Glover Park

Glover Park Restaurant Update

Chris — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:14:19 GMT

Glover Park has three new restaurants for residents and others to enjoy:

Shanghai Tea House
2400 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Opened a few months ago in the space vacated by a photography shop below Heritage India. Patrons I have heard from have raved about it: bubble tea, good full selection of lunch and dinner items, all at very reasonable prices. Traffic is light since it is new and not really advertised much (I've gotten no flyers and seen no print ads) which means you can have the place to yourself and not feel crowded.

Surfside
2444 Wisconsin Ave. NW
David Scribner (Dahlia's, Jetties) plans to open Surfside, a casual restaurant in the vacant space formerly Apollo Market. See the full story from January 21. Construction is well under way. No target opening date firm yet.

BreadSoda
2233 Wisconsin Ave. NW (former My Bakery & Cafe location)
BreadSoda will open very soon. See January 21 story for more details. Sandwiches, salads, coffee, wine, 14 beers on tap, and pool tables.

JP's Strip Club Gutted by Fire

Chris — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:20:33 GMT

JP's, a long controversial strip club in Glover Park, was gutted by fire early this morning. The 2-alarm blaze attracted over 100 firefighters and resulted in extensive damage to the establishment as well as some damage to each of the adjacent businesses. JP's has recently been the target once again of neighbors' concerns over having such an establishment in their neighborhood. The recent re-application for renewal of their liquor license and the flaming gasoline attack on an employee of Good Guys - a strip club across the street - have re-energized the complaints and efforts by some residents of Glover Park to compel the Advisory Neighborhood Commission try to oust them from the neighborhood. The ANC subsequently backed approval of their liquor license renewal last month.

Wisconsin Avenue, a major commuter artery into downtown DC, was shut down for most of the morning rushhour, creating chaos on the side streets through the neighborhoods and snarling traffic for miles. Allegedly, a natural gas pipe inside the building broke and caught fire.

Bourbon Owner to Replace My Bakery & Cafe

Chris — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:37:03 GMT

Bill Thomas, the owner of Bourbon restaurant (2348 Wisconsin Ave), is planning to open a new restaurant in space currently occupied by My Bakery & Cafe at 2233 Wisconsin Ave. My Bakery has struggled to attract an evening/dinner crowd in the basement of the office building at the south end of the neighborhood, somewhat away from the foot traffic and not visible from the street level. The meals are great, the baked goods are wonderful, but it seems that the volume of business cannot support such a high-rent area.

Bill Thomas believes he can make a deli succeed in that location. He plans to have a beer/wine license, serve a good beer selection on tap, and set up a billiards area in the large space. Another key to succeeding in this location in to set up an inviting outdoor space that catches the eye of pedestrians. My Bakery efforts fell short of such an attractive outdoor area. Mr. Thomas - like any good businessman/restauranteur considering the neighborhood - would like to expand the liquor license to allow service until 1am or 2am. Many restaurants rely on late night liquor sales to support the business. Finally, Glover Park does have a great market for the lunch crowd during weekdays with all the office space surrounding that location. Targeting this market will also be a key to success.

Surfside Grill

Chris — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:54:40 GMT

The Apollo market, a deli at 2444 Wisconsin Ave. NW which closed last year, reportedly will be replaced by a new restaurant. David Scribner, the restauranteur behind Dahlia's in Spring Valley and Jettie's in Foxhall, plans to open Surfside in Glover Park. It is expected to be a casual and quick spot to eat, but more upscale compared to a deli, with seating for 50-60 in addition to a carry-out focus. Surfside is expected to apply for a beer/wine license. One more vacant property down, maybe half a dozen to go!

Kelly Ferguson

Chris — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:15:04 GMT

Kelly Ferguson, a Glover Park neighbor and popular dog walker and pet sitter, died suddenly at home on December 23rd. She will be missed by many friends, colleagues and clients here in Glover Park. Kelly was passionate about her pets and wanted to help me get more pet pictures on the Glover Park website. Here is the text from the Washington Post:

http://www.legacy.com/WashingtonPost/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=100275673

Kelly J. Ferguson
FERGUSON KELLY J. FERGUSON On December 23, 2007, Kelly J. Ferguson, beloved daughter of Robert P. Ferguson. M.D. and Diane Ferguson (nee Strickland); dear sister of Mike Ferguson and his wife Kathy; dear aunt of Charlie Ferguson. Also survived by numerous aunts and uncles. She was born in Ithaca, NY, where her father was a student. She was raised in New York City, Long Island, New York, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Bloomfield, CT, where she was valedictorian of the Bloomfield High School Class of 1986. She was an accomplished flutist in numerous school musical groups. She attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island where she graduated summa cum laude in 1990. Besides her family, her two great loves were show business and animals. She interned on the television show, Late Night with David Letterman and moved to Los Angeles where she worked in production roles in movies and television. After 9 years in California, she returned to the east coast to be closer to her parents. She worked in law in Washington, DC, before moving to her true calling, working with dogs and cats and a variety of other animals. She formed her own animal care company, Creature Care. A Remembrance Service will be held at a later date. The family suggests donations in Kelly's name to an animal rescue org. Recycled Love, P.O.Box 6476 Baltimore, MD 21230 (RecyledLove.org). Published in The Washington Post on 12/27/2007.

