I’ve been getting a number of inquiries about when the long anticipated (by many not all) CVS will be opening up at the corner of New Hampshire and Georgia Ave, NW. I’ve asked some folks who are indicating that the goal is this Sunday, July 25th. I’ll be sure to update when the official word comes down. On a side note, the landscaping they’ve put in is looking good.
Back in Feb. we learned that West Elm was closing and Forever 21 would open up in that space at 1020 G St, NW. That day has arrived. When I walked by on Sunday it seemed fairly calm though a bunch of yellow Forever 21 bags were visible on nearby streets:
Of course, the building itself still looks great:
Bombe Chest is a located at 2629 Connecticut Ave, NW. I had not idea it was a volunteer store.
JSSA stands for Jewish Social Service Agency. Sounds like a great organization:
“Our wide range of counseling, educational and career services, in-home support, hospice and nursing care and social services are provided by our highly skilled and caring staff of mental health and nursing professionals. JSSA provides services and support for more than 25,000 individuals a year, from the very young to the very old.”
Unfortunately the store is closing July 17th and will not be reopening in a new location. If you’d like you can still visit the store – Sat., Tues., Wed., and next Sat.
At the end of May we learned that nearby Sake Club had abruptly closed 2635 Connecticut Ave, NW.
On Friday I headed down to Penn Quarter to follow up on a reader tip about a new Panini place coming to town. And indeed Amorini Panini is coming to 906 F Street NW.
But I also happened to stop into the storefront next door, 908 F St, NW, announcing an antique sale:
At first it looks like a standard store front but when you walk to the back (see first photo) you can see it is gigantic. The guy running the antique sale said that a group from California had recently visited the space to determine if it would be a good spot for a gym including a huge indoor climbing wall. I think an indoor climbing wall in this huge location would be fantastic. What do you guys think – would it be successful at this location?
I’ll be sure to update when/if a deal is signed at this location (and of course, when the panini place opens.)
POSH was located at 1828 18th St, NW on the first floor above Ansonia Wines. They opened back in Oct. ’09. I’m hearing that the first two floors is being taken over by a real estate agency though Ansonia Wines will remain in the basement level. POSH is planning on moving to H St, NE though an exact location has not been announced yet. They are also having a final liquidation sale on Sat. from 10am – 2pm. I wish them luck on their H St, NE location.
The Christian Science Bookstore (I think it was a bookstore) has been vacated at 1405 Park Road, NW. It’s a small storefront so it’ll be interesting to see what will move into this space.
And Up Against the Wall clothing store has closed up at 2301 Georgia Ave, NW. Though I think they still have a Georgetown location at 3219 M St, NW. City Paper’s Housing Complex noted that retail on lower Georgia Ave was pretty sad. It really is amazing that having Howard University nearby wouldn’t support a more vibrant retail scene.
Photo courtesy of Old Takoma Business Association
This is great news for Takoma Park. From a press release:
The transformation of Old Takoma continues with the opening of Old Takoma Ace Hardware at 7001 Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park. The store is a part of the group “A Few Cool Hardware Stores” with six other locations in DC and Baltimore, and operates as an independently owned retailer under the Ace Hardware cooperative. This new location has more than 7,500 square feet of retail space with ample parking in back as well as convenient metro accessibility (Takoma Metro Red Line).
Old Takoma Ace is the first suburban store for the group. “We chose Takoma Park for a variety of reasons,” co-owner Gina Schaefer explained. “We prefer vibrant urban locations with a lot of foot traffic. We thought that the residents of Takoma Park would appreciate and understand our business model.”
The store will offer a diverse inventory of more than 25,000 products that will include eco-friendly brands to cater to the green sensibility of the Takoma Park community like no-VOC Mythic paint, Mrs. Meyer’s and Seventh Generation cleaning products, and organic fertilizers from Jobe’s. Old Takoma Ace will also offer specialty services including key cutting, paint matching, glass and wood cutting, and screen repair, plus tool rentals and an enhanced lawn-and-garden section to help customers tackle those weekend projects. Indeed, the store endeavors to be not just a place to stock up on hammers and nails, but to become the community’s home-maintenance hub.
About A Few Cool Hardware Stores: A Few Cool Hardware Stores is comprised of Old Takoma Ace Hardware in Takoma Park, Logan, Glover Park, Tenleytown Ace and 5th Street Ace Hardware in Washington, DC, and Waverly Ace and Federal Hill Ace in Baltimore, MD. The stores are part of the national Ace Hardware co-operative. This means they are locally owned establishments that bring jobs to and keep business in the local economy.
We’ve been tracking the progress of the Room & Board located at the corner of 14th and T St, NW for many months. Well, they’re done. And it’s pretty freaking impressive. I had the good fortune of being invited to an opening party last night and I was pretty blown away. I’m not even talking about the furniture but actually about the building itself. Alright the furniture is pretty cool as well but it’s a bit too expensive for a neighborhood blogger. Nevertheless the space is amazing so it’s fun to just walk around and appreciate it. Last night, I kinda felt like I was visiting a friend’s apartment, and that friend had really good taste and a super huge apartment. It has four floors and a killer roof deck. They soft open to the public in the next couple of days. Even if you don’t buy anything it’s worth checking out – as always photos do a better job than my words:
Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)
Lots of exciting developments for the Mt. Vernon Square neighborhood. I happened to walk by a sign for a new bicycle shop coming to town at 459 I St, NW. BicycleSpace’s Web site (splash page) says they will be a hub for cycling activity in the city. I spoke with one of the principals, Erik Kugler, who echoed this sentiment and mentioned the many bike routes that are being scouted for fun community rides. And of course you can buy a new bike and/or get your bike fixed. While they hope to open in the next month or so, in the meantime they are fixing bikes for free (see photo above) Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., from 5pm – 7pm. I’ll be sure to update as an opening date approaches. The folks were super nice, so I’m eager to track their progress and planned activities.
It’s been a while since we checked in on Cleveland Park developments. Since the Cereal Bowl opened in the old Starbucks spot there has been a lot of change. The new Ripple restaurant has opened up in the old Aroma space, similar layout but looks good:
Walgreen’s has opened:
New tanning spot in old consignment store space and new manicure spot in old SuperCuts space:
Alas no movement on the Diner that the was slated to come to the old McDonald’s space:
