Southampton Village Starbucks Slated To Open In Late May

It’s official—the Green Siren is coming to Southampton Village.

A Starbucks coffee shop is slated to open on Hampton Road in Southampton, in the vacant space next to Aboff’s, just in time for the start of the summer season. Haley Nieman, a Starbucks spokesperson, confirmed last week that the store will open in late May, although a specific date is yet to be set.

As of this week, signs displaying the company’s famous logo and the words “Coming soon” hung from the storefront windows at 29 Hampton Road. Construction was under way.

In preparation for the opening in Southampton, Starbucks is interviewing for baristas and shift supervisors on Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. at its Bridgehampton location on Montauk Highway. The company plans to hire up to 35 workers, Ms. Nieman said.

News of a Starbucks opening in the village first surfaced last summer. A spokesperson had said then that the store would open in the fall. However, once a site plan application was submitted to Southampton Village, the coffee giant faced a few stumbling blocks before the Village Planning Board, as nearby business owners raised concerns about how much parking the shop would need.

Starbucks has since received all necessary approvals, though, including a certificate from the Suffolk County Department of Health to convert a dry space to a wet use, as well as a green light from not only the Planning Board but the Village Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review.

The 1,180-square-foot space will include 16 seats in the cafe, as well as the standards in all Starbucks stores: a barista counter, a drink and pastry cooler, a restroom, and a kitchen in the back.

Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley has said he does not support the idea of a Starbucks. The mayor said this week that he is concerned about how the company’s presence will affect local businesses, as well as parking and the possibility of vehicle congestion on Hampton Road.

“I think it’s going to have a negative impact on the local coffee shops in the area, and the traffic in that area,” he said.

Mr. Epley added that because the application did not have to go before the Village Board, he opted not to voice his opposition to the village’s regulatory boards. “They’re stand-alone boards … and they do a great job,” he said of the ARB and Planning Board. “I do not like to get involved with applications in front of those boards.”

The Southampton Starbucks will join the company of three other South Fork locations—in East Hampton, Hampton Bays and Bridgehampton.