Mayor Todd J. Nock says:
Like many of you, I am disappointed to learn that Starbucks will be closing its Pocomoke City location. This closure is part of a larger company decision affecting locations across North America.
Now, our focus has to be on what comes next.
One of the biggest mistakes a community can make is allowing a commercial building, especially a newer and highly visible one, to sit vacant. Our Economic Development team and City staff have already started working to identify potential businesses that could be a good fit for this location.
There are still things we do not know. We do not know whether the building will be offered for sale, available for lease, or what the property owner’s plans will be. Those conversations will have to take place.
This also presents an opportunity for some real conversations about highway access, visibility, traffic patterns, and how easily people traveling Route 13 can access our businesses. Our Planning Department will be evaluating those issues as we continue looking at the bigger picture of economic development in Pocomoke.
We cannot control every business decision, but we can control how quickly and intentionally we respond.
The work to determine what’s next has already started.
To the employees of our Pocomoke Starbucks, thank you for serving our community. We wish you all the best.
