Retail

Barracks Row Scuttlebutt and General Updates – Chesapeake Room, Veterinary Clinic, Capitol Hill Bikes and more

By Prince Of Petworth

First the scuttlebutt, I hear that the owner of nearby Lola’s and soon to open Chesapeake Room (see below) has purchased the Veterinary clinic on the 500 block of 8th Street, SE (pictured above). More info on this space as it becomes available. As it is only scuttlebutt the purchase of the property has not yet been confirmed.

Barracks Row seems to be getting as many new bars/restaurants as H Street, NE. Georgia Ave has a bit of catching up to do…

And here are a few new restaurants on Barracks Row that we have previously discussed here. And the building from the owner’s of Matchbox is looking good as well:

Continues after the jump. (more…)

Anyone Ever Check Out Pangea Market?

By Prince Of Petworth

Well this looks pretty cool. According to their Web site:

“Pangea is Greek for “all lands”. Pangeamarket.com, supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), brings together traditional high quality handicrafts made by artisans in developing countries. This is the first time that most of these products have been available for purchase online and in our Washington, DC store. Come in and purchase these beautiful, fair trade crafts, jewelry, home décor, accessories and more, learn about the products’ origins and know that your purchase helps create sustainable livelihoods for artisans in Asia, Africa and Latin America.”

The store itself is located at 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW and you can take a tour here. The building itself (IFC HQ) is also pretty sweet:

West Elm Closing to be Replaced by Forever 21

By Prince Of Petworth

Washington Business Journal had the scoop this morning:

“Store manager Dion Barela confirmed the impending closing Tuesday, saying the store plans to close its doors around March 15, depending on how soon it sells out of its merchandise.”

We judged the building and the store exactly a year ago. Will folks miss West Elm?

The WBJ also has the scoop on the replacement tenant – Forever 21.

I must be totally out of it because I’ve never even heard of Forever 21. Any fans out there?

Simply Soles Closes in Columbia Heights Will Open New Store in Georgetown

By Prince Of Petworth

Simply Soles was located at 1438 Park Road, NW. I always thought this was a tough location for a women’s shoe store. In March they will be opening up in a new location at 3222 M Street, NW in Georgetown. Owner Kassie Kempel writes:

“With retail being what it was in 2009 a lot of opportunities came up that I couldn’t ignore. I hated leaving Columbia Heights but I also couldn’t justify staying there and paying the same rent that I could get in G-town. Hopefully a great place will take over the CH location.”

Toucan Boutique Coming Soon to 1911 9th Street, NW

By Prince Of Petworth

Toucan Boutique will fill in the space formerly housing the Lettie Gooch boutique (now located 1517 U Street, NW). The Toucan Boutique site says:

“Toucan Boutique started with a mother-and-daughter team who wanted to bring warm, tropical fashion to the chillier climates of North America. They saw a need for unique, casual clothing, and were not satisfied with what they saw.”

Sounds like this will be a nice addition to 9th Street.

Neighborhood News Still Exists – CVS Rising

By Prince Of Petworth

Well there obviously hasn’t been too much progress this last week but I thought it was cool to see the structure of the new CVS at Georgia and New Hampshire Ave., NW starting to take shape.

Best Cellars in Dupont Closing Feb. 13th

By Prince Of Petworth


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Best Cellars is located at 1643 Connecticut Avenue, NW.

“Dear PoP,

I was in the Dupont Best Cellars wine store yesterday and noticed that everything is 20-25% off. When I asked what the occasion was, they told me they are closing. Why? Because the rent is too high. They also told me the space they are in will be taken over by a cell phone store.

So to sum up, the neighborhood is losing a great little wine store and is “gaining” a cell phone store that I’m guessing most of us would gladly do without. I don’t know who the owners of that building are but thanks for absolutely nothing. Way to put lining your pockets ahead of what’s best for the neighborhood.

Regards,
Depressed in Dupont”

I also called to confirm that they were closing and it is indeed the case. The last day in their current location will be Feb. 13th however they are looking for new retail space. When they find a new location I’ll be sure to update.

Friday Question of the Day – What Would Work Here?

By Prince Of Petworth

The old Caribou Coffee spot on 18th Street in Adams Morgan has been vacant for ages. It seems insane to me because this is such a prime location. Many folks have probably walked by this space dozens of times. It’s not a huge space so I’m curious what you think would work in this location. What would work is not necessarily a dream retail outlet, rather I’m curious what you think would realistically be successful in this spot. Any ideas?

Not Terribly Exciting Columbia Road Openings – CVS and T-Mobile

By Prince Of Petworth

A few readers have written in mentioning that the new CVS has opened up on Columbia Road just east of 18th Street, NW. I believe the old one across the street has closed so it’ll be interesting to monitor that space to see if anything interesting goes in. And to continue the less exciting news of that stretch of Columbia a T-Mobile store has also recently opened. Why do you think that stretch of Columbia (east of 18th) has a hard time attracting interesting retail/restaurants?

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