As reported by the Washington Business Journal last week, the trendy men’s clothing store Lost Boys will close down in the next few weeks. The small shop has been tucked away on 31st St. south of M for six years (it attracted early attention for offering free booze for the customers).
The owner, Kelly Muccio, states that she has been given an opportunity she couldn’t refuse and decided to close the shop. And perhaps that’s all there is to take away from the story. But it’s probably worth noting that Lost Boys is basically the model of what the Georgetown BID is hoping to encourage over the next 15 years.
The Georgetown 2028 Plan, which sets forth a blueprint for how the commercial district hopes to evolve between now and then, has as a central component the plan to encourage more retail establishments on the streets between M and K on the east side. The hope is to encourage a stronger connection down to the waterfront, and to create more opportunities for smaller and non-chain shops which have been almost entirely pushed out of M St.
It’s a great idea in concept. But the challenge will come in implementation. Losing one of the few retail shops in this newly dubbed “waterfront district” is a tough way to start out. Let’s hope it doesn’t create a trend.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 