RSS FeedReeves Bakery Closing (For Now, Or For Good)
This just in: Tom Sietsema reported in his online chat this morning that Reeves Restaurant & Bakery will be closing after this Friday. Reeves is losing its lease at 1306 G Street N.W., and on very short notice is hoping to find a new space to rent.
Reeves has been in business in D.C. since 1886 and is well-known for its pies, cookies and cakes.
Here is Tom’s report:
“Tom Sietsema: Some sad news to report on this otherwise beautiful Wednesday morning: Reeves is closing this Friday. And it doesn’t look like the venerable bakery is going to re-emerge anytime soon, if at all. As owner Joseph Glorioso told me earlier today, ‘2000 square feet of ground floor space in Washington is not the easiest thing to find.’
Here’s his email to me:
Mr. Sietsema,
I am writing to inform you that Reeves Bakery will be closing its doors on June the 8th, 2007. I know this may not be the huge story it was when the doors shut in 1988, but this ends yet another chapter in the 120+ year history of the bakery. Hopefully this will not be the last though.
Management is closing the doors due to the inability to rework our current lease with the landlord and therefore are being forced to leave our 1306 G Street location. I must stress this is the ONLY reason we are closing.
We are in the process of looking for new locations, and hope to have something within 30-90 days, but there are no guarantees and we may be forced to close for the forseeable future.
Due to the short notice given, we wanted to let you know the news ahead of time, albeit 3 days. We just want to let all of our customers know how much we thank them for their years and years of patronage.
I thank you for the things you have said in the past about our Bakery and truly hope this is not the end, but if so then we gracefully bow out and say…Thank you Washington, DC for being our home for 121 years!
Best regards,
Joseph Glorioso”
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Comments
Is there any space on F Street that could accommdate? This would be a great addition to my dream of a gourmet row on that street (Cowgirl, an organic butcher, a chocolate place, and now a great Bakery!).
No, but there’s plenty of space on 7th between F and D. I’m assuming rents are just too high, however, and Reeves will want to be in the heart of the business district as it primarily draws on the work crowd.
that is a shame, we have so few great historical places like a Reeves. F St? They would probably have to settle for the half the space, right? Maybe they should move to an emerging area like Logan/U st area. The FLordia Ave. Grill and Stoney’s both do great business, I don’t see why Reeves wouldn’t follow suit.
gwm: The rumor is that the Juan Valdez space is already spoken for.. no solid details on that though.
Lots of space for lease further up 9th Street near the convention center and Reeve’s would be a welcome addition!
That’s really sad news. A real DC institution. What about the space HNTB (the architects)on 7th. Why can’t the city give Reeve’s some concessions. If we don’t as yet have a grocery, it would be great to have Reeve’s as a take-away right here in GP. We need to preserve the unique, the non-chain restaurants, the same way we preserve buildings.
If not in GP, maybe the city can give Reeve’s a new home when Eastern Market is being built.
Well … rats!! Only the strong (aka expense account) survive in this city. Will miss the waitresses “What’ll you have, honey?” and the bakery and the old registers. Boo Hoo Hoo.
Who is the owner of the building? I get the feeling that owners rather have a place vacant than give anyone a “deal” on rent.
DC council members only give special tax breaks to big developers. Then DC (Natwar Gandi) raises the taxes on commercial property 500% in some cases. Just ask Warehouse on 7th.
There is plenty of blame to go around. Someone needs to take a long term look at where DC is heading. Otherwise the downtown is going to be entirely chain stores, “luxury” condos, and offices for lobbyists.
I too am concerned about the desirable businesses being pushed out of the area.
All you have to do is take a look at how long some of these storefronts have been vacant on 7th.
Someone is trying to be too greedy. They are hurting the area and not doing the community justice.
Well, so far, we have the Textile Museum moving into 421 7th, America’s Most Wanted Museum moving into 575 7th, and hopefully a grocery store moving into the Balducci’s space. Also, the Juan Valdez space is apparently already spoken for. That fills up the large gaps on 7th.. I think the only space not spoken for is the former Pua Naturally space at 444 7th.
We need just a little more patience!
I have emailed Reeves with some preliminary suggestions of vacant spaces around here. I agree, they would be a most welcome addition to our neighborhood!
Forgot to mention Chop’t moving into the former Marvelous Market space. Also, the only reason the Balducci’s space is still empty is because our neighbors are still fighting for a grocery store. If it weren’t for that, the space would already be a Walgreens or a restaurant.
GPliving: I’m curious to know how the community has prevented the Balducci’s space from becoming a Walgreens? Do you have any additional details you could provide? Thanks.
Regarding PQ’s response to the spaces that are being filled up on 7th….these are “touristy venue”..that do not replace a bakery, coffee shop, waffle shop etc. The businesses coming in seem to only have the tourists in mind…businesses that could support both are closing. The ones that DO exist,(small sandwich shops, etc) are closed on weekends.
The only businesses that are able to sustain in this environment are going to be “chains” and other forms of “big business”.
I went to Reeves twice over the years–once downstairs for a meal and once upstairs to buy pies. Both times the food was mediocre and not worth returning for. Maybe I had bad luck/timing, or maybe there’s a reason they were struggling. If a chain provides better food, I’m going to eat at the chain.
I agree that the food at Reeves was mediocre at best. Overall, it was rather bland and lacked flavor. However, I cannot vouch for the cakes or pies as I have never tried one. The appeal of Reeves was that it was a DC Institution and it had the atmosphere and service of years past. It was also one of the few decent, but not great, diners the city offers.
I hate to see it close, although the writing has been on the wall for several years. (Anyone remember Sholl’s?) That said, I love Reeves’ cupcakes and cookies – they remind me of the Italian bakeries in NJ where I grew up. I hope they can find a new space downtown (or anywhere in the city). I’m making my final cupcake run today.
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Wow that’s horrible, I’m such a big fan of Reeve’s. The hot open faced hot roast beef (or turkey) sandwich has been a staple of my diet since 1999.
Their pies and cakes were always a big hit at parties too. What bad news!