The Georgetown Metropolitan

A new shop is coming to the space vacated most recently by the 7-Eleven at Wisconsin and O St. The brand, M.M LaFleur, is a women’s clothing store. It is also another DTC brand, which has been a fairly consistent theme for a lot of the new shops in the neighborhood. DTC stands for “direct to consumer” and it encompasses all the brands you see on social media that have no (or minimal) physical presence. (In other words, they sell directly to consumers via delivery rather than through a department store or company-owned store). In some way it makes sense that DTC brands looking to dip a toe (or leg) into bricks-and-mortar would choose Georgetown to do it. Or rather, these brands probably have more to gain from a location in Georgetown over larger national brands that probably don’t get as large ROI from adding a new store here.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• GU’s expansion plans look towards downtown.
• Report on our last ANC meeting.

This week for Georgetown Time Machine I’m dipping back into the 1993 photos. This one is of the Georgetown institution W.T. Weaver & Sons back when they still operated as a traditional hardware store. Nowadays they’re still at the same address but located upstairs where they sell high end kitchen design pieces, like faucets and cabinet hardware.

W.T. Weaver & Sons was founded in Georgetown in 1889 and remains the oldest continually running shop in Georgetown. It was a general hardware store for most of its existence. Here’s a shot of this block almost 100 years ago:

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Nice piece on the proliferation of pot shops in the neighborhood. (For the record, I did not say I was a teacher! I’m not sure how that got garbled in translation.)
• Breakfast burritos coming to Sara’s Market!!!

Last November, fencing went up around the old aqueduct abutment along the towpath. This was a replacement for flimsier fencing that had previously blocked access to the abutment. Although much sturdier than its predecessor, the new fence has already been breached.

There is no question that people want to be able to access the abutment. When access is open, it’s a popular spot for (mostly) young people to hang out (and typically consume various substances). But it’s really quite dangerous. Multiple people have died here over the recent past. Further, bottles are often thrown off the abutment to the Capital Crescent Below, which is not acceptable either. Thus, regrettably, the fence is necessary.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Tony of Tony and Joe’s has passed away.
• What to look forward to in 2024!

The ANC returns for its January meeting tonight. It will be at Visitation at 6:30 pm (hybrid option also available, see link below).

The January meeting is a bit of a breather for us commissioners since there are no Old Georgetown Board projects. But plenty of items fill up that space. One item that will fill that space is surely the public safety report. We are expecting the MPD Commander to attend and discuss some of the more concerning recent events. We also expect the report from Councilmember Pinto’s office to focus on the same.

For my part, I will have two items for ANC action. The first is a proposed bikeshare dock for 33rd St. and Wisconsin Ave. This 19-dock station will help fill in a gap in the network through central Georgetown. Please come out and sound off on your thoughts about it!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Nightmare situation ends avoiding the worst. Baby returned after it was taken in a stolen car.
• New cat cafe open now!

Barnes and Nobles is returning to Georgetown twelve years after it last closed its doors on M St. At the time, I wrote how the closing would impact the availability of “third places” in Georgetown. I lamented, in part:

Why the closing of a large chain store struck a particular chord with Georgetowners (and others) is that it was a perfect “Third Place”. This term, coined by Ray Oldenburg in his book The Great Good Place, described those places in a community where people come together outside their home (first place) or work (second place). They can be bookstores, cafes, pubs, libraries, whatever. To Oldenburg, and those that follow him, these places are most essential parts of that community.

What made Barnes and Noble a particularly great Third Place was that it offered Georgetowners and visitors alike a place to escape from the heat or the cold (or just the crowds), but you didn’t have to pay anything to use it.
Many of the classic Third Places continue to exist in Georgetown–the Marvelous Market seating area jumps to mind–but as restaurants like Nathans get swapped for tourist traps like Serendipity, the price has gone up while the “community” quality has fallen.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Top real estate stories from 2023.
• Bomb scare at Georgetown synagogue.