"There were some construction and operational challenges that came up along the way that pushed back our schedule a bit," Keilen said in an email to The State News.

The location is being built in place of the Main Library’s Sparty’s Market Combo-X-Change, which closed after the spring 2023 semester in order to begin the renovation, Keilen said. 

According to Keilen, under the university’s contract with Starbucks, the former Wells Hall location was due for a renovation, and Culinary Services had been in conversations with MSU Libraries for several years expressing a desire for a national brand in the Main Library. 

The move to the Main Library will allow for an expansion of the store and upgrades including mobile ordering and additional product availability, Keilen said. 

No jobs have been lost due to the transition, Keilen said. While the Wells Hall location has been closed, staff have worked at the 1855 Place location and undergone training for the library location.

Neuroscience and kinesiology senior Claudia Seiler, who drinks Starbucks and studies at the library almost every day, has grown impatient with the delay and the noise from the construction. 

"They keep pushing it back, so I don’t know ... I don’t have much hope," Seiler said. 

Environmental studies and sustainability senior Zoe Naylor, however, said the delay hasn't had a bearing on her coffee drinking. Naylor said there is no significant price difference between Starbucks and local competitors, and that she prefers the taste of coffee from smaller shops. She also prefers not to support large corporations, she said. 

"Personally, I prefer to buy local," Naylor said.