by Jerry Malitz Every story needs heroes. And every piece of legislation needs advocates willing to not just fight for its passage, but to make sure it gets funded and ultimately enacted. The story of Chevy Chase Main Street is no exception. The saga begins with Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh, who in June […]
Want to find holiday lights? Head to your nearest “Main Street”
Commercial corridors in this area and throughout the District are decked out in holiday lights and festive displays this month, some in connection with local Main Streets. The lights serve as a beacon to attract customers to small and local businesses, and as a beacon of hope for better times to come. And of course, […]
DC’s “Winter Ready” grant buys neighborhood restaurants more time for outdoor dining
by Will Fowler In late September, Mayor Bowser announced a $4.1 million grant program for DC restaurants winterizing outdoor dining spaces. The Streatery Winter Ready Grant provides $6,000 for equipment including space heaters, seating and awnings. “We’re nowhere near Phase Three reopening,” said Gloria Garcia, executive director at Van Ness Main Street. “This grant was […]
Dig (or donate) now for daffodils later: Help Van Ness Main Street plant spring bulbs through Nov. 8
On a couple of weekends last fall, Van Ness Main Street and neighbors came out for a Connecticut Avenue beautification project. And then we waited. One month, two months, four. At last, the fruits – or flowers – of their labors emerged in the spring. Now, Van Ness Main Street and Master Gardener Kathy Sykes […]
Van Ness streetscape improvement project moves closer to design phase
by Marlene Berlin In July 2018, and after considerable effort by Van Ness Main Street, the DC Council allocated $1.5 million dollars in the FY 2019 budget for the design and public engagement phase of a Van Ness streetscape improvement project. It was a long time in coming. The DC Office of Planning and DDOT […]
Business in Brief: Local Main Streets grow, evolve and adapt
Van Ness Main Street is now the main street program of Forest Hills, too. “Our vibrancy and community just doubled!” VNMS Executive Director Gloria Garcia announced in a recent newsletter. “Our formal request to expand our main street’s border to Nebraska Ave has been approved by DC’s Department of Small and Local Business Development.” Van […]
Not a restaurant reopening, but a new opening: Viet Chopsticks now welcoming customers in Van Ness
“Hope you will have a good story of us recovering one day soon,” the owner of Viet Chopsticks told The Washington Post in late March. The recovery story is still being written, but the Vietnamese restaurant has taken an important first step: Viet Chopsticks opened at 4304 Connecticut Avenue yesterday. Van Ness Main Street announced […]
Testimony at DC Main Streets budget hearing highlights Van Ness Main Street’s swift emergency aid to local businesses
Van Ness Main Street has long had its work cut out for it. Charged with putting the Van Ness commercial corridor on the map, the 4.5-year-old organization’s mission has expanded northward to include the Connecticut Avenue shopping district between Fessenden Street and Nebraska Avenue. It serves 39 small and local businesses, including 22 minority-owned, 14 […]
Support Van Ness Main Street’s efforts to support small businesses during its June 15-25 silent auction
We can’t gather for a gala or swing into a soiree for Van Ness Main Street. But we can spend the next two weeks supporting the main street’s mission by taking part in its online silent auction. The auction goes live at noon on Monday, June 15th and closes at noon on Thursday, June 25th. […]
When a simple ‘thank you’ isn’t enough
Have you seen it? Shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday, this appeared on the south-facing wall of the Hastings Condominiums at 4444 Connecticut Avenue. Who is behind this “thank you” to essential workers? Last month, FHC editor Marlene Berlin called Van Ness Main Street Executive Director Gloria Garcia with an idea: a light projection that expresses […]