The Georgetown Metropolitan

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More on the alleged union busting at the Georgetown Compass Coffee.
• Pn Juneteenth, Holy Trinity Church asked for forgiveness for its racist past.

The New York Times just included Georgetown’s Yellow among its list of just “22 of the Best Pizzas in America Right Now“. Here’s what they had to say about the unusual pizza on offer there:

It’s quite the honor for the small shop that has exploded on the scene in Georgetown since opening less than two years ago. While personally I wouldn’t necessarily call its pizza my favorite, even just among Georgetown shops, it’s certainly distinct. And the NY Times list seems to be more about interesting pizzas than “the best” per se.

In either event, it’s another big honor and has further pushed Georgetown forward as one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city. And remember that the hugely anticipated Osteria Mozza still hasn’t opened yet!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Coffee with a Cop is a success.
• 7th St. Burger moving into the troubled space former occupied by Mono Diner.

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, I’m returning to the great archives of the DC Historical Society. This particular photo shows a slice of grimy Georgetown past that has been largely airbrushed out of the Georgetown image: a junkyard on Potomac Street.

The junkyard was called the Georgetown Junk Company, which would now sound like some sort of a hip accessories store or something. According to the photo record, it stood on the east side of the 1000 block of Potomac St., which now looks like this:

However, I’m not so sure that is correct. See this article from 1954 about some boys causing a fire in the junkyard, which places it at the rear of 3254 M St.:

Here’s an ad for the junkyard from 1954 mentioning the same location:

I believe the junkyard was owned by Harry Steinbraker, whose family owned (and still owns) a handful of properties around that part of Georgetown. Perhaps the “rear of 3254 M St.” was a different junkyard they owned, and that the top photo really is from Potomac Street.

In either event, it is a window into the past when lower Georgetown was an active industrial neighborhood. Not coincidentally, a wood shop owned by the Steinbraker family was one of the last truly industrial spaces that existed into the recent past. It was still operational until 2013:

The family then closed up the shop and leased out the building to Chaia Tacos, which still occupies it.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Georgetown Compass coffee accused of union busting by adding fake employees to rolls in order to skew vote.
• What’s coming to the Bangkok Joe’s space.

A new awning is up at 1515 Wisconsin announcing the future arrival of a store called Georgetown Pantry.

I have absolutely no idea what Georgetown Pantry is, unfortunately. There appears to be a brand of luxury food items out of Seattle called “Georgetown Pantry Supplies“, but I’m not confident it’s the same thing. So who knows… Sounds promising though. We’ll see!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• New series profiling local shops in Georgetown.
• A look inside the new Skims store.

Tatte Bakery have announced that their new Georgetown location will open on July 3rd:

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This stretch of Wisconsin Ave. has already undergone a bit of a renaissance with the arrival of Yellow. This has the potential to send that into the stratosphere (which is good or bad depending on your perspective!)

I am hoping that the hordes of customers that this will likely attract will come by something other than a car! And I hope the city keeps an eye on providing an adequate supply of bike and scooter parking in the immediate vicinity. Please don’t leave any bike or scooters in the middle of the sidewalk!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Pet goods store opening on O St.
• The utterly ireplaceble Jerry McCoy is retiring.

A Brazilian dress shop is coming to 3057 M St., according to architectural plans filed with the Old Georgetown Board. The shop, FARM Rio, will replace Amigo Mio, which has closed.

The brand has been around in Brazil for over 25 years and is only recently dipping its toe into foreign markets. This would be the fifth location in the U.S.

I’m no Brazilian fashion expert, but their distinctively vibrant dresses look like something from a 60’s Joao Gilberto album cover, so it checks out with me:

No word on when the store will open.