Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Georgetown Barnes and Noble is set to reopen in Georgetown on June 19th, according to the stores Instagram account. That would mark exactly 4,550 days since it closed New Years Day, 2012. Surely that must be a record for a gap between the time a store occupied the exact same location?

In either event, this reopening is really a strong endorsement of the Georgetown neighborhood as a retail destination. We are so back!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Home sales in Georgetown now averaging over $2 million.
• Final community meetings on the Access and Circulation Study to take place late May. Here are the details.

The ANC will be meeting for our May session this Wednesday night at 6:30 pm at Visitation (with a Zoom option here). Please note the odd day of the week. We shifted from our normal Monday time to accommodate Passover.

The agenda is as follows:

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The “bitter end” at the Georgetown Foxtrot.
• The unintended consequences on cracking down on on-campus partying.

Next Thursday night, at 6 pm, at the Georgetown Library, the Department of Parks and Rec will hold a community meeting on the long-planned renovations to the Jelleff Rec Center. (Note, earlier announcements had this meeting on Wednesday, but it was rescheduled to avoid conflicting with the ANC meeting).

The meeting will include the final concept designs for the project, which the community has been waiting a long time to see. So please come out and offer your input!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Interesting commercial building on O St. for sale. Lots of potential there.
• What we’ll miss (or not) from Foxtrot.

The Georgetown Foxtrot closed for good suddenly yesterday. It was part of a chain-wide closure as the company has gone bankrupt. The CEO wrote:

We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts,” Foxtrot said in a statement on its website. “This decision has not been made lightly, and we understand the impact it will have on you, our loyal customers, as well as our dedicated team members.

(For a more honest appraisal of what went wrong, read this deep dive.)

The Georgetown location was consistently packed, which would suggest (although certainly not guarantee) that it was a profitable location. The business plan of “open coffee shop with marked-up prepared food” has been pretty much idiot-proof in Georgetown over the last couple years. And you could see how this location shifted more towards this model over time (and away from its early pretenses of being a small scale grocery store). So I would not be surprised if someone else takes over this location and tries something similar.

Although it could take some time. Remember that a similar chain-wide collapse resulted in the Georgetown Dean and Deluca closing in 2019. Nearly five years later it’s still empty, with the much anticipated Mozza still months away from opening. So, maybe don’t hold your breath, but the retail (especially casual food retail) environment in Georgetown is smoking hot, so there’s reason to be hopeful.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Foxtrot closes (more on this later).
• More on Sara’s breakfast burritos.

The popular takeout spot Wingo’s has returned to its original O St. location. The restaurant has been closed since a fire nearly six years ago. There were hints over the years that it would return, but it always seemed unlucky. The last time I checked in was in March 2020 when owner Mike Arthur told me they planned to open by that summer. And, well. You know how things turned out after March 2020.

What makes the return all the more surprising is how successful Arthur has been with his larger Glover Park location. I guess coming back to his roots was too tempting.

Stop by and say hi!

For old time’s sake, here’s an article I wrote about Arthur and Wingo’s way back in 2010!:

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 →

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Brompton shop now open.
• Business ins and outs.