Garden District Closes for Good

We had our suspicions that 14th Street-based nursery and plant retailer Garden District was living on borrowed time ever since they filed for bankruptcy back in November 2009.

Sadly, it seems that time is up. Yesterday, Garden District owner Joe Carmack posted the following message on the District's website:

"I regret to inform you Garden District, the business entity, has been closed. I worked very hard to maintain it, but at a certain point it did not make sense to continue. Thank you for supporting GD for 10 great yrs. It was a pleasure serving you."

As you may recall, Garden District used to exist in the space that will soon be occupied by the hamburger joint Standard. In 2008, it opened a second location at the corner of 14th and Church streets (in the space currently occupied by Estadio) to sell houseplants and related merchandise. That location shuttered within a few months, and Carmack relocated the remaining Garden District location across the street to a space that formerly housed a car dealership.

Those looking for a replacement neighborhood nursery may want to check out Old City Green, located at 9th and N streets NW. Over on 14th Street, Flowers on Fourteenth does a good job serving up an assortment of houseplants and flowers in their new home in the former Cafe Salsa space.

As for Garden District, we'll be sad to see such a cheerful little spot go.

"Estadio" Opening Soon

Those of you looking forward to getting some Spanish tapas here in Logan won't have to wait much longer.

Estadio, the new venture from Proof-owner Mark Kuller, is set to open its doors soon (although a promised opening date by "the end of the month" seems unlikely). Estadio, which will be located in the former Garden District space at 14th and Church streets, will feature contemporary Spanish cuisine focused on the northern part of the country. And since it is a creation of the team behind Penn Quarter's Proof, you also know that Estadio will feature an extensive wine list--over 300 wines, in fact, many of them Spanish.


(If you've walked by their space during the last week or so, you know that this pic is a bit outdated. Sorry, I hadn't been by with a camera for awhile.)

According to a release sent out by the restaurant, chef Haidar Karoum's menu will feature a variety of pintxos (small snacks) ranging in price from $3-$6, traditional tapas from $5-$11, and smaller entrees from $12-$19. Of particular interest to those of you (like us) who complain about the frequently crummy bread served with meals at restaurants throughout the area, all of the bread served at Estadio will be baked fresh on the premises.

One final bit of trivia for those interested in such minutiae: the space Estadio is moving into wasn't originally designed to house a restaurant, and had to be retrofitted with an exhaust fan in order to make it work--no small investment.

No firm opening date yet, but from the looks of the interior of the restaurant, they're between 1-2 weeks out. Keep watching www.estadio-dc.com for a firm opening date.

Logan/Shaw/U Street Businesses Clean Up in City Paper Poll

The City Paper's annual "Best of..." issue was released last week, and area businesses could be found in abundance amongst the winners.

Beer-lover's paradise ChurchKey scored big wins as "Best New Bar" and "Best Beer Selection" (although, considering that no one can get in the door at this place, it's questionable how useful this information is). Garden District won as "Best Garden Store", Nellies won for "Best Sports Bar", Miss Pixies got the nod for "Best Home Furnishings Store" and--in a bit of a surprise--Thaitanic was selected as the city's best Thai restaurant.

Now, keep in mind that this is the City Paper's readership poll, so many of the results are likely to be a popularity contest. (Whole Foods is the best specialty foods market? Really?) And there's a certain level of predictability--Ben's Chili Bowl will likely hold the title of the city's "Best Drunk Eats" until the Rapture. Still, the poll is nothing if not a statement on how dominant the Dupont-to-Shaw corridor is in terms of the District's commercial world.

Borderstan has a run-down of all the area businesses who won (or were runners-up) in the poll, including those who aren't members of the Mid-City Business Association. Go vie it a look-see; meanwhile, I'll be taking by out-of-town friends up to Busboys and Poets.

Last Chance to Vote for "Best of DC" 2010

Do you have a favorite Logan/Shaw/Dupont business that you would like to see recognized in the City Paper's annual "Best of DC" poll? If so, you need to hurry to get your vote in to the annual popularity contest. Voting closes tomorrow (Monday) for people wishing to cast a vote for their favorite bartender or yoga studio.

The Logan-Shaw area offers a wealth of possibilities for victory: is Longview, Plan B or Transformer the best gallery in the city? Is Garden District or Old City Green the best garden store? Is one of our area hang-outs the best coffee shop in the District? Which one of our innumerable Ethiopian restaurants is tops in the city?

Click here to go and cast your vote. If you're curious who won what last year, the 2009 poll is available by clicking here. Happy voting!

ANC2F Notes: Contentious Liquor License for Estadio; Church to Lose Tax Break?

A bit late on the follow-up to last week's ANC2F meeting, I know, but better late than never I suppose. The most contentious issue of the evening dealt with the liquor license for the forthcoming Estadio at the corner of 14th and Church Streets. Estadio, you may recall, is the new restaurant from the team at Penn Quarter wine bar Proof.























