Doug Robinson and Mia at 1331 14th Street, NW photos courtesy Drew Mitchell
The following was written by the building’s new owners, Drew Mitchell:
“Twenty years ago, my late husband, Bill Fischer, and I bought the “Jensen’s Brake Service” building at 1333 14th Street NW from Lee and Phyllis Jensen. They entrusted us to restore their large, mixed-use building so that we could have a home for my branding company, Fathom Creative, an event venue called Fathom Gallery, and our personal residence on the top. (Later, we invited Slipstream Coffee to utilize the front retail space, which as you know, moved up the street this past Fall). We made the facade come to life and we carefully incorporated a lot of the brake shop artifacts into the building’s interior. Our efforts earned a spread in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s magazine, and much more importantly, high fives from Lee and Phyllis.
Our next-door neighbor was Monarch Novelties, a wholesale carnival supply store owned by another longstanding DC family, the Robinsons. They had 11 children,
many of whom lived above the shop after their parents bought the building in 1943. By the time we moved next door in 2006, only three of the children still lived and worked in the building, including Doug Robinson, who was the final owner and storekeeper. Most of the time, I’d find Doug dutifully planted in his chair as he minded his shop when I brought my dog Mia over to visit. He’d light up as he tossed her a 30-year-old rubber chicken or an old whiffle ball to play with. Every now and then, I would invite him to walk her around the block, knowing a little exercise would benefit all three of us. Mia became his muse. Sporting a disposable camera, he photographed her every few days as she sunned herself in our storefront window. Each month, Doug would then drop off a copy of the photos as a gift. Over the years, I’ve accumulated hundreds of essentially the same photo, with only slight variations of poses and lighting. It was a fascinating, loving gesture, which, until now, has remained a private exchange between friends.
new owner Drew Mitchell opening the garage door for the first time
Our long chapter as neighbors finally ended when Doug’s health deteriorated and he moved in with his sister outside of DC. After 20 years of telling us they would never sell, I was shocked to recently get a message from Doug saying he’d like me to be the new owner. We worked out a fair deal and settled a couple of months ago. I’ve kept the sale quiet until now, mainly to allow time to explore options for best utilizing such an iconic, beloved building. Hopefully, later this year, I’ll be able to answer the #1 question of “What’s going to be in there?” but — similar to the Jensens — for now, my focus is on how to live up to my friend’s expectations to bring the Monarch building back to its original beauty while also preserving its unique, rich history and character.“