But where? asks WashBiz. Moreover, where should Apple locate a DC retail store? Georgetown, U Street, Gallery Place? Vote here.
The Story:
--- Opening on Penn. Ave. near 8th St. is Remix, a vintage clothing store that got its start in Alexandria. "The boutique is a fusion of clothing, accessories and outer-wear that covers everything from dresses for the office to that hot little number to wear to that social mixer," said EdenMagazine.com. Mens and Women's clothing.
Link: Remix
The Dish:
--- Tries out in Del Rey, then opens in DC. Sounds like what Artfully Chocolate is doing. Whatever, the point is that entrepeneurs more and more are willing to invest their time and money in retail in the city. For years, we traveled to other cities and saw national chains and local boutiques all over, but not here. This has all changed.
The Story:
---Retailer Best Buy is trying out a new retail concept for a mobile phone store, which promises to offer more choices with eight different network carriers and an extensive equipment selection including about 90 handsets.
---Need a job? They are looking for a manager in DC. Click here. No word on the precise locale.
The Dish:
---National chain trying out a new concept. Ok. Once upon a time when they said DC, they meant Bethesda. National retailers are begining to take notice that this city has changed and are recognizing DC is a place where they can do business.
---Would you have believed this comment was being made about DC years ago? “The D.C. area really resonates with a customer segment we refer to as the urban trendsetter,” Jeff Dudash said, referring to the region’s young, affluent population that relies heavily on cell phones. Other initial target markets include New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, N.C., Chicago and Minneapolis.
Link: WashExam
The city held 75-plus meetings with retailers at the International Council of Shopping Centers' annual convention last week, the WashTimes said. Retailers and restaurateurs cited the trifecta of high education levels, high income and high growth as the reason they wanted to be in the District.
For instance, DC is in talks with Nordstrom about opening in G-Town. That would be a coup.
DC had a meeting with Nordstrom about the idea of bringing the store to the dated Georetown Park mall, reports the WaPo. "We look for a location . . . that already has entertainment and restaurants that draw customers," a Nordstrom official says.
Western Development is reported to be planning major changes to upgrade the mall, which was built in the 1980s. There is talk of some sort of subsidy too. DC officials compared the situation to the construction of Gallery Place.
Remember when DC passed on a downtown Bloomingdales in the 1990's because it would not provide a subsidy. Times sure have changed.
Joining the growing list of fun and upscale retail in Logan Circle is Artfully Chocolate, which will be housed at 1529 14th St. NW below the Matrix Condo, which still has a few units left for sale.
The store will feature chocolate drinks (hot chocolate with chipotle chiles), candies, truffles, and works of art crafted by co-owner Eric Nelson. Also "customers will be able to watch the chocolatiers through a window," reported the WashExam.
The Logan Circle locale is a second store for the owners, who also have an outlet in the Del Rey section of Alexandria. Sounds like they tried out the concept there, and now are rolling out this store in a more prominent locale. Years ago the second store would be in Bethesda or if in DC only Georgetown would have been considered, but with the retail revival so many more neighborhoods are becoming more livable and interesting.
14th St. is fast becoming a new version of Conn. Ave. in Dupont. More upscale than 17th, 14th has newer and larger buildings so it can draw away retailers like Universal Gear and attract new ones like Mitchell Gold, which in turn attract new restaurants like Viridian. There are positive spinoffs left and right on 14th.
The opening of the Reeves Center at 14th and U Sts. NW helped revive the U Street corridor. But much of the upscaling of U St. seems to have skipped that corner, which is dingy even by U St. standards.
Now the D .C. Office of Property Management has scheduled a June 5 public meeting to hear ideas on the future of the atrium and lobby of the building, reported the WashExam. The idea is to freshen the retail mix, which now includes a convenience store, cobbler etc.
Simply rethinking the first floor is “shortsighted,” said Dee Hunter, U Street advisory neighborhood commissioner. The entire building “should be in play,” he said, because its deteriorating condition is “hampering the revitalization of the neighborhood.”
Maybe the whole building should be shipped off to Anacostia to help revive that part of the city. Or at least more retail could be constructed on the plaza that faces the corner.
Let's think big Mr. Fenty.
