Some Updates on Closings and Openings

As GM mentioned in the morning links yesterday, America Eats Tavern is closing permanently. This adds yet another prominent name to a sadly increasing list of big shops and restaurants that simply aren’t coming back. But if you’ve lost track of which shops that is, Jamie Scott from the BID gave a useful presentation to the ANC Monday night summarizing them.

So far the shops and restaurants that are totally done include (at least):

• America Eats Tavern
• Brooks Brothers (part of a national downsizing)
• Camper (lease expired)
• Cherub Antiques
• Don Lobo’s
• Johnny Rockets (lease expired)
• Le Pain Quotidian (corporate bankruptcy, with this location on the list of those not to be reopened)
• Lucky Brand
• Margaux (lease expired)
• Paul Bakery (national downsizing)
• Pete’s Coffee (national downsizing)
• Roots (bankruptcy)
• Starbucks (national downsizing)
• Uprising Yoga Center
• Washington Sports Club (regional downsizing)

That’s fifteen establishments. Just for reference, on a typical year, GM counts 30-50 closings. So for fifteen places to close over the course of three months, that’s only 50% or so more than the normal rate. So more, but not a crazy amount more. Then again, this is hardly the final list of all shops that aren’t coming back.

On the bright side, Jamie also included a list of shops that are still planning on opening, despite everything:

• Blue Dot (in the former North Face space)
• Bozzelli’s (3000 K St.)
• Dig (corner of N and Wisconsin)
• Donahue (old Smith Point space)
• Foxtrot Market (former Jonathan Adler space)
• Le Labo (former Hu’s Shoes, which frankly GM didn’t realize had closed)
• Levain Bakery (former Johnny Rockets)
• Veronica Beard (Wisconsin below N St.)

GM will end with a funny story about Le Pain Quotidian, just because. It was right after it opened, and he was eating brunch there one weekend. A woman at another table had absolutely no idea that the restaurant was part of a gigantic international chain. She was under the impression that it was a cute mom-and-pop operation. She effusively praised her server, and said how much she hoped they’d “make it”. She even tipped the server 100%.

Sadly lady, GM’s unfortunately has to report that 15 years later, that cute mom-and-pop, PQ Licensing SA, didn’t make it.