Many people have heard by now that Social, open since Aug. ’09, had closed yesterday. The question I have are why did they close and when will they reopen? I just got off the phone with one of the owners, AJ Guy, and while he couldn’t completely clear up the picture for me he was able to share a few more details.
Yesterday I was sent a number of emails (sorry for the delay I’ve been away from a computer) mostly seen on facebook saying that they closed due to “a dispute regarding taxes and the ownership group.” AJ said in no uncertain terms that they were not closed as a result of tax problems. They have closed because they “are doing a reassessment from top to bottom of our organization”. He continues, “We have every intention to re-open”.
I pressed him for a timeframe on when they may reopen but he was unable to give me one. If I were a betting man I’d say it will be closed closer to weeks rather than days and a possibility of months. To me it seems to depend whether the space will reopen with the same concept or completely new brand/concept. If they completely rebrand including new investors, this will obviously take more time. There are clearly a lot of decisions that need to be made by a lot of different people and all these variables are being discussed at this time. I have been promised to be kept in the loop on potential reopening dates, whether or not a new ownership team is put together, and whether or not a new concept emerges etc.
But the bottom line is that they have closed for the moment. And unfortunately it is not clear when they will reopen. I promise to update as more info becomes available. Personally, I was a big fan of the space and the people (including a great mix of patrons). I also like how their outdoor space developed (see photo above) and I think overall they were/are great members of the community. I hope they will soon return, as Social or another concept, to contribute to the progress being made on 14th St, NW north of Spring Road and to Columbia Heights in general.