Massage Parlor Raided

Chris — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:29:27 GMT

A "massage parlor" long suspected of harboring a prostitution ring was raided on December 27th and multiple arrests were made. The Venus Spa was located in the basement at 2352 Wisconsin Ave. below the Shade and Shutter Shack across from Whole Foods. Strange how this "business" operated for so long without incident when many neighbors knew exactly what was really going on behind the shaded windows and security camera.

December 5th Snow

Chris — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 12:28:27 GMT

Tuesday evening 12/4 the weather experts assured us that we would get no accumulation of snow in the city on Wednesday morning. Wednesday morning was a commuter's nightmare with accumulated snow and ice on the roads creating treacherous conditions. No streets in Glover Park had been salted or sanded and multiple accidents occured. Some of the most dangerous places were hilly areas, like Manor Place and 37th St. where a five car pileup began with a vehicle sliding down the hill into a parked car, then every car behind slid into the car in front, until there was no more room to slide. The street was closed for much of the day. A number of fender-benders also occured at Benton St. where it meets Tunlaw Road. This slight downslope was a sheet of ice, causing even very slow-moving cars to slide into the cars in front of them, and through the stop sign onto Tunlaw.

Snow continued to fall all day with about 4 inches of accumulation by nighttime, resulting in another disastrous morning commute on Thursday with many side streets gridlocked with sliding cars and buses spinning their wheels. Some cars could not navigate even the slightest incline due to the layer of ice on many streets. By midday Thursday, the ice melted and most streets were clear. The city then sent out it's salt trucks in Glover Park to salt clear streets, leaving the terribly corrosive salt everywhere yet apparently having no effect whatsoever, since the ice had melted hours ago.

Good Guys Controversy Heating Up

Chris — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:58:06 GMT

The controversy over the existence of Good Guys and JP's, two strip clubs in the neighborhood, has been heating up recently.

First a little background:

Good Guys and JP's have operated in Glover Park for many years, to the dismay of many residents who do not wish to have such establishments in their neighborhood. Knowing this, the owner of Good Guys has attempted to be a good neighbor by donating money and having employees volunteer at various Glover Park events. They do contribute more than most other businesses in the neighborhood. When Mama Maria's, the Italian restaurant next door, closed for business earlier this year, Good Guys announced plans to purchase the property and expand its operations into the space. A small group of residents submitted a formal protest to the DC government, but the protest was rejected on a technicality and the efforts seemed to evaporate for a few months. Then just a few weeks ago an employee of Good Guys was viciously attacked, mutilated and almost killed by a disgruntled patron. This horrible crime sparked a renewed effort by residents to voice their opinions about ousting the strip clubs from the neighborhood.

Recent events:

Two recent events have brought this issue to a crossroads. First, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission is considering opposing the renewal of their liquor licenses which are currently up again for consideration. Liquor license control is an effective method of influencing the type of businesses and how they operate in the neighborhood, and of course, a bar would be out of business without one. Second, the previously filed protest, which was rejected, has been submitted to the DC Court of Appeals for reinstatement. The Court of Appeals might issue a decision in the next few days. Both issues have made the owner of Good Guys quite nervous about the future. Allegedly, he has approached a small group of residents who tend to be vocal and influential at the ANC3B monthly meetings and has offered a deal to them. He allegedly proposes that if these few individuals will support his application for liquor license renewal (i.e. not voice opposition at the ANC meeting) he will drop his plans to expand into the Mama Maria's space. Instead, he would propose to expand to the second floor of his establishement, thus doubling patron capacity anyway. He also allegedly has threatened that if he is opposed but gets his license anyway, he will accelerate plans to purchase the property next door and move into the Mama Maria's space. It is not certain at this point how the group of residents will respond to the proposal and threat.

We are quickly approaching a crossroads in the coming days and residents' attention and response could determine the future of these establishments.

Glover Park Blog

Chris — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:49:27 GMT

Welcome to the Glover Park blog!

Glover Park is a wonderful neighborhood in Washington, D.C. just north of Georgetown, west of Wisconsin Avenue, and cradled by the serene forested parklands of Glover-Archbold Park and Whitehaven Park. Read about the neighborhood at www.GloverParkDC.com

Vacant Properties

Chris — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:47:47 GMT

Update on vacant properties on our commercial strip: The bank at 2440 Wisconsin has been demolished and Adams Investment Group is rebuilding a retail/office building (see rendering). 5200 s.f. is currently available for rent. Mama Maria's at 2313 Wisc. is closed and vacant. Apollo Market at 2440 Wisc. is closed and vacant. The laundromat at 2414 Wisc. remains closed and vacant. Half of the old Blockbuster location at 2332 Wisc. is still vacant, with a drycleaners planning to open soon. Studio Infinity at 2200 Wisconsin is closed and the street level space is vacant.

Mama Maria's

Chris — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:50:33 GMT

After many years of talk about the possibility of closing Mama Maria's, a neighborhood Italian restaurant at 2313 Wisconsin, it has finally become a reality. In the past, Good Guys next door had pursued the purchase of this restaurant to expand it's strip bar into the space to add a dining area. The future for the space is uncertain.