The whole region remains underserved as the growing population continues to demand more retail services, particularly in DC where there is only 8.1 square feet of retail space per capita (SF/Capita), said the Spring 2007 Retail Outlook from Delta Associates. This compares with the Metro area average of 24.4 SF/Capita and the national average of 20.3 SF/Capita.
Plus, it's not like there is alot of space sitting empty either. Compared to the national vacancy rate of 7.2%, DC, as well as Loudon and Fairfax Counties, have vacancy rates below 1.0%.
This is shocking given the number of condos that have been built over the past decade or so. And are still on the drawing board.
Given the way the DC population grows each day with office workers and tourists, the amount of retail should be relatively high, not relatively low. Part of the problem is the continued misperception of DC has as the home of the poor and unsophisticated. So unture and so hard to change.
Here is what the WashExam had to say.
Progess is being made on the effort to replace a parking lot in G'town with a waterfront park, said the WaPo. It's hard to fathom the mindset that thought it was a good idea to use the waterfront for a parking lot.
No matter. Progress is being made. The park is planned to span the area from Key Bridge to the end of 31st Street.
Phase 1 is the stretch upstream from Wisconsin Avenue to the boathouses at Key Bridge, and construction is expected to begin this summer. Phase 2 is the terminus of Wisconsin Ave., where a plaza and fountain would connect the riverfront to the street, and construction on that won't begin until more funds are raised.
The third phase of construction would create two separate paths for bicycles and pedestrians, and would install trees and benches, from the Kennedy Center to about a half-mile upstream near Thompson boathouse, where visitors can rent kayaks, canoes and bikes and where many rowers keep their shells.
Quibbles: its going to be a passive park. In other words, the park will have paths and maybe a bench or two. No playgrounds, no cafes, no dog runs etc. Baby steps are important. Once its built, the other stuff can follow.
pix from the WaPo
Considering the lack of retail we all suffered though for decades these developments are amazing for their scope and location.
On March 1, a $51 million shopping center and residential project at Camp Simms, a 25-acre former National Guard property in Anacostia, is set to begin. Anchored by a 63,000 SF Giant Food store and about 45,000 SF of additional retail space, including a restaurant. The developer, William C. Smith & Co., also plans to build 75 detached single-family homes on the site, which sits between Alabama and Mississippi Aves.
The project really could transform DC east of the river, where the median household income is about $25k per year. Anacostia is the only area of DC that has not really seen gentrification, but with major developments like this the area will attract more and more people. Let's face it Anacostia is way closer to the Capitol than is Arlington, and there is no bubble there to wait to burst. The project was not listed in the recent supermarket roundup.
And ground has officially been broken on the Target-DC USA retail development in Columbia Heights. The 500,000 SF retail and entertainment complex is being developed on the west side of 14th Street between Park Road and Irving St. A two-level Target will anchor the complex and will occupy 180,000 SF.
In addition to Target the following retailers have signed letters of intent or are in negotiations: Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods, Best Buy, Old Navy, Washington Sports Club, Marshall's, Staples, Starbucks, Petco, Modell's, Vitamin Shoppe, Payless Shoes, Casual Male, Mattress Discounters, Panda Express, McDonald's, Nine West, Motherhood, Cingular Wireless and various local retailers.
Whether the sole department store downtown is called Hecht's, Macy's or Bloomindale's could make a big difference in how and when retail reemerges at Metro Center.
You see Federated Department Stores Inc., which owns Hecht's wants to do away with the Balt0-D.C. brand. Considering hoopla surrounding Bloomies and Macy's on Federated's webside and how little attention Hecht's gets (none!) , it is should come as no surprise that Federated wants to do away with the brand. Ending the speculation, Federated
announced in July that the F Street store would in fact become Macy's.
O.K. so what does Bloomies have to do with all of this? They have been shopping around, possibly downtown or Georgetown, for a new site to house a trimmed-down, boutique store. Obviously, if Hecht's became Bloomie's they would not put their boutique concept downtown. But now with Macy's about to take over, the long-dreamed return of a second department store could happen.
A downtown with two department stores would certainly speed up the reignition of the historic shopping district. If that happened the big, big loser would not be Georgetown, but Pentagon City, which depends so heavily on D.C. shoppers.
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