Surprisingly (or not), the residents of the building in which Estadio will be located are not thrilled with the idea of a liquor-serving establishment opening beneath them--and they came to the ANC meeting to make this point. Now, I can understand the concern--this is, after all, the former location of the Garden District, which is about as benign a neighbor as you are going to find. So it's understandable that concerned residents would want to ensure that a strong voluntary agreement is put into place to address issues such as noise, operating hours, trash removal and so forth.

However, the aim of the residents was, apparently, to see to it that the ANC not "grant" the license to Estadio. Never mind that the ANC has no liquor license-granting authority. In the end, the issue was resolved in the way these issues typically are--both parties agreed to sign a voluntary agreement that will be negotiated by the ANC. So, wine lovers, never fear...Estadio will be coming. And residents of the neighborhood, plan to enjoy what will most likely be a fabulous establishment opening up near you, and be thankful that we've got paying tenants willing to lease all of this commercial space in this market.



Also on the docket was a liquor license for local chocolate confection purveyors ACKC. The ACKC team plans to introduce wine tastings and similar fare to their location near 14th and Q streets. The ANC also agreed to enter into a voluntary agreement with ACKC; hopefully amaretto-infused hot cocoa is on the way. Mmmmmm.....

Finally, we've received some inquiries regarding the status of the Vermont Avenue Baptist Church property issue; specifically, the revocation of the church's vacant property tax exemption status for the property they hold at Vermont and Q streets. The Church has owned the property for some time, and throughout that time the property has been a dilapidated eyesore. The District has a way of incentivizing owners of blighted properties to either improve the property or sell--the vacant property tax rate.

Basically, if your property gets hit with this tax rate--which is $10 per $100 of assessed value, or 10%--it's bad news for you, because you're going to be paying a lot of money to keep your property in crummy condition. The Vermont Avenue Baptist Church had received a vacant property tax rate exemption for its Q and Vermont property because, it claims, it had started work on rehabbing the structure. However, the Church has run into some economic difficulties, and thus renovating the property has been placed on the back burner. Which brought us to last Wednesday's meeting.

At the meeting, the ANC voted to send a letter to Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) withdrawing its support for the continuation of the vacant property tax exemption for the Church. This now places the matter in the hands of DCRA, which will need to determine whether the Church has met the criteria to obtain the exemption for another year, or whether it has forfeited it.

Without the ANC's support, the Church faces an uphill battle in maintaining its exemption. Then again, a certain church in nearby Shaw has managed to avoid the vacant property designation for numerous properties it owns, so maybe the guiding hand of the Lord will steer DCRA towards a favorable decision for the VABC.

Neighborhood News: "View 14" opens for leasing; Garden District on UK TV

I hope everyone enjoyed the Logan Circle House Tour this weekend. Below are a couple of neighborhood news-related items to pass along.

View 14, the new mixed-use condo apartment development at 14th and Florida, has opened its leasing center--which means you can now reserve your swanky new apartment at the swanky new development. Prices for the units (which, according to developer Level 2 Development reflects "the current concession of two months free [rent] being offered") are $1650 for studios, $1750 for 1 BRs, and $2400 for 2 BRs.

Based on info I received, it seems that these prices will only last until the end of the month (or perhaps sooner), which means that soon, a 2BR at View 14 will set you back roughly $2,880 per month. Expensive, yes...but anymore par for the course for new unit construction around Logan/U Street.

View 14, by the way, is the project of Universal Gear owner David Franco. There has been much speculation about potential retail tenants in the property--including Green Pets, the longtime pet supplies store currently located on 14th Street between Riggs and S Street. Nothing official has been announced yet, but I'm told that some news will be forthcoming.

***

On the subject of 14th Street retail, unless you are an avid follower of UK tabloid journalism, you might have missed the story featuring Logan's very own Garden District on the Sun's website which addressed the difficulties that small businesses in the U.S. are facing. Can 1300 Christmas trees save a store? Watch the clip and find out.

Garden District owner Joe Carmack has also officially confirmed that his planned project at the Garden District's prior location--"Crepes on the Corner"-- has been shelved. Carmack acknowledged that the project was distracting him from his goal of keeping Garden District a going concern, and that's where his energies are currently focused.

So, it looks like "Point Chaud" will have a monopoly on Logan creperies after all.

Pre-Thanksgiving Fun: Final Farmers Market, Christmas Trees

In addition to the all-important OSU - Michigan game tomorrow (Go Bucks), there are a couple of things in the neighborhood that you can do to occupy your pre-Thanksgiving time.

First, tomorrow is the last farmer's market of the year at 14th and U streets--and it looks like they'll luck out with some great weather (sunny, highs in the upper 50s). So, if you're looking to pick up some fresh meat and produce for your Thanksgiving meal, head up to the Reeves Center for your last chance this year.

