RSS FeedPenn Quarter Grocery Store Update (Brookville Wants In)
Well, we have the scoop on the latest grocery store development. The long and short of it is that Brookville is very interested in the Balducci’s space (7th St NW between D & E St). They’re even willing to lease it for up to $20/sq foot. The rub? JPI wants at least $30/sq ft.
That may sound like a simple pricing disagreement, but here’s the bombshell: The old Balducci’s contract had Balducci’s paying just $11/sq ft! Also of note is that grocery stores are used to paying rents in the mid-teens because they attract people to a location while providing a valuable neighborhood service.
Is anyone in the DC government able to help with JPI’s and Brookville’s pricing disagreement??
Brookville is still very interested in expanding in DC – any space that can allow for an 18-wheeler to pull in is fair grounds. Any ideas?
Romantic Downtown Rides
You’ve probably seen them around town, horse drawn carriages for those in the mood for a romantic ride around DC. But would you know where to pick one up? They seem to be more prevalent in early Winter when the Xmas trees are up at the Capitol and White House, but there are also some now in the middle of tourist season.
But this blogger has never seen a store front that sells rides, or a stop where the horses sit. In NY’s Central Park it’s easy to find the carriage stops, but in DC this blogger is lost. Presumably you pick them up and pay for a ride at one of the local hotels, right? A quick Google search only gave me sites about how romantic it would be, a few phone numbers (which I’ve not called) and a website (http://www.carriagesofthecapitol.com/) which no longer works.
So how about it, have any of you even ridden in one of these carriages in DC? Is it easy & obvious, and this blogger just doesn’t know where to look?
(Photo: A horse drawn carriage, waits at the corner of 12Th & Penn Ave, but with no advertisement or contact info for this blogger to note)
Polls Show Clinton Will Win!
Or maybe Obama. Or possibly McCain. This according to Political Americana, the somewhat cheesy tourist shop at 1331 Pennsylvania Ave NW, which has been tracking presidential races for a number of election cycles. Anytime someone buys a campaign button in their store, the purchase is tracked and the results displayed on a computer outside. There is also a ticker below the computer with constant updates.
Sources at the store tell us that the democrats outsell the republicans 2 to 1. As you can see from the photo above (taken 6/12/07) Clinton has a decent lead with Obama next behind her. We’re told that McCain is the front runner for the republicans. So forget those USA Today/CNN/Gallup polls, when you want to know how Middle America will vote, just stop by 1331 Penn Ave and see what the ticker says.
DNA Meeting Tonight
A short reminder that the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) meeting is tonight at the Naval Heritage Center at 7 pm. For more information, please check our post from last week on the matter.