In addition to the Greater Washington Sports Alliance two more retail spaces have recently been leased in the Solea. Nave & Associates Law Firm and Moshe Zusman Photography – both on the Florida Ave side. It’s good to see a healthy mix of retail filling the U St/14th St Corridor.
The new clothing stores keep on coming to the U Street, NW area. Earlier in the week we learned about Match Clothing coming to 1526 U St, NW and now just east of 9th St, NW at 809 Florida Ave, NW we have Robin’s Nest coming soon. Stay tuned for more updates as opening dates are announced.
Do you like the mix of retail and restaurants hitting the U St/Florida Ave, NW corridor?
While home/office furnishings took a big hit on the 1500 block of U St, NW – clothing options are blowing up. At 1526 U St, NW I just a saw a coming soon sign for Match Clothing. You can see in the photo below they join the recently opened Rock it Again and Dr. K’s vintage not to mention Lettie Gooch located across the street at 1517 U St, NW and Junction location located at 1510 U St NW. Oh yeah, Ginger Root is also on the same block at 1530 U St, NW.
With that in mind it’ll be interesting to see who moves into the big space at 1515 U St, NW.
On Friday afternoon I started getting emails that something was going on at RCKNDY, located at 1515 U St, NW. Phone calls went unanswered at first then the line was disconnected and when I stopped by on Sat. I only saw this:
The store has been completely emptied. Their Website that is still live says:
RCKNDY (pronounced rock candy) is your resource for creating a new look for your home or office. We specialize in modern decor with an emphasis scaled to condo and apartment living. We’ve circled the globe to find the best in modern design the world has to offer including furniture from Blu Dot, Gus Modern, and American Leather. Our gift & decor selection compliments our furniture and is always changing so every time you visit our store you see something new. An inspired and unmatched inventory, creative merchandising, and knowledgeable sales team unite to give the RCKNDY customer an exceptional shopping experience.
We took a peek inside back in March ’08.
Were there any fans?
I still miss the fish/pet store…
Thanks to all who forwarded the email:
Greater Goods Closing – 25 to 50% Off Everything Sale Through February 27th!
Dear Friends,
After almost 4 years at U Street we have decided to close the retail store. This wasn’t an easy decision but we did not feel we could continue under the current circumstances. There were a variety of factors contributing to our closing but in the end we could not acquire funding to grow or expand. Over the last year we have juggled our budget but it was painfully obvious that we could not get the shelves restocked quickly enough.This has been a great experience for me, though of course I wish it would have ended differently. I learned a lot about my family, friends, and myself. I experienced tragedies and the greatest joys while running this place. I got to know interesting people doing interesting things. If I could have done it differently I would have made it better, but I would not have changed my decision to open our doors.
Thanks to all you folks who shopped and talked to me about whetever came to mind.
Sincerely,
DVPS – I’m keeping the online store open and anything that doesn’t sell out will go to the website. Furnishings will go as well.
We’ve been speaking about new clothing coming to 14th St, NW in Columbia Heights but we should also note that U Street is becoming a Vintage mecca. Rock It Again has opened up in the old Nana’s space at 1528 U Street NW (Nana’s is moving to Mt. Pleasant). Rock It again joins Dr. K’s vintage which recently opened up at 1534 U St, NW and Junction Vintage long located at 1510 U St NW.
I’m happy to say that, like the others, Rock It Again looks fantastic. The owners (Aviyah Jacobi and Clint Pierre) come from (and still maintain a presence) at Eastern Market. They offer both Men’s and Women’s and accessories. As always, though it won’t do it justice, the pictures tell a better story than I can:
Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)
Bicycle Stations, which had only opened up in Sept. ’09 has closed its doors at 2204 14th St, NW (by W Street). Their Web site says that they moved to 610 Madison St. in Alexandria, VA to occupy a bigger space.
Credit to the many commenters who doubted they’d stay at this location for very long.
I’ll be sure to keep my eye on this space to see who moves in. It seems that attracting and maintaining retail on 14th St, NW north of V St, NW remains a struggle.
What do you think would be successful in this space?
On top of the two new vintage stores that have recently opened up are two more options on 14th St, NW. Chickas just opened up last week, located at 3533 14th St, NW, and The Fashion District just opened up at 3437 14th St, NW.
Thanks to a reader for sending the word. Back in Sept. ’09 we discussed some rumors that a more traditional gym was thinking about going into the View 14 retail space. However, even at that time the rumor was that the deal had fallen through. Now it looks like the BETA Academy is hoping to move into the space. The owner just released the following you tube video and hopes to raise the remaining funds necessary to make the move happen. BETA currently resides in the basement level of the Calvary Methodist Church at 14th and Columbia Rd, NW. You can see the excitement they feel about this potential move:
While the video is a bit long, there is also mention of a “high-end restaurant” that was going to go into part of the non-housing space. I’ll def. be keeping my eyes on progress on both fronts here. Stay tuned!
“Dear PoP,
Any tips on what’s going on in the Northeast end of Union Station? Recently all of the car rental agencies moved upstairs, Ben and Jerry’s moved across the station, and the tie store, Lids, and just about everything in that block besides Verizon has disappeared. It seems they are planning on using the Northeast portion for something big, but I have no idea what. Anyone have a clue?
With all of the new restaurants near the metro (Chipotle, Potbelly, and Chopt) and the addition of the NY buses, it’s clear that improvement is afoot at Union Station even before they start construction on Burnham Place. Now if only they can figure out what to do with the old movie theater space and get Bojangles to open up…”
When we discussed the now open Potbelly’s on Monday a reader, Lou, said:
“I saw a presentation done by the Union Station managers a couple of years ago and this was not what was projected. They had ambitions of bringing in Apple, other high-end retail and a high-end restaurant. That’s why they were driving out some of the little independent shops in the basement food court.”
When I spoke to some folks who worked in nearby stores they thought that this space (where the Verizon store is) was simply being cleared to provide more lobby/loading space for Amtrak. But I’m wondering what you guys think – would an Apple or other high-end retail store work in Union Station? Do/Would people go to Union Station for specifically for shopping? I know folks who work nearby go for lunch but would people go specifically for an REI store? The funny thing is – when I was answering my own question in my head, I was thinking a movie theater would be great. I know not everyone liked the old theater because it could get loud but it (the former space in the basement) really does seem like a great space for a theater…
Anyway, for the Friday Question of the Day – What retail do you think is missing from (would be successful at) Union Station? Or should the addition of more restaurants be the way to go?