Secondly, the Garden District will receive their annual shipment of Frasier Fir Christmas Trees this Sunday. So, after you've picked up some fresh squash and spent a day recuperating from celebrating the Buckeye victory, head over to the Garden District for a dose of holiday cheer. In addition to Christmas trees, they're having a 50% off anniversary sale on their perennials, trees, shrubs and other items on their outdoor lot.

So get out there, enjoy the good weather and support your local businesses.

Garden District's Long-Term Future Uncertain

Last week, the Garden District--the 14th Street nursery and plant lover's paradise--filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, leaving its future on 14th Street cloudy.

According to Garden District owner Joe Carmack, the store will remain open through Thanksgiving and Christmas (where sales of trees typically provide a needed end-of-the-year boost).   According to Carmack, "Christmas is always an exciting and busy time here, but after that who knows."















Carmack noted that "the economy has definitely impacted our business a lot." The Garden District recently consolidated their operations into a single location across the street from their former space at 14th and S streets, which will help reduce the store's overhead.

As far as the long term future of the store, Carmack indicated that is first priority would be for the store to remain open for business, but that he couldn't rule out the store's potential closure. Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, the U.S. Trustee's Office can shutter the store should payment terms not be met. And the ability to make payments, naturally, depends upon the volume of sales.

Garden District's problems will not affect the pending opening of "Crepes on the Corner," Carmack's new gastro-venture at the former garden District location.

The loss of a longstanding institution (the store was opened in 2002) would be a tremendous blow to the 14th Street retail establishment. However, sources have indicated that it is unfortunately not the only popular retailer along the corridor that is facing financial difficulty.

With the continued troubles of the economy, and commercial lease rates along 14th Street continuing to climb, it will become increasingly challenging for small, local retailers to survive. Thus, it's up to the residents and patrons of neighborhood businesses to do their part to ensure that local establishments remain viable. A truly vibrant commercial corridor means having more than bars and restaurants, however great those may be. It means having a mix of businesses that cater to a variety of needs and interests. Unfortunately, the news for some of our local businesses is grim, which threatens to create an increasingly large hole in our retail scene.

Crepe wars, 14th Street style

14th Street is about to get totally crepe-tastic.  In what appears to be a remarkable coincidence, not one but two creperies are set to open up across from each other at the corner of 14th and S streets.

First up, we have Crepes On The Corner (pictured below), the product of a collaboration between Garden District owner Joe Carmack and local executive chef Vincent Bradberry.  "Crepes..." will occupy the space formerly held by the Garden District, which has since moved across the street.


They promise "a genuine creperie" that will serve as a "place to get a healthy quick bite for lunch, an after dinner dessert crêpe, and to stop by as the bars close." In addition to crepes, they will serve a selection of homemade soups, salads, and coffee. The outdoor patio section will serve as both a seating area and a garden for fresh produce and herbs.  It appears they are gunning for a December opening (although likely NOT for the garden).

Across the street, and flinging sticky gobs of crepe batter at their competition, will be guys at Point Chaud Cafe & Crepes.



Details on the operations of this creperie remain a mystery.  All we can tell you at this point is that they're opening in the former Circle Boutique space and have not, as of yet, applied for a liquor license.

Now, all we need is a new wine bar serving small-plate organic crepes, and our dining options will have truly come full circle.  (I kid, of course...the 14thandyous are looking forward to soon being able to enjoy some wonderful creperie goodness in the neighborhood.)

"Proof" team coming to Logan; Birch & Barley opening next week?

A quick bit of restaurant news to pass along: it seems that the team behind trendy Penn Quarter wine bar Proof are headed to Logan. They are planning to open a Spanish-themed restaurant called "Prado" that is current unnamed in the space at 14th and S streets formerly occupied by the Garden District (before they moved across the street). No word on how much of a focus wine will be at this new establishment, but if Proof is any indication, it will feature a fine selection.

No opening date has yet been set for the new establishment.

With Cork already firmly entrenched, and the forthcoming Cork Market and Cork and Fork, is 14th Street becoming the city's hangout for oenophiles?

***************

In other restaurant-related news, nothing's official yet, but...we have received a tip that the folks behind the long-awaited Birch & Barley and ChurchKey--the restaurant and beer-themed bistro, respectively--set to move into the former Dakota Cowgirl space are aiming for a soft opening as early as next week. If you've been by the space recently, you see that they're putting the finishing touches on the interior, while staff training is commencing as well.

Anyone who has followed these two establishments knows that there have been several false starts, so any discussions of opening dates should be taken with several grains of salt. However, the opening date does appear to be imminent, and who knows...they might be able to coax a couple more pleasant evenings out of the weather in order to test drive their rooftop deck.