PQ Retail Happenings: VIDA & SoHo

I hate to be a pessimist, but I suspect that for the next 12-18 months, there will be more stories about retail establishments closing as opposed to opening. Would enjoy being wrong on this one, but am not holding my breath…….

What a shame. SoHo used to be one of my favorite lunch places when I used to work in the PQ.

SoHo was always crowded at lunch time to. There are other SoHo’s in DC, wonder if they closed as well.

If there is an area in the U.S. that would seem to be most insulated from the current downturn, it would seem to be downtown DC, where agencies are ramping up, consultants/professionals are moving (for both private and government jobs), and, generally, growth will likely occur because of the government’s numerous efforts/packages to stimulate the economy. We’re looking at bigger government.

It’s really weird SOHO closed, I’ve never been to lunch there without it being crowded.

I go to the Soho in the National Press Building for lunch and it is still open.

In other news, Zenith Gallery is also closing, see: http://www.zenithgallery.com/. Once the Inauguration Superstore moves on, that’s going to be quite a stretch of vacant space on that side of 7th between D and E. If it wasn’t for Sei, that block would be close to a dead zone.

Soho did a brisk business, I don’t get it. I worked in that building for a few years and the place was a zoo.

Re Soho: for a successful business to close so suddenly gets me thinking that they got into some tax trouble such as not forking over the District sales tax, payroll tax, etc. But that’s just a guess.

My question is where is everyone going for lunch these days?

Rumor has it that Soho had insurance problems. They had a pretty serious pipe leak earlier this year and perhaps couldnt cover repairs?? Just speculation.