Maybe it’s all those lattes and frappuccinos we’re sacrificing during the non-recession. Or maybe a store on every corner really is too many. (Who knew?) Whatever the reason, Starbucks will be closing 600 low-performing locations over the next year.

Whether any Baltimore stores will be affected remains to be seen. However, the majority of the doomed locations have been in business for less than two years — as have most of our local cafes.

On the Starbucks website, the mass closures are referred to as a “transformation strategy.” Ever optimistic, the company is still keeping their plans to open 200 new stores while shutting down the 600 in question.

So not even big business is safe from our current economy. At lunchtime on Monday, not only was I mourning the sudden closure of California Pizza Kitchen at Harborplace, but after leaving, I noticed that the McDonald’s on Lombard Street was also shut down. (Whether the McD’s closure is attributed to the economy or the fact that people get stabbed in its lobby is unknown to me.)

I guess I’ve finally realized how the rising gas prices affect me. Any other abrupt business closures you’ve noticed around town?

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