Everyone has been wondering what is coming to the space that Soapstone Market will exit after the end of the month. Wonder no more.
Uptown Market is coming sometime in March:
Uptown Market is thrilled to bring our neighborhood market concept to Van Ness in spring 2019. You’ll find locally sourced and thoughtfully curated offerings like our fresh seafood market, butcher shop, artisan creamery, coffee bar and full bar with lots of dining options and seating . We look forward to meeting you and serving the Van Ness neighborhood, we hope you’ll come to shop and stay awhile.
Uptown Market is from the same people who run Bethesda’s Butchers Alley, a butcher, cheese and sandwich shop, and Pescadeli, a fresh fish market that also sells prepared foods.
In Van Ness, says spokesperson Lauren Durkee, “we’re doing a slightly different concept… but with many of the same elements.”
The cheese counter at Butchers Alley in Bethesda. (Photos courtesy of Uptown Market)
Butchers Alley sells cheese and cured meats.
Fresh fruit and vegetables at Pescadeli.
The fish counter at Pescadeli.
Pescadeli also sells prepared foods.
Green Eyeshades says
The Connection has much better photos, but Prince of Petworth had similar news yesterday:
https://www.popville.com/2018/12/van-ness-uptown-market-replace-soapstone-market/
tjust says
Each new proposal adds enthusiasm for the changes proposed, maybe it is time to re-evaluate the parking options to make improvements in such a way as to add temporary parking spaces for customers who will be visiting the area.
Also, during the planning months ago about spacing around van ness, two very good ideas surfaced and now seem to be missing from all the continual planning.
– establishing a “doggie park” on public grounds in the school campus for the daily delight of seniors and children?
– improving the open band shell so as to make it useable daily and not just be a “white elephant?
Green Eyeshades says
This original post on December 18 is now three and one-half months old. We have not seen any news on the Connection, but we have seen that no new store opened in the Soapstone Market during March 2019. Could the Connection please find out whether there will be a new store coming to the Soapstone Market space?
Theresa Cameron says
Hi,
According to Uptown Market, they will be opening in August. You can learn more about them at uptownmarketdc.com.
Thanks,
Theresa Cameron
Exec. Dir.
Van Ness Main Street
240-462-9664
Green Eyeshades says
Why should we believe their prediction that they will open “in summer 2019” any more than their prediction that they would open in March? Have they even signed their lease?
At this rate, that entire retail space will have been empty and disused for eight months.
This is terrible planning.
Mat says
Could not agree more. I was in utter disbelief when I was told they were talking about opening in January and assumed that was a logistical impossibility. Then it became Spring 2019 and then Summer 2019 and now they’re bordering on Fall 2019 assuming there are no further setbacks to the timeline. It does make you wonder who the idiot is planning this. As a resident of the Park Van Ness it’s an eyesore to walk by this brand new retail space that is utterly empty when we already have the former Intelsat, Epicurean, Walmart, and Chalin’s spaces that have been empty for years.
Lauren Durkee says
Hello there! My name is Lauren, I work with Uptown Market. I wanted to hop into this conversation and shed some light on our timeline – as there is misinformation here and we want to make sure we get it right. We’re very excited to join the Van Ness community, but we are completely renovating the space – and that takes time. We never planned a January opening, we hoped for a late spring opening, but if you’ve ever managed a renovation before, you know that there lots of ups and downs, and sometimes curveballs that can add to the timeline. We know that you’re frustrated with the empty storefronts in your community – and our number one goal is to create a vibrant, well curated market that can also be a community hub, a place to meet for morning coffee, lunch, dinner, and to shop for your favorite foods. We want to get it right, and that sometimes means investing more time to make it work. We appreciate your patience, we are currently still on track for a summer opening, and I will make sure to keep you posted if there any changes. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, we can’t wait to be open and meet our neighbors.
Tracy J. says
I can’t think of a single local business that has opened when the owners thought they would. Mark Furstenberg blogged about the process of opening Bread Furst, and it was quite an eye opener. I’m glad he kept this record.
“Opening a business is complex. I hope if you have been reading these essays over the past months, you understand that. There are many delays, many disappointments and frustrations and so many of them are beyond our control.”
tj says
having opened three restaurants in my life past, one can understand the delays…
the bigger difficulty is helping them to stay open
look at the restaurant in the corner of the bldg of the university
it bleeds “empty-ness” they have tons of chairs inside and out
but far much less customers…. the neighbor “power brokers” need to help them stay successful
it isn’t enough to just open….. !