Starbucks arrived in Abingdon on 28 December 2021, bringing its familiar green mermaid to the Market Place. It joined a well-established coffee culture in the town centre.

At the time, there were two Costas, Java, R&R Coffee, Coffee Aroma and Throwing Buns, while The Missing Bean had opened just a few months earlier. There were also numerous other cafés, restaurants and food outlets serving coffee alongside their main offerings.

The Starbucks was unusual among the Market Place coffee shops, with very little outside seating. There were plenty of seats inside.

Almost five years later, the sign and mermaid have disappeared from the Market Place and the windows are blacked out.

Behind the shop, equipment, packaging, cups and other Starbucks-branded items were piled up in the service area, and cartons of white chocolate – caramalised – banana flavour sauce.

Coffee drinkers in Abingdon are still well catered for, but there is no Starbucks.