Business Ins & Outs: Dent Place Market, North Face, Cafe Milano & More


IN: DENT PLACE MARKET

Good things come to those who wait. A new market has opened at the corner of Dent Place and 34th Street. “Dent Place Market wants to honor the spirit of Georgetown while redefining what a neighborhood market sells,” says co-owner John Kushner. “Great wine, local craft beer, innovative snacks, fresh pastries, Bullfrog Bagels, and drip coffee is just a start to what you’ll find at Dent Place.” Along with Mount Desert Island ice cream and other gourmet items, there’s even an herb garden outside for customers to clip some greens.

IN: BAGELS ON 35TH ST

Call Your Mother, a popular bagel shop on Georgia Avenue NW, plans a Georgetown spot at 35th and O Streets, across from Saxby’s, in the shuttered Greenworks florist shop at 3428 O St. NW. Co-founder Andrew Dana, who calls himself “Jew-ish,” will need to get the store’s plans approved by the Old Georgetown Board.

OUT: DSW, THE NORTH FACE

As previously reported, DSW — Designer Shoe Warehouse — closed its store at 3270 M St. NW in the Georgetown Park retail complex on June 22. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, the multibillion-dollar shoe retailer has about 500 locations.

The North Face — purveyor of outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment — has closed its large store at 3333 M St. NW. The company was founded in 1968 in San Francisco.
Launched: Northwest Courier

With the demise of the Current Newspapers in May, Northwest Washington lost one of its local newspapers. Former employees of the Current — publisher Brendan Martin and editor Kaleel Weatherly — launched the Northwest Courier on June 26 with sections and a look that are similar to the Current. The two operated a Courier website earlier.

OUT: BEN & JERRY’S CLOSING AUG 31

The Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop at 3135 M St. NW will close on Aug. 31. It opened in the spot, near the intersection of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, in 1994. Franchisee Karen Morse has another shop at the Wharf in Southwest D.C.

The store — a 2,308-square-foot main floor and a lower level of 850 square feet — is available for lease. Its contents are up for auction at Rasmus Auctions, according to the Washington Business Journal, which first reported the store’s closing.

“I can’t say specifically the cause for the Georgetown closure, but I can say that we look for locations that have high foot traffic and are attractive to tourists,” spokesperson Laura Peterson told the Journal. “The District Wharf location is vibrant and has a lot of foot traffic.”

EXPANDING: CAFE MILANO GETTING A DECK

Cafe Milano is moving ahead with its proposed deck above the main floor, with a second-floor entrance. Known for its VIP appeal and sightings, the Italian restaurant is part of the Georgetown Court complex at 3251 Prospect St. NW.

IN: FRENCH CAFÉ AT Q CORNER

La Jolie Bleue, a French bakery and café, has opened at 1560 Wisconsin Ave. NW, which formerly (ever so briefly) housed the Bharati Indian restaurant and, before that, was the original location of gelato favorite Dolcezza.

COMING: ARTISAN CHOCOLATES ON WISCONSIN

The window poster at 1321 Wisconsin Ave. NW announces the arrival of L.A. Burdick, a fancy chocolate candy shop founded in New York in 1987, “when Larry [Burdick] returned from Switzerland bearing a chocolate pot, guitars for cutting shapes, dipping forks and a plan to create true artisan chocolate confections.” Its other locations are in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts; Walpole, New Hampshire; and Chicago.

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