Starbucks Closing

Chances are, if you ever stopped at the Starbucks located at 300 Andover Park W aka “Bux East” located next to Barnes & Noble on any given day, you would have run into Tukwila officers on break having coffee and talking with the staff and other patrons. While we regularly host Coffee With a Cop events a few times a year, this Starbucks was truly a community gathering place where officers, staff and the community would informally come together and share in conversations.

Senior officers who have been coming to this location for over 20+ years could be found seated with new officers sharing their experiences and stories while guiding these new officers along the most formative time of their careers. New officers would be introduced to Starbucks staff and community members as well as the occasional local politician and city employee that would pop in for a cup of coffee. Over the years, many conversations and friendships were formed from a community member stopping by the table stating, “I have a question” or offering an empty seat at their table to an officer when there were no others available.
Mornings that would start out with a quiet cup of coffee and chat could quickly turn into officers rushing out the door to respond to a serious call. The next day, staff and regulars would ask what had happened, if the officers and involved parties were ok and what they could do to help when they sensed that it was a particularly traumatic call experience for the officers.

In closing our ode to Bux East, we want to thank the Starbucks employees, regular customers and anyone who we’ve had conversations with or met there over the many decades that Tukwila officers have been popping in for coffee on their breaks.

A big thank you for the special send off given to us by the Starbucks staff pictured today that represent the final chapter of Bux East history. We will miss the friendships and conversations made here over the many years. ☕️