BREMERTON, Wash. — Thursday is the first day of summer, but it's also the last day for one Starbucks location along the Bremerton Ferry Terminal.
One small business owner nearby told us that Starbucks is one of many businesses that have closed near the Bremerton dock in the last few years.
"A lot of the pedestrian traffic has slowed down," said Mary Jo Rose, co-owner of South Pacific Sports Bar, just steps from the ferry on First Street.
The Washington State Ferry System isn't what it used to be. Last month, KING 5 reported that 38 elected leaders even sent a letter to Congress saying the ferry system is “in crisis," with just 15 boats when 26 are needed.
The Bremerton-Seattle route was reduced from two boats to one boat at the start of the pandemic. But in the years since, service has never been fully restored. The ferry system has suffered from ongoing issues related to staffing shortages and aging vessels.
"Let's say a decade ago, so many more people walking through here," said Rose. "A lot of them will stop and have one or two beers, and then they would catch a ferry and then go home."
South Pacific Sports Bar has been in business on First Street for about 23 years, serving cocktails and food, including burgers, poutine and steak salads. But for a business that depends on daily commuters, their customers-- and their revenue-- have been at the mercy of a struggling ferry system.
"Now you see them just going by," she said of commuters. "They know they've got to catch a ferry. And if they're not there in line soon enough, they're not going to make the boat that's there."
Rose said it's a frustrating bottleneck because businesses cannot benefit from the drivers in waiting. For this reason and others, she said it's understandable that commuters aren't as spendy in the terminal area.
"Everybody has a family and a life they want to get home to," she said. Most of their customers, she said, work at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard nearby.
She also wonders whether work-from-home culture has affected their business but isn't sure how to gauge that.
"I mean, I'm sure it has," said Rose.
With ferry times still so spread apart, she said it's also impacting Bremerton locals' willingness to go to major sports games in Seattle.
"We like our Mariners," she said. "To catch a seven o'clock game, you're staying for one or two innings to get that 10 o'clock ferry back."
Hope may be on the horizon, however, as state officials told KING 5 Thursday that they'll likely be able to add another ferry boat to this route in the next year or two.
Rose said she's hopeful this summer that people will recognize Kitsap County as an option for a lovely "mini-vacation."
"Come to Bremerton!" she said.
Meantime, customers with a hankering for a cup of coffee can still go to the Starbucks a few blocks away, which includes a drive-thru.
"We continually evaluate our business to ensure a healthy store portfolio. After careful consideration, we’ve determined it is best to close the store in the Bremerton Ferry Terminal... All Starbucks partners (employees) working at that store will have the opportunity to transfer to one of our nearby locations," said Sam Jefferies, a spokesperson for Starbucks media relations.