Thanks to a reader for sending this potentially sweet news that word on the street is that a new coffee shop could be on the way to the old building at 2904 Georgia Ave, NW (at the corner of Harvard.) It’ll be great to see this old building get fixed up. Though keep in mind that Sankofa Cafe is located nearby at 2714 Georgia Ave, NW.
More info when it becomes available.
King’s Deli & Grocery (photo above) located at 3651 Georgia Ave, NW (near the Petworth metro) has been a grocery store and deli for a while but they’ve just applied for a liquor license. The Park View blog notes:
“Within 1,500 feet of King’s there are already four locations with a Class B (beer and wine) license and two locations with a Class A (beer, wine, and liquor) license.”
And nearby Lion’s Liquors (photo below) located at 3614 Georgia Ave, NW is getting completely gutted. I took a peek inside yesterday and the space is huge. The owner says he is planning on making it more upscale with a significant wine section. The Park View blog got a bit more detail:
“while their initial focus is going to be getting a liquor store up and running, the also want to put in a wine bar where people can sit and relax. Lastly, they also hope to be able to serve some type of food down the road.”
Sound good?
“Dear PoPville,
This place is at the corner of Georgia and Gresham NW. I’ll try to summarize an email from the owner:
She’s selling designer womens clothes that haven’t moved from her boutique up in Potomac, MD priced at / below cost. Also, she bought the building and plans to rent out the second floor as a 1BR apartment.
It looks like this is her store in MD”
I love these signs. From the Shaw listserv:
“11 out of the 19 signs for the Georgia Avenue/Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail are being installed today! The trail begins at 7th and S and ends at Georgia and New Hampshire Ave. Work on this trail began in 2007 and is now coming to fruition.
Save the date of Saturday October 15th at 11am for the official launch of the Trail on the grounds of Howard University Hospital.”
One of my favorite parts so far – a photo of of inside the old York Theater at Georgia and Princeton:
So much potential here…
You can read about the history of the building here. And see what it looked like in 1920 here. It’s located at 3641 Georgia Ave, NW and is currently the Fisherman of Men Church. In July ’10 it was reader nominated for a horse’s ass award.
Photo of ‘Park Rd. & Georgia Ave., NW’ by PoPville flickr user rockcreek
“Dear PoPville,
Your readers may be interested in an effort to reverse Mayor Gray’s decision to remove the remaining $1.44M from the Georgia Avenue Great Streets Project. This is an area, which includes the storefronts around Howard University that has receive countless unfulfilled promises for development and assistance over the years.
The Great Streets Project has a history of recouping costs through increased tax revenues in just a short number of years. To me, it just seems like another example of poor judgment from the Mayor’s office. There is an opportunity to change course, though. As the Washington Business Journal reports, “D.C. Council members Jim Graham, D-Ward 1, and Muriel Bowser, D-Ward 4, …issued a joint disapproval, delaying the funding move until after the council’s summer recess”.
What is Georgia Avenue Great Streets? Great Streets funds were set aside to improve the streetscape of Georgia Avenue including lighting, trees, bicycle lanes, traffic control, and sidewalks. The Lower Georgia Avenue segment, from Otis Place to Florida Avenue was never implemented and funding for this area has been moved to projects in other parts of the city. Mayor Gray has just proposed moving the remaining $1.44 million to a project in NE.
What does the resolution I’m signing say? The resolution issues a strong and formal protest of the Mayor’s actions and requests a meeting with the Mayor’s office and the DC Department of Transportation to discuss projects that will benefit the residents and small businesses of Lower Georgia Avenue.You can sign the petition online here.”
Nati Hokah bar opened up in March at 2839 Georgia Ave, NW. The alcohol application says:
“New Tavern. Light food. Live entertainment, DJ, jazz band and cover charge. Occupancy load is 53. Summer Garden with 9 seats.”
“Dear PoP,
I only recently discovered Jam Down Cafe on Georgia Ave & Lamont. It’s a Jamaican restaurant/juicebar that serves the greatest juice in the world (mango+guanabana+ginger anyone?) and the couple who own and run it, Mika and Phil, are incredibly friendly and hardworking. Unfortunately, they might have to close soon due to the economic troubles plaguing just about everybody, but they’re trying to make it to September. They’ve put so much love and time into the place, and the food is seriously delicious. Wanted to alert your readers to this great spot to see if we can try to convince them to stick around, they’re part of what makes the neighborhood great!”
Jam Down opened up back in Aug. ’09. You can see their menu here.
Thanks to all the readers who forwarded this email:
Caribbean Carnival, a cultural festival that has been happening annually for 19 years, was enjoyed by many thousands this year, but was also the subject of much debate. The shortened route, financial issues, and aggressive police tactics sent mixed messages to Carnival organizers and the community. Several fights that occurred raised safety concerns from the community. Councilmember Graham, Councilmember Bowser, the MPD and the Mayor’s office have publicly expressed their desire to see the Carnival continue and the full route restored but there are serious issues that must be overcome.
The Georgia Avenue Community Development Task Force has invited Councilmember Jim Graham (on travel but sending a representative), Councilmember Bowser (unconfirmed), MPD Chief Lanier (confirmed), and DC Caribbean Carnival Director Loughton Sargeant (confirmed) to our next meeting on Wednesday July 27th at 6:00pm at the G II Restaurant and Lounge at 2632 Georgia Avenue (corner of Georgia and Fairmont) to discuss the issues that occurred at this event and ways the community can be more involved in its planning and execution.
For background on some of the issues regarding this year’s Carnival, you can listen to a Town Hall meeting on the Carnival conducted Saturday July 16th broadcast live on WPFW. The archived show can be heard by going here and scrolling down to “Caribbeana” broadcast on Saturday, July 16, 2011 7:00 pm. The Town Hall was hosted by WPFW’s Gloria Minott, with panelists Paul Quander, Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice, Councilmember Bowser, Councilmember Graham, MPD Assistant Chief Lamar Green, Claude Barrington of the DC Caribbean Carnival and others.
Photo by PoPville Flickr user yostinator
