RSS FeedApartment Zero (406 7th St NW) Leaving The PQ
WaPo is reporting that Apartment Zero (406 7th Street NW) will be closing its retail store in the Penn Quarter due to a variety of factors including the landlord not renewing the lease due to building remodeling and a shift in customer base towards interior design/trade services away from retail shopping. The Apartment Zero website confirms that notion and provides some more detail leaving the door open for starting another retail presence.
We’ve been in Apartment Zero quite a few times since moving downtown and always enjoyed seeing all the new trends in living on display to touch and feel. (Almost bought a sofa there but couldn’t quite part with the one currently in use.) There is some upside for shoppers as everything in stock is on sale from July 8 until July 26. Some of what was on the retail floor we really liked and some we could do without but whatever your opinion, the store brought retail variety and eye catching interior designs to life in our neighborhood. In fact, we always thought of AZ as an outstanding example of an independent non-restaurant retailer with a good online presence making it in a local retail landscape dominated by places where food service seems to be the primary endeavor. Those times, they must be a changin’.
Thanks to Anon 8:48 who commented on the SoHo Space Now For Lease story for bringing this to our community’s attention.
BBQ Restaurant Coming To PQ! (410 7th St NW)
Thanks to Craig and Luke for writing in to let us know that Hill Country, a BBQ restaurant straight out of NYC, is going to set up shop in Penn Quarter! WaPo’s Going Out Gurus have the full scoop. The 250-seat restaurant is still a year away from opening at 410 7th St NW, the site of the soon-to-be-former (?) Lifestyles USA clothing store.
Some BBQ aficionados may be disappointed to learn that Hill Country’s BBQ methods use no sauce. Instead, they opt to season meats with a dry rub consisting of salt, pepper, and cayenne. However, their baked beans “with burnt ends” do sound interesting. Chowhound has some initial discussion grilling as well.
SoHo Space Now For Lease
We never did figure out what happened to the SoHo Cafe & Market located at 401 9th street NW, but the other day we spotted “for lease” signs hanging in the windows. While SoHo may not have been our favorite spot, it filled a need for the downtown workers to grab a quick bite at breakfast & lunch.
What would you all like to see fill this now vacant spot? Butcher? Bakery? Does anyone still think we need a small local grocer or is that need now being filled by the 5th street Safeway?
Capital Fringe Festival Preview Tomorrow!
The Capital Fringe Festival is giving theater-goers a sneak preview of performances that will run during its July 9 – 26th festival! The Performance Preview will occur tomorrow (Wed, July 1) between 7 – 10pm @ RFD’s back room (810 7th St NW). Here’s the official blurb:
WASHINGTON – This July 9 – 26, this year you will find us nestled between two historic DC neighborhoods: Penn Quarter and Mount Vernon Square. We have taken up residency in some interesting spaces: a former cigar shop that has been vacant since the 1968 riots, a German cultural institute, an old restaurant, a historic church and a long-standing, independent performance venue. There will be one-act plays, comedies, dramas, musicals, dance, puppetry, improvisation, clowns, hip-hop, jazz, poetry, mime, and more.
At the Fringe press conference and preview, reporters will learn about all the performances, performers, our unique venues, centralized and unique Festival scene, the “greening” of this year’s festival and all the live bands that will play at Fort Fringe this year.
The event is open to the public, but it is a 21+ event.
DC Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
Mount Vernon Triangle – The Taylor Gourmet Deli plans to expand from its H Street NE location to another outlet in CityVista at 5th and K Streets, NW. [The (Mount Vernon) Triangle] & [Prince of Petworth]
All over DC – All those junky used car lots may be closed down by the Fenty administration. [And Now, Anacostia] & [We Love DC]
Downtown – The Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) posts its June meeting notes. [DC DNA]
Shaw – Forward progress on the Carter G. Woodson home on 9th Street, NW. The sooner it becomes a National Historic Site, the sooner curious tourists and more foot traffic (the good kind) will come. [Renew Shaw]
Red Line – Between Takoma and Fort Totten – Metro tragedy covered and primer on train safety systems. A sad day. [Greater Greater Washington (primary coverage)] & [Greater Greater Washington (train safety)]
All over DC – Local bloggers react as pop culture takes a hit…EM (Ed McMahon), FF (Farah Fawcett) and MJ (Michael Jackson) all pass on. More sad events. [Q Street News] & [U Street Girl] & [K Street Kate] & [Ask Miss A] & [The District] & [Capitol Hill Style]
Fedspotting?
Sara wrote in to our PQ Living mailbag in mid-May saying she spotted a few local Fed notables go into a local H Street eatery for dinner.
We were eating at Momiji (we love their affordable sushi) around 7 pm and watched as the Secret Service swept the street and then Justices Scalia, Ginsburg and former Justice O’Connor got out of their cars and headed into Full Kee for some dinner. We couldn’t see whether the other Justices accompanied them.
Being so close to HQ for many Federal government agencies as well as Capitol Hill makes our ‘hood a tempting food run. Regardless of branch, which Fedlebrities have you seen in our neighborhood recently?
Tip of the hat to Sara for taking the time to send in her sighting.
New Retailer Moving Into 1004 F ST?
1004 F street NW, the location formerly occupied by the K&B Newsstand which we’ve written about numerous times in the past, will apparently be home to another business soon. There is a certificate of occupancy posted stating that an entity called Special Events LLC will be opening a business described as “retail clothing.”
If you’ve walked by 1004 F street recently you might find it difficult to believe that anyone not wearing a hazmat suit would be willing to enter that establishment, let alone shop there. But who knows, maybe a little elbow grease and a fresh coat of paint will make that location good as new.
We’re guessing this will be another tourist (temporary?) shop, but we have no additional information to back up that assumption.
Photo Of The Week: Wellies!
Our Photo of the Week is by erin m who snapped this picture [larger image] looking towards the corner of 7th and F Streets, NW. The unmistakable patterned Wellington boots which we see worn by more and more fashionable women these days caught our attention. Are they a fad like Uggs or will they endure in vogue?
Tag your photos with pqliving on the flickr photo sharing service and we may feature them as Photo of the Week!
Royal Thai Cuisine and Bar Open For Business (507 H St NW)
We noticed Royal Thai Cuisine & Bar (507 H Street, NW) putting its signs up back in February and we thought the fresh coat of exterior paint might portend a quick opening thereafter. Unfortunately, “soon” included a generous heap of hope but hope springs eternal and whaddya’ know…it’s sprung! We stopped by the newly opened Royal Thai (incognito, of course) to check it out. Here’s what we found. Continue Reading >>
PQ Weekend Guide
In addition to the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival going on on the Mall, we have some other events in the neighborhood to check out this weekend.
Penn Quarter FRESHFARM Market
8th Street, NW just south of E Street
Thursday, June 25, 3pm-7pm
Chef at Market: Oliver Friendly, Eat & Smile (4pm-5pm)
Safeway’s 17th Annual National Capital Barbecue Battle
Saturday, June 27th (11am-9pm) & Sunday, June 28th (11am-7:30pm)
Pennsylvania Ave NW between 9th & 14th St
Do you know of an event occurring in the Penn Quarter area this weekend that we should add? Please contact us or leave a comment on this post!