Marvelous Market patrons enjoyed the umbrella-covered outdoor seating.
When the Marvelous Market at 5035 Connecticut Avenue closed for good last week, it set off a round of reminiscing on the Chevy Chase community listserv about businesses on that block that are gone, but certainly not forgotten. The listserv’s moderators have given us permission to share the discussion with you.
This message started things off:
To our loyal customers. This location (5035 Connecticut Ave, NW) is now closed.; This is the sad announcement that patrons of M&M will find posted on its doors (effective today, 6/17/2013) when they go there, as I often do, to order a coffee and pastry. I, and a few others, may have been the last cash paying customers when the manager informed us (around 2 p.m.) that the store would be closing this afternoon.
When I asked the manager why, he explained that M&M was now a retail outlet for other bakers and no longer baked its own breads, pastries, etc. Consequently, the profit margins were too small to keep the business going.
Soon, this stretch of Connecticut Avenue turned into Memory Lane.
Speaking of Conn.and Nebraska, how about the former “Call Carl” gas station/auto repair place? The neo-colonial style brick office buildings are there now.”
“Call Carl” float by Earl Hargrove, Washington Monument Centennial Celebration, Washington, D.C., 1948, courtesy Earl C. Hargrove Collection at the Smithsonian Museum of American History
As long as we are looking at Conn. Ave and Nebraska, NW, anyone recall the Thai Room — also one of our favorites … Or Cafe Burgundy? Both far predated MM and Politics and Prose.
I am still mourning the Thai Room–one of my all-time favorites. I believe it may have been the oldest Thai restaurant in the city. The food was wonderful, the prices more than reasonable, and the people great.
The Thai Room closed in 2005, and Comet Ping Pong moved into the space.
I agree. I think I read that the Thai Room was essentially the first Thai place in the entire DC area!
When I moved to DC in 1975 I went there with a brand new friend from my work place; neither of us had ever had Thai food before. I remember well what we had: spicy bean thread; beef with hot chili and garlic; pork with hot chili and garlic; chicken with hot chili and garlic… My insides felt it the next day! That friend from 1975 became our daughter’s godfather in 1985. So some things do endure!
Ah, wonderful memories! Friday evening suppers at Cafe Burgundy provided our end of week treat with my parents when I was a child. And as a young working person, lunches at Thai Room, with a coworker from the Philippines who knew which marvelous dishes to order and allowed us to expand our culinary experiences. Thanks for spurring the walk down memory lane!
According to the Streets of Washington blog, Cafe Burgundy closed in 1990. See a vintage postcard of the restaurant here. 5031 Connecticut is now home to Buck’s Fishing and Camping.
The fresh home grown tomatoes in the summer made it worth the trip to the Cafe Burgundy as well as delicious food.
In that same Connecticut/Nebraska block there was also Karl’s Caterer that made delicious food and assembled the most beautiful stacked gift boxes. (Another branch was at Westwood Shopping Center in Bethesda) And a yarn shop…Was it called Knit and Purl?
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What do you remember about these and other long-gone businesses?