901 7th St, NW

From a Douglas Development press release:

“Dangerously Delicious Pies will occupy 500 square feet at 901 7th Street, NW. This will be the Baltimore-based pie shop’s second DC location, and is expected to open in April 2012.”

Dangerously Delicious Pies also is located at 1339 H St, NE. You can see their menu here.

9th and I St, NW

Though, I wish I had seen this before I bought the three jade Buddhas and panda shirt. We’ll see how I do in the future…

From Chinatown:

God I wish I had photos of what Lion’s liquors used to look like at 3614 Georgia Ave, NW. It was full of bullet proof glass and grime. This transformation is nothing short of astonishing. I spoke with some workers who said they anticipate opening in the next week or two. Another reader writes in (sending the photo above) and also says they heard they will be opening in 2 weeks.

Does anyone remember what this place used to look/smell like? I truly can’t believe how fantastic this is turning out.

Another amazing transformation, this time at 1240 Upshur St, NW. Annie’s Ace Hardware opens tomorrow Tues. Feb. 7th. I was also pyched to learn there will be a couple of zip car spots.

Full press release after the jump. (more…)

Back in Oct. 2011 I first spotted a sign that a new Charcuterie & Salumi called Three Little Pigs was coming to 5111 Georgia Ave, NW next to the Petworth Fire Station. At the time I said, ‘Holy lord – this could be very very awesome.’ After peeking in the shop and talking with owners Jason and Carolina, allow me to amend my take – holy lord this is gonna be absolutely freaking amazing. I honestly and truly believe this may be the best thing, forget about Petworth, this may be the best thing to hit DC in years. It’s something everyone’s been craving – local, independent, and (from the sound of it) delicious.

So at the outset let me say they have an unbelievably good Website. You will find absolutely everything you can possibly want to know there, including some menu options, lots of background info on the store and owners Jason and Carolina, you can learn about the the farms where the food comes from and lots more.

What you won’t be able to learn from the website is the fact that Jason and Carolina are two of the most passionate, knowledgeable and kind proprietors you will ever meet. And you’re gonna be able to find that out for yourself if you’d like – this Sat. they are having a pre-preview open house at the shop (5111 Georgia Ave, NW) where you can learn all about their plans and see an artist put up a mural:

So when will they open for real? If all goes well they will be open in about a month. Like I said, the Website explains the vision and plans much better than I can but some things that I’ll emphasize – these people are not amateurs. The sophistication of the whole set up is truly impressive. Check out the 600 pound smoker:

It is equally as sophisticated as NORAD:

Other things we can look forward to in the future – classes, family style dinners, pickled treats including kimchi, homemade sodas, homemade mustards, homemade dried pastas, and obviously most importantly hand sliced everything.

Obviously we’re gonna have to taste stuff but if it’s as good as it sounds, well, I think it is safe to say this place will contribute significantly to the beautiful life. Stop by Sat. to say hi and see the potential for yourself.

Back in Nov. 2011 we learned that an organic juice bar and market was coming to 3706 Macomb St, NW. They quietly opened a couple weeks ago:

You can see their menu here.

Ironically, some of the wood used in the store was reclaimed from Hawk n Dove:

I was psyched to learn that BakeHouse is coming to 14th and T St, NW. I emailed owner Niall Cooper for some details and she writes:

We are in the final stages of lease negotiations for a space in a new build on T street, right off 14th (behind Policy, across T St from Room and Board). The development is due for completion in the Fall, to be built by Eichberg Construction. The one-story post office is part of the same project, but our shop will be located in a new building that will be constructed in the small empty lot next door.

Our menu will consist of house-made baked goods and high quality coffees and teas. We’ll serve updated classics with modern flavor profiles.

We took part in the last the Grey DC Market, which was a great success, and we hope to do more markets over the coming months.

Sounds great. I’ll let everyone know when the next market is scheduled. They project to open in 213 days and counting. Think this’ll be a good fit for 14th and T St, NW?

Last week I mentioned that a new dry cleaners had opened up at 3903 Georgia Ave, NW by Qualia coffee. Speaking with the owner the other day revealed a couple of interesting potential plans for the second floor. He is considering leasing the space to a yoga studio or possibly opening up a Chipotle style restaurant. Which would you rather have? If you think a Yoga studio do you think two yoga studios could survive since one just opened up at 4804 Georgia Ave, NW.

From an email:

“Starting next Saturday, January 28th, we’re partnering with the fabulous Pleasant Plains Workshop in the heart of Columbia Heights to make our pop-up shop temporarily into a staying-still shop for most of the month of February, selling during regular store hours from Thursday through Sunday. We’re hosting an opening on January 28th, from 4 to 8 p.m., a Fashion Show on February 12th, a Nerd Night at the Looking Glass bar on February 19th, and a mega swap-o-rama for our closing on February 25th.”

More info available here. Pleasant Plains Workshop is located at 2608 Georgia Ave, NW.

I feel like the McCoy Sisters Beauty Salon from North Capitol Street (NW side) could be from a movie set. What do you think – 50s in this photo:

And 70s in this photo:

459 I Street NW

Just got word from the folks at BicycleSPACE that they are moving from 459 I Street NW to 1019 7th St, NW (next to The Passenger) in Mt. Vernon Square. The move should be completed this Winter. Owner Erik Kugler tells me:

“We thought it would be a great location because it was formerly a hardware store and has that homey feel, it’s close enough to our old location, next to a high-quality establishment (Passenger) and it’s going to be out of the heavy construction zone in the MVT in the near future as that all gets redeveloped. We’re just scratching the surface of what we’ve set out to do with bicycle retail.”

For fans of BicycleSPACE – do you like this new location?

1019 7th St, NW

This is in the former barber shop right outside the Petworth metro. And I was just saying to myself how I wish Georgia Avenue had more bodega/market options… Maybe we should offer some tax incentives to attract retail other than Markets like this? There’s gotta be at least two per block in every direction. Or am I overreacting?

It’s a good week for cycling studio news. The Art of SpYn is coming to 950 F St, NW. From an email:

The Art of SpYn features two studios, a patron’s lounge, high-end men’s and women’s locker facilities and a lifestyle retail boutique in over 4,000 square feet of space. The state of the art cycling studio and tranquil yoga studio create the perfect combination for the latest in fitness in a beautiful, modern setting.

The team at The Art of SpYn is committed to innovation and creation of forward-thinking classes that combine the best practices from different disciplines to give you the most effective workout.

Very cool news about the renovation going on at 905-907 U St, NW. The second and third floors are going to house Off Road Indoor Cycling – “a dedicated indoor cycling studio”. I’m told that if all goes well they will open their doors around the May/June time frame. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Photos courtesy of Petworth Cleaners

Petworth Cleaners is having their Grand Opening today at 3903 Georgia Ave, NW. From the owner:

We offer next day organic dry cleaning as well as a on site tailor. For our grand opening, we’re offering 20% off all dry cleaning. We also provide shirts laundry, alterations, and shoe repair. I’m coming from my parents store in Bloomingdale where i’ve worked for the last 4 years.