Forsyth Starbucks now open

FORSYTH — A slow but steady stream of customers partook in the grand opening of the new Starbucks location in Forsyth at the southeast corner of U.S. 51 and Marion Avenue on Monday, July 1.

The store was first announced in early 2023 with construction not beginning until earlier this year. Starbucks initially planned for a fall 2023 opening but faced delays that were not addressed. This will be the fifth location in Macon County and the first in Forsyth.

This is the second location to open in the area this year with a location on Mount Zion Road in Decatur opening in March. The store will offer drive-thru and mobile ordering services as well as walk-in ordering. The store’s hours of operation are 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. seven days a week.

Sitting next to the new coffee shop will be a new Five Below store in the former Hometown Buffet building. The opening date for Five Below has not yet been announced with multiple requests for comment from the company not being returned.

Starbucks is eyeing a massive expansion both domestically and internationally. The company aims to have 55,000 stores across the globe by 2030, with the majority of planned new locations opening in the U.S., according to their company website. The company will also experiment with several store formats, such as drive-thru only and adding walk-up windows at some of their locations.

The company also aims to be more environmentally-friendly with goals of reducing the company’s carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and transitioning to multi-use packaging. However, the company did not specify how they would achieve these goals. Starbucks claims to have invested nearly $100 million in various solar panel projects in states such as New York and North Carolina to power their stores in collaboration with solar panel companies. However, this claim could not be independently verified.

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Jacob Hamm

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Jacob Hamm covers a wide variety of topics across Central Illinois, such as protests, artistic and cultural events, local economic development, and the occasional column.

The Decatur, Ill. native is a 2023 graduate of Richland Community College (AA, Journalism) and a 2025 graduate of Eastern Illinois University (BA, Broadcast Journalism). He returned to Eastern Illinois in the fall of 2025 to pursue a Master's degree in Communication and Media Studies.

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