U Street

The U Street area’s newest fashion boutique, Profile, is located at 2003 11th Street, NW right next to Bohemian Caverns and officially opened on May 4th. The boutique is in a great building. There are two floors with fresh exposed brick. The first floor features men’s clothing while the second floor, which is a bit larger, features women’s clothing. I briefly chatted with founders Tala Raassi and Kourosh Chitsaz. They describe the store as a high end boutique with pieces from Sao Paolo, Milan, NY, LA and elsewhere. Tala is actually a designer herself and her pieces are currently being manufactured in Italy and will arrive in the store at the end of July. One of the reasons they opened the store was because they noticed that there was a void in the area of this type of boutique. While only open a short time the owners mention that they already have many folks coming in and expressing their approval. Actually while I was leaving the store two folks walked up to Kourosh and told him how much they love the store. Kourosh says that the shop caters to almost everyone but he is particularly keen on catering to the locals in the neighborhood.

The store had an opening party on May 4th (see poster after the jump) with DJs. I was happy to learn that they will continue to have events in the store with DJs probably around once a month. The store really reminded me of a cool spot in the village of New York City. It is definitely a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Even if I’ll stick to my track suits and t-shirts just knowing a place like this has come to 11th Street is great because it adds to the overall flavor of the neighborhood. Certainly worth checking out. See more photos after the jump, unfortunately there is still a tint but I got a new camera last night so I’ll try and go back and take some proper photos. (more…)

I realize that I should change the title of these posts from “Neat Neighborhood Find” to “Awesome Shops on U Street”. For here is another awesome shop on U Street. Urban Essentials located at 1330 U Street is great spot for all sorts of unique furniture. I spoke with one of the owners, David Schaefer, last Saturday. The store is in its 8th year on U Street. To put that in perspective Schaefer explained that when they opened the Ellington (big apartment building across the street) was a parking lot that used to hold a huge flea market. At the time this location was quite reasonably priced even though it was less than one block from 14th Street. Other reasons why they chose this spot was because the space was big enough to show all the furniture plus they knew lots of development was coming. I’d say they chose wisely because whenever I walk by there always seem to be folks coming in and out of the shop.

Schaefer explained that the goal of the shop is “to bring affordable furniture with designer quality”. They have high end furniture from the Bontempi line as well as more traditional Stanley furniture. Schaefer explained that “we don’t niche ourselves in one particular style…we specialize in small scale pieces, for small apartments, that fit an urban lifestyle”. Pieces come from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Canada, North Carolina, California, Wisconsin and elsewhere. And you’ll be glad to know they offer delivery. After the jump check out lots of photos of the interior. (more…)

Dang, I can’t find the cents symbol on my keyboard. A long time ago I had a little contest to see what the name actually said. The answer, of course, was Foreign Exchange. 4NXC is located at 1019 U Street right across the street from the 10 Street side of the U Street metro. Ed. note: I would have liked to written the word street a few more times in the previous sentence but I was tapped out. When you first enter the store it is a bit uncomfortable as you have to buzz in before gaining entry. Fortunately, that discomfort vanishes immediately as you enter a bright and lively space and are greeted by the beautiful proprietor, Grace. Grace, 27, has owned the shop for nearly a year and is among the most enthusiastic people I have met on my journeys around town. I asked her how she chose this particular location and she told me that she grew up in DC and felt that the area was really up and coming. She also cited the diversity as one of the great things about the neighborhood. She came up with the name of the store 8 years ago when she was “just goofing around” and realized it was a really great name that would be a great conversation starter.

The layout of the store is beautiful. It is a nice space that has two distinct sections. While her shop originally featured exclusively women’s items she has recently expanded the merchandise to include men’s items as well. Her merchandise comes from all over the world including Paris, Thailand, Africa and elsewhere. I asked Grace to describe the merchandise and she replied that it is “trendy, fresh and fun”. She likes the fact that her store is unique and carries items that are a “little bit more edgy”. She also notes that she has pieces for everyone from inexpensive to high end. You can get a pair of earings for $10 or a linen dress for $300. In addition to clothing the store also carries jewelry, perfume, shoes, handbags and other accessories. So next time you are in the area of U Street before heading to 14th Street, it is worth a trip a few blocks east to check out this great store. Lots of photos of the interior after the jump. (more…)