UDC retail update: MOM’s, Dog Haus, The Whale Tea and a smoothie place

An April opening?

Work on the MOM’s Organic Market at Van Ness continues inside. But a key step prior to the store’s opening happens outside: the installation of the signs.

At the February 6th meeting of the UDC Community-Campus Task Force, MOM’s landlord UDC said the signs (which even had the federal government weighing in via the Commission of Fine Arts) will go up in late March, and that MOM’s is targeting an April opening.

Until recently, the university had three retail spaces available for lease: a spot in the Student Center food court, the former Charlie Chiang’s/Chalin’s next door to MOM’s, and the Van Ness Main Street office, which is in UDC-donated space at 4340 Connecticut. (Forest Hills Connection is an editorially independent program of Van Ness Main Street.)

Now, there are two. The task force meeting revealed that Tropical Smoothie Cafe is coming to the Student Center. It will occupy the space just south of Van Ness Street, facing Connecticut Avenue. There’s no projected opening date yet.

The task force does have new projected opening dates for the two incoming businesses at 4340: The Whale Tea could open this month or in March, and Dog Haus might be ready by late spring or early summer.

Javier Dussan, UDC vice president of facilities, was not able to attend the meeting, but he left notes for Juanita Gray, the university’s community engagement director. Gray also provides campus updates at ANC 3F’s monthly meetings, and will host the next task force meeting on May 1st.