Help kickstart a new business
Italian Bar (5008 Connecticut Avenue), the gelato and espresso-selling venture from the I’m Eddie Cano people, has had to push back its planned opening date.
“We’ve been tied up in permitting with DCRA and it’s set our opening date back several months which is costly,” Carolyn and Massimo Papetti recently wrote in a community update. “We had hoped to open last month but are now looking at end of January/early February.”
In the meantime, they’re inviting the community to kick in a little startup capital, “to get through the first few months we are open.”
Here’s the Kickstarter campaign. As with all Kickstarters, the project is only funded if it meets its $15,000 goal, and at the time we wrote this, 93 backers had gotten Italian Bar within $500 of reaching that threshold.
“There are lots of great rewards for your support in there from Italian magnets, to limited edition ‘speak Italian’ t-shirts to “fill’er up” yeti coffee mugs, a month of gelato, etc.,” the Papettis wrote. “We appreciate any help you can lend!!”
A sign of progress for another new business
AllCare, a primary and urgent care clinic with several DC-area locations, has been building out its new Van Ness location at 4340 Connecticut Avenue, in the retail space next door to Acacia Food and Wine. A few days ago, its sign went up.
AllCare was originally planning to open its clinic in the retail space on the southernmost end of the UDC law school building, now home to Van Ness Main Street’s office. Leeann Hall, UDC’s vice president of marketing and communications, told Forest Hills Connection that the clinic wanted less space.
Covid cancels some Comet concerts
Comet Ping Pong (5037 Connecticut) canceled two New Year’s weekend shows and a performance on January 16th “[d]ue to concerns around the current surge of COVID-19 infections.”
We’re postponing live music at Comet for a few weeks, but our delicious pizza is still available for dine in and take out! Mmm look at those good lookin pizzas. 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/S1VvdPOxgZ
— Comet Ping Pong (@cometpingpong) December 28, 2021
Why does the Exxon at Connecticut and Nebraska charge so much?
Back in November, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer tweeted about high gas prices.
FYI. Gas prices today here in Washington DC. pic.twitter.com/cF4W2xWZvb
— Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) November 9, 2021
Twitter sleuths soon determined that the photo was taken at an Exxon station a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Blitzer would soon be inundated with replies stating that the gas station he chose to use as an example was not representative of prices in the District.
Then WAMU/DCist weighed in with an article on DC’s “dramatic outliers, sometimes located literally across the street from stations that offer cheaper gas.” One of those is the Exxon at 5030 Connecticut Avenue.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court last year, the eleven-year operator of that Exxon station accused [owner Joe Mamo] of charging “higher prices for motor fuel than other similarly situated service stations” — including the neighboring Shell, which Mamo also owns. She also said he was charging her higher rent, all in hopes of cancelling her lease (which he tried to do last year, prompting the lawsuit) so as to redevelop the property. In 2019, Mamo purchased a property adjacent to the gas station, fueling rumors as the station’s fate.
A New Year’s message from Van Ness Main Street
Executive Director Gloria Garcia writes:
Dear Friends of Van Ness Main Street,
As we close out another challenging year, I sincerely thank you for your commitment to our beautiful neighborhood and its family of businesses on Connecticut Avenue. It’s hard to believe that I am almost at my two-year anniversary with Van Ness Main Street. Joining in January 2020, I had no possible idea of what awaited us all. Somehow, with the resilience of the businesses, support from the DC and Federal governments, quick-thinking of the VNMS board, and most importantly, your support, Van Ness, Forest Hills, and Wakefield are now on the road back to thriving, not just surviving.
We hope that you have all been lifted by our community-building efforts like Movie Night in the Park, Art All Night, and our Holiday Pop Up Market that not only brought us together, but showcased what our neighborhood has to offer while helping our businesses and other artisans, artists, and budding entrepreneurs. And we were able to bring you all together to continue our beautification planting efforts on the avenue throughout the entire year!
As this year comes to an end, we hope you will remember VNMS with any size contribution. There is much planned for 2022 including our business subgrant program, a Spring Pop Up Market, Movie Night in the Park, Art All Night, and our new street light banners gracing the corridor! For ease of giving, we have added Text To Give. Simply text, BannerYear to 202-952-7860 and easily give right from your phone.
We wish you and yours a joyful, healthy, and hopeful 2022. See you on the Avenue!
In Cleveland Park...
Good news from Cleveland Park for the new year.
– Work is progressing at the Uptown Theater. The hope is they’ll reopen around May.
– And Captain Cookie and the Milkman is negotiating to open a bricks and mortar store at 3411 Connecticut Ave (the former Firehook Bakery location). https://t.co/lDwO07PpZe— Tenleytown & Around (@Tenleytown411) January 2, 2022
The Washington Business Journal has the scoop on Captain Cookie & The Milkman. And here’s Popville on happenings at Uptown Theater, which AMC closed just before the pandemic shut everything down.
And in Tenleytown…
Tour small businesses with Middle C Music owner Myrna Sislen in this video series from Tenleytown Main Street. The first episode, on Mia’s Nails, was posted on December 6th.
Forest Hills Connection is a program of Van Ness Main Street.