Category Archives: Our Town

September 7, 2010 · 10:00 am

Our Town: Our Wingo’s

Wingo’s Mike Arthur (with Obe)

Today GM turns back to another of his occasional series; this time it’s Our Town, where GM takes a closer look at one of the great little independent shops in Georgetown. Today’s Our Town: Wingo’s at 3207 O St.

A Bronx-born kid, Mike Arthur has always loved food. He worked in delis and caterers in New York before heading off to Michigan State. After college he settled in Washington and opened a bagel shop with his sister in 1995. After running the shop for five years, he had to sell the store to take care of his ailing father in 2000. Following his father’s death, Mike realized that he still had a passion for food and so he opened up Wingo’s nine years ago.

Obviously, the core of Wingo’s offerings is chicken wings. And that’s still the bulk of the restaurant’s orders. But the restaurant also offers a pretty big menu for a take-out joint, from breakfast items to over 20 different types of sandwiches (including the new Mongolian Beef sandwich).

Eating lunch at Wingo’s

“I wanted to do something I eat, I like” Mike told GM, “this is my food: wings, burgers, turkey burgers, salads, milkshakes. Maybe I just never grew up, but I relate to the kids better.” Being on the same wavelength, gastronomically, with college kids has ensured Wingo’s a loyal fanbase at Georgetown U. and GW. In fact, Georgetown Voice recently affirmed Wingo’s as the best wing purveyor in Georgetown. Continue reading →

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February 22, 2010 · 10:01 am

Our Town: Proper Topper

Anna Fuhrman of Proper Topper

The first thing to know about Proper Topper is that it doesn’t just sell hats. Hardly. But before GM gets into that, he wants to introduce you to a new feature here on the Georgetown Metropolitan: Our Town. It will be a series of profiles of Georgetown’s great independent businesses. By GM’s own count, there are at least 300 independent businesses in Georgetown, so this series won’t lack for material. As you will see with this first installment, one of the emphases of this series is the importance of Georgetowners being aware of what we have right here, in our town, and the need for us to support them lest we lose them.

And for the first installment, GM stopped by Proper Topper at 3213 P St.:

The Beginning

Proper Topper was founded by Anna Fuhrman in 1990. Fuhrman graduated from Georgetown Law School in 1987 and started with Amtrak right out of law school doing legal and lobbying work. This was about the time that Union Station was undergoing a massive renovation project to restore the decrepit building to its former glory. As an Amtrak employee, Fuhrman saw first hand the potential of the newly renovated space that the organizers hoped, in her words, would attract “a really unique collection of local and chain stores to have a neighborhood presence and be a destination, and it captured that for a little while.”

Fuhrman never harbored plans to work as a lawyer for the long term, so as she toured the station showing the progress to Congressmen and Senators she became entranced with the possibilities of the space. As a long time lover of hats, she decided to give it a shot as a milliner. The Union Station store opened in 1990. A Dupont location soon followed in 1995. Continue reading →

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