1600 block of 28th St.
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
Filed under Our Town
The Morning Metropolitan
View out Georgetown Cupcake by Rosa Say.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- As first reported here, Amma’s Vegetarian Kitchen has reinvented itself as Crepe Amour.
- Benetton claims they’ll reopen March 18th.
- New boutique called M29 opening at, well, M and 29th in March.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Paul Bakery Idea Panning Out After All
The other day, GM listed some rumors he had heard about Georgetown that never seemed to come to fruition. One of them was the planned Paul Bakery, a French bakery that was supposed to take over the kitchen of the City Tavern with a store front just south of Banana Republic.
After some activity last spring, GM hadn’t heard a peep about the place so it seemed as if the Great Recession squashed another restaurant before it even opened. So it was a pleasant surprise to hear that the restaurant is full speed ahead. GM hears that it should be open by September or October.
One element he was not aware of was that despite the fact that the restaurant will be called Paul and it is being opened by the same company that owns J. Paul’s, it is actually an international chain restaurant. While one commenter thought the Miami outpost of this chain was watered down, GM understands that the Georgetown branch won’t be a franchise but rather a joint venture between CRC and the French parent. Hopefully that will ensure higher quality. Either way, it will be an improvement on the boarded up building that is there now.
Filed under Restaurants
The Morning Metropolitan
GU Snowman by Alykat (a popular choice recently).
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Sugar, whose future was in doubt, has vacated its Wisconsin Ave. space.
- Smith Point shut down, for two nights, for not letting in somebody of age, or something.
- Washington Post recommends Taj of India for date night.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
Ideas That Didn’t Pan Out (At Least Not Yet)
The Georgetown Metropolitan has been published since December of 2008. Over that time GM has announced a lot of new stores and restaurants or other new treats for Georgetown. The thing is, some of those ideas never saw the light of day. GM would like to list the names of those we never got to know:
Paul Restaurant
Capital Restaurant Concepts, the organization behind J. Paul’s, Neyla, Paolo’s and others, applied to turn the kitchen of the City Tavern Club into a French bakery called Paul Restaurant. While a placemark for the restaurant is still on the BID website, eleven months later and there are no signs of activity in the space.
Chance This Will Come to Fruition in 2010: Slim
The Mad Butcher
In October of 2008, Jonathan Umbell of Hook and Tacklbox announced plans to open a full service butcher in the space next to Tacklebox. As described at the time, it would have been an awesome addition to Georgetown:
At The Mad Butcher, whole pigs and sides of cattle from local farmers would be brought in and prepared on site. There would be an aging room on the property to treat the meat. The business would sell uncooked meat, and a casual cafe and fine dining restaurant would serve it.
Unfortunately a deal couldn’t be struck for Umbell to buy the property. In June 2009 he told GM that he felt the moment may have passed and he wouldn’t consider opening up at a different location until the economy improved. Needless to say, but Georgetown is still butcher-less.
Chance This Will Come to Fruition in 2010: None Continue reading
Filed under Restaurants, Retail
The Morning Metropolitan
Georgetown Facade by Alykat.
Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:
- Commander Salamander’s going out of business sale was so successful that it might not actually go out business.
- Can anyone identify this knocker?
- Benneton reiterates that it’s just remodeling, not closing.
Filed under The Morning Metropolitan
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
You must be logged in to post a comment.