one final look at the interior of the Starbucks at 5438 Westbard Avenue in the Westwood Shopping Center. The coffee shop and community gathering space closed its doors permanently after serving its final customers last evening. Starbucks will return in the new Westbard Square development adjacent to the existing strip mall in 2024. Its exit and reopening are not without controversy among customers, however.

Westbard Square anchor tenant Giant is resurrecting an idea that flopped nearly twenty years ago at this same property. Not only will there be a new Starbucks on the ground floor of the Giant building, but "signs" suggest there will be a second Starbucks upstairs, inside the grocery store. First, a small sign with the Starbucks logo appeared on the building facade under the Giant logo. In recent days, Starbucks signage can be seen through the third floor windows, inside the future grocery store space. 

The supermarket and its little Starbucks are expected to open next month, ahead of the big Starbucks downstairs. Some regulars at this Starbucks are upset that its longtime staff are reportedly being reassigned to other stores, rather than to the big or little new Starbucks.

Those patrons also worry that Starbucks customers will establish their routines at the little one in Giant, causing the bigger one to struggle when it opens later by cannibalizing sales. Some who met daily to drink coffee and hang out at the Westbard Starbucks are concerned that they could end up losing that gathering space in the new standalone Starbucks as a result.

The potential appeal of the second, little Starbucks inside Giant remains to be seen. It sounds good on paper, as an easy way to obtain a drink while grocery shopping, without having to walk all around the property to buy it. But the concept fizzled out quickly at the Westbard Giant a couple of decades ago. Rather than use Starbucks employees, Giant had its grocery store workers make the coffee drinks, and customers complained that the beverages weren't always made properly. The little Starbucks counter was torn down after a short run, and never really impacted the "real" Starbucks a few doors down from the Giant.

Yesterday's closure also brought a conclusion to a mildly-contentious final week, in which some of the loyal customers sought to recognize Starbucks workers who had been fixtures at the Westbard store for years. A farewell banner with customer messages celebrating those employees and the store was created, and the customers said they sought and received permission from property owner Regency Centers to post the banner at or adjacent to the store. But, they said, the banner was ordered removed by Starbucks managers at the district and regional levels, due to a company policy of no customized decor. Eventually, the banner was posted again inside the store during the Christmas weekend. 

The customers who organized the banner said they don't want the Westbard Starbucks staff to be scattered to other stores, and replaced with a new team when the new Starbucks opens...in 2-to-3, or 4-to-6 months, depending upon who is giving the estimate. One thing is for certain - there will be no shortage of Starbucks at Westbard Square by mid-2024.