Posts tagged Retail
-
This community landmark will become a chain store. Why?
For over a decade, Pyramid Atlantic was a Silver Spring landmark, offering studio space, art classes, and a gallery that hosted events and concerts. Now, its bright red building on Georgia Avenue is a chain paint store. Why? Keep reading…
-
Cleveland Park residents are ok with more density if it means more retail
Two restaurants in Cleveland Park shut their doors this weekend because of slow business. With strong support from residents, two ANC commissioners submitted a Comprehensive Plan amendment that would help bring more commercial space to the area. They withheld a proposal that would make it easier to build more housing because it didn’t get quite as much support. Keep reading…
-
Gentrification. What does that word even mean?!
DC is a much different place than it was twenty, ten, and even just five years ago. In fact, many might call it a national posterchild for “gentrification.” But what does that word actually mean? Is it that wealthy people live where poor people use to? That retailers are different, or that vacant lots are now home to apartment buildings? Something else? We discussed in this week's contributor chat. Keep reading…
-
Rhode Island Center will get less housing thanks to lawsuits over PUDs
On Rhode Island Avenue, right next to the Metro, developer MRP Realty has plans to turn what's currently a strip mall into new housing. The company recently changed course on how it's going about its plans, essentially to make them less vulnerable to attacks from a vocal minority of neighbors. This has big ramifications for housing across the District. Keep reading…
-
Building of the Week: Eastern Market
Many Washingtonians are familiar with Eastern Market, a hodgepodge of farmer’s market, prepared food and handmade craft vendors, and flea market. The building at the core of this market was part of a thriving city-wide market system 140 years ago. Learn more about Eastern Market's history with this post! Keep reading…
-
Connecticut Ave’s service lane in Cleveland Park may soon look much different
Along Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park, there's a service lane whose best use has long been the subject of debate, along with an intersection that's very difficult for pedestrians to navigate. The District Department of Transportation's plan for the area would keep the lane for cars but also work to slow driving speeds. It would also re-do the intersection to make it much easier to walk through. Keep reading…
-
How one hair salon illustrates gentrification battles in the “Cappuccino City”
We are pleased to present a few excerpts from American University professor Derek Hyra's new book, Race, Class,and Politics in the Cappuccino City. In this one, Hyra tells the story of a development battle and its toll on a small business owner on 7th Street in Shaw. Keep reading…
-
Storefronts and art could make DC’s convention center more appealing
The space around DC's convention center, which takes up several blocks between 7th and 9th Streets NW, is pretty barren. But Events DC, which owns the site, recently unveiled plans to liven up the gargantuan facility. Keep reading…
-
Can a bookstore open east of the Anacostia River?
Wards 7 and 8 are rich with cultural institutions, from THEARC to Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum to the Gateway Pavilion at Saint Elizabeths East Campus. Yet there is not a single independent bookstore east of the Anacostia River. Can this change? Will it? Keep reading…
-
There aren’t any bookstores east of the Anacostia River, and that hurts children
You probably know large swaths of Wards 7 and 8, east of the Anacostia River, are food deserts. Did you know these communities are also book deserts? Although there are numerous cultural and artistic institutions east of the river, the lack of a bookstore impedes the intellectual growth of the community, especially young children and their parents. Keep reading…