Article: THE CUP TO RUN DRY; Albert Lea's Starbucks, among the first 50 of 600 the company will close, was a gathering place for some, but not for enough.(BUSINESS)

Byline: EMMA L. CAREW; STAFF WRITER

ALBERT LEA, MINN. - For Kim Nelson, 16, Albert Lea's Starbucks was a gathering spot. Friends studied there together during final exams, and the coffee gift cards were their birthday present of choice.

But Nelson and friends -- some of whom drank Starbucks daily -- are in mourning. Albert Lea's only Starbucks, and one of the city's few coffee shops, is among the first 50 announced closings of 600 locations that will shutter nationwide.

Kelly Nelson, Kim's 14-year-old sister, summed up the feeling: "It feels like we're shrinking down to a yucky town."

Indeed, in many rural towns around the country, when ...

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