See this comment from a long-time resident of 1st Street NW, following the announcement from Bloomingdale resident Paul Vivari regarding the plans for the Showtime bar/coffeeshop at 113 Rhode Island Avenue NW, in the location of the former Showtime Salon:
Just read the current Bloomingdale listserv newsletter and am concerned about potential concentration of bars as startups along Rhode Island and First NW.
Although residents are encouraged at the prospect of business revitalizing Bloomingdale, perhaps residents would like to offer suggestions about the kinds of businesses we need--and perhaps the last thing some residents might want is a bar on each corner and the traffic it would bring to First Street NW.
Certainly Rustik and Boundary Stone are welcome additions, but residents may oppose becoming the new ``U Street.``
Would you please open an online discussion re this topic?
14 comments:
I support all new and potentially profitable establishments in Bloomingdale... Cheers!
Given the lack of available storefronts and open parcels, Bloomingdale doesn't seem at risk of becoming overrun with nightlife options. It would be nice, however, to see new businesses other than bars and restaurants come into the scene. If I were looking to start a business in the neighborhood, I'd think about what the many families with young children might need--they're typically not patronizing bars (as much as the parents might need a drink). For instance, an ice cream shop would be welcome. (And, in the restaurant category, a diner-style kid-friendly option would do well, especially if it opened before 10 AM on weekends.) For the many residents who are renovating their homes, and for others just trying to keep 100-year-old houses in good shape, I'd hope for a hardware store with tool rental. We're all set on dry-cleaners and liquor stores--no need for more.
Love the new businesses. I don't think two bars, where one is primarily a restaurant and the other has a solid dinner menu, represents a trend toward U St or AdMo. And there's plenty of other businesses coming in...very excited for the new bakery!
I agree, there isn't a chance Bloomingdale could ever become anything close to U Street, it is one intersection that is finally becoming a great corner, I welcome any establishments over vacant store fronts or another convenience store.
We simply don't have the space to be U Street (or H Street or 18th Street or M Street). Also, the businesses have open have worked well and are better engaged with the the community.
Victor, +1!
More businesses, better neighborhood.
After Big Bear fiasco, none of the NIMBY concerns came out to be true, so how do you justify more of those?
Change is good, status quo will not stand.
<3
We as people bitch and complain when we do nothing and nothing.....when we finally progress, some negative ass folks are always trying to keep you down...be happy that you have and can have something better than was there....complain as much about the drug boys on u st ....
I am concerned about the lack of concentration of bars and restaurants in our neighborhood. More please!
But yes, diversity of businesses is a good thing.
Welcome to (almost) any business that will keep our neighborhood alive and prospering! Most people who open a business have an idea of what kind of business they have the knowledge, skills, capital etc to run successfully. While it would be great to have someone conduct a poll of what the neighbors would like to see in the empty storefronts, it is probably not realistic that someone who owns or leases a building in downtown Bloomingdale is going to search out a specific type of tenant if there is someone willing to buy/lease the vacant property. When it was announced that a new cleaners was opening, many people thought that Bloomingdale did not need another cleaners. But if that is their trade, you can't ask a drycleaner to learn to run a hardware store. If the market cannot support another drycleaner, than the law of supply and demand will offer another chance at a different form of retail. From the crowds I encounter at our current eating and drinking establishments, it seems there is room for one more.
This concern can't be serious. Right? More, pls!!!!
I'm all for business diversity- but I'm actually enjoying the surge of restaurants-bars in our neighborhood. I'm for growth in our hood...lets keep it rolling!
Hi all-
Paul here- I'm the one opening the Showtime. I knew there would be natural concerns over adding another bar to the block, but I agree with many of the previous comments about there not being any danger of turning Bloomingdale into the next U Street/Adams Morgan. For one, there's really not enough commercial real estate to have it be a concern; also, Big Bear, Rustik, and Boundary Stone haven't had many of the typical issues associated with high-volume nightlife destinations, such as fights, rowdiness, shouting .. these businesses are designed to attract the local crowd, not catering to the commuting MD/VA hard-partying weekend crowd who, in my experience bartending on 14th St. the last decade, usually cause most of the problems as they have no attachment to the area. In addition, our space is going to be so small that we won't really be adding much to any "congestion" on the block. We'll have a max occupancy of about 40, and want to keep things low-key and intimate so we can offer affordable prices.
I've been talking to our new commissioner, Mark Mueller, and we'll be setting up a community meeting/Q&A at the church on 2nd and U sometime in the coming weeks, similar to what Boundary Stone did. This way we can hear any concerns directly from our neighbors and hopefully allay any of their fears. I'll sent out a date through Scott on his listserv whenever we can nail it down.
I've been living above the Showtime for the last five years, so I've seen firsthand the growth in the neighborhood and am really excited to add a unique environment to the block. There's no other place I'd rather open my dream "soul bar", as I've come to call it, and I look forward to welcoming and meeting everyone once we open, hopefully sometime in the summer.
Thanks!
Hi there,
I am personally delighted at every new business that opens its doors. However, I do worry about the profitablity of certain kinds of businesses like coffee shops and bakeries once the density becomes too great. Bars i worry less about because they operate on greater margins. Bakeries and coffee shops are more of a local nature...people don't generally go way out of their way to frequent them. Will there be enough local traffic to support 3 bakery/coffee shops at this intersection (Windows, Showtime and the new Bakery across the street in the Sylvan)? How will they differ? Have the three entrepreneurs met to discuss how to develop different niches so all three win?
Personally, I support the idea of a old school hardware store, which i think would be genius if it were combined with a gastropub that serves great breakfast and brunch. Further, i think that the first person to open a place focusing on families in a sophisticated way (non romper room) is going to make a killing. I would love to grab a microbrew with my buds while watching my son swing around on the monkey bars. There are lots of folks in this dynamic here in Bloomingdale. Other things i think could do well: a Turkish Bath/Hammam.... This would be awesome (ok, i know it's a bit out there...but how awesome would that be? Turn one of these old row houses into an Edwardian Turkish bath and speakeasy and snooker/billiards parlor...whoever does that will be the toast of the town.
i still like the ole skool neighborhood corner stores and hope that some of them will diversify their products, like expanding into hardware bits and pieces, stuff for kids etc., locally baked goods, whatever, but really, let's face it, these types of things are not that profitable, whereas booze is.
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