Out With The Art, In With The Gelato

Has the gallery space been sudivided? Or was Zenith space only a little bigger than shoebox?

Prince of Petworth blog is reporting that the Iron Horse Tavern is opening tonight: http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2010/01/iron-horse-opens-in-penn-quarter-thursday-night/

@Paul – we don’t know if the space was subdivided but we’ll try to find out. the Zenith Gallery was medium sized and had three larger rooms and two smaller ones with the two larger rooms open and connected by a split level configuration. you had to go up two or three steps to get to the upper level.

do we really need a gelato place there? there’s already a tangysweet like a block away!

As if the world needs more gelato. What is gelato anyway?

Uggh! Another restaurant? We need retail and grocers!

I went to the one on P Street last week. The space was gorgeous and the gelato was delicious. The guy who helped me was also really friendly too. But a big carton of gelato (to serve 10) cost $22.

Thanks for the posting.
Gelato is Italy’s version of ice cream but with less butterfat, a higher density, and served just a bit warmer than icecream.

That block is currently pretty dead. It is nice to see that block filling up all these new restaurants/food places opening. Of course, I would rather see some new retail, but I guess we have to take what we can get.

Now if Carmine’s would just open……I cant tell if there is any construction. Did they pull out of the deal?

@Anon 8:53 – hard to tell…the orange liquor license application notice is off the window. not sure what that portends, if anything. there was one construction worker in there this morning.

That block is dead? Did you fail to notice Jaleo, Sei, Shakespeare Theater, The Law Enforcement Museum, Starbucks, Saint Germain, Oyamel and that trashy t-shirt store?

With the opening of Wagawama, Carmine’s and this gelato shop, that stretch of 7th between D and E Sts will be right up there with 7th between G and H Sts in terms of commercial occupancy.

We will never get independent retail and grocery in the neighborhood. Please wipe this fantasy from your minds. Rents are too high, and the population density too low for these types of businesses to work out in the long run — and no one is investing in a 2-year business plan.

On Carmine’s-
Their website still points to a Spring 2010 opening, so maybe by Fall? On a side note, I ate at Carmine’s in NYC last weekend (Upper West) – best stuffed artichoke I’ve ever had.

We will never get neighborhood type retail for the reasons pointed out above. But, we could at least aim for some chain retail.

Some people would complain, but on balance retail would be a good thing. It would fill in the vacant spots, create jobs, and suck in tax dollars from suburbanites/tourists. Plus, it’s not like it would be displacing local retail.

I am sick of having to go over to Pentagon City/Georgetown.

I tend to agree with @Jon…we do have grocery close enough (the CV Safeway) that I wouldn’t see switching my allegiance from Safeway exclusively to something else. I visit Zola Wine and Kitchen and Cowgirl Creamery and pay a premium for a few good treats but if Balducci’s can’t make it in Wesley Heights in upper 20016 in a small store footprint, they aren’t going to make it downtown. the CVS on 8th St is doing a major renovation to their store and it will be interesting to see if they expand their Quickie Mart food offerings.

As the owner of Zenith Gallery for 31 years and counting and former occupent of 413 7th St., for 24 years, I watched a lot of development occur in 1/4 century on 7th St. Our space was about 2500 sq. ft. I’m pleased for my landlords that they were able to secure a tenant for the space, they are fair and reasonable landlords. My reasons for leaving 7th st. were numerous, and as you can see many other small retailers are gone. With only a few thousand residents of Penn Quarter, if everyone shopped everyday all day long I’m not sure they could keep the area retailers in business. It takes the tourists and the entire metropolitan area to keep them in business. Until the people who come work in the downtown offices, 100,000’s daily, leave their offices and shop locally downtown retail will never be much to speak of. The city has done nothing to help the retailer especially the smaller ones including cultural and unique boutiques. Chain Stores may pay rent until they don’t but they do not give a neighborhood a unique quality.
We are still in business working out of Chevy Chase Pavilion and a number of other venues. Check out our webpage at http://www.zenithgallery.com. We thank the neighbors of Penn Quarter and especially Jo-anne Neuhaus for her dedication to Penn Quarter and we invite you all to contact us and see us in our new spaces. All phone numbers and email addresses are the same as are the high quality of art that we were known for for 31 years. Margery E. Goldberg