We now know who bought the old Nathan’s building from the Heon’s: Under Armour. The athletic clothing store bought the historic building last month for $12 million.
So passeth yet another restaurant from M St. Granted, ever since Nathan’s was replaced by Serendipity 3, it wasn’t exactly a local-friendly hangout. But still, that’s a historic dining spot, and now it’ll just be yet another athletic clothing store selling stuff you can find anywhere.
GM guesses that Under Armour, like Nike down the block, doesn’t really care how profitable this store is. It’ll be more billboard than retail. This type of “showrooming” is getting more and more common these days. And at any other location in Georgetown, it wouldn’t really be that bad of an addition. But at that corner it just seems like a dagger in the heart.
Sadly, that’s just where the market is these days. And for all intents and purposes, M St. should be considered all but lost to expensive women’s clothing and athletic gear. If we are to keep a flicker alive of a diverse retail and restaurant market, it’ll have to be off M St., either in the BID’s proposed “canal district” or up Wisconsin Ave.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
It was so obvious from the get-go that Seredipity was absolutely wrong for Georgetown. Under Armour is wrong too. Mismanagement of the property by the Heons has led us to this. Nathans should still occupy this corner of Wisconsin and M.