Hip Foxtrot Leads New Business Openings
By • March 1, 2021 0 1488
Foxtrot Store Opens in Georgetown
The first-of-its-kind corner store/café/delivery retail market made its East Coast debut on March 1 at 1267 Wisconsin Ave. NW — at the corner of N Street and Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. An enthusiastic crowd of residents, business owners and visitors lined up to check out the newest neighborhood spot.
“We were thrilled when this building and location opened up,” co-founder and CEO Mike LaVitola told The Georgetowner today, as he welcomed new customers of all ages into the gleaming market. “We want to be part of the neighborhood in every way. That means hiring local staff — about 20 permanent and temporary — and offering the best local products.”
As a result, the market offers a section of locally brewed beers, steaks and other butcher cuts from Stachowski’s Market, daily fresh flowers, its own crafted cheeses and locally produced gifts from candles to scents. “We see ourselves as a high-end market that is a café with fresh locally roasted coffee during the day with store-crafted toasts, sandwiches, salads and tacos and a neighborhood wine bar in the evening,” said LaVitola.
Foxtrot, which aims to be fully evolved for the modern consumer, recently announced a $42-million funding round that will be used to scale up the company in D.C. and elsewhere on the East Coast. Foxtrot’s large floor features a coffee bar and inside seating, as well as outside seating on N Street. It’s proud of its “extensive selection of beer and wine curated by Foxtrot’s in-house sommelier, and an all-day café offering seasonal chef-prepared foods, including a mapo tofu bowl and pork and chili tacos created exclusively for D.C. stores by locally celebrated chef Erik Bruner Yang.”
LaVitola founded Foxtrot in Chicago eight years ago as an online high-end local delivery market. “Customers started asking us to make up gift bags of some of the items,” he said, “and it became apparent that we should open up as a brick and mortar go-to corner store that adds to the neighborhood and the local stores around.”
“As a digitally native, direct-to-consumer brand,” the company says, “Foxtrot marries the in-store experience of its neighborhood shops with swift, under-an-hour delivery via its proprietary app and website. Foxtrot hires and deploys its own couriers for a truly seamless on-demand experience.”
“We want to add to Georgetown in every way, not be competitors but part of the neighborhood,” LaVitola said. “We love being across the street from Martin’s.Tavern. We eat there every day.”
The Georgetown Foxtrot is its 11th market and first in Washington, D.C. There are plans for an additional store at Mount Vernon Triangle to open on March 22.
Other businesses have opened or will soon open — offering an optimistic sign for the future of retail in Georgetown.
Roll by Goodyear Drives into Town
The new tire-change concept Roll by Goodyear opened in February at 1336 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The whole premise of the business is to let the customer pick the time and place to have tires installed at no additional cost. The slogan of the business is “tires, on your terms.” Expect lots of great tire puns on their website, like “This is How You Roll,” to explain how to get your tires.
Relish Lands in Vogue
If you haven’t skimmed through the latest issue of Vogue, you may want to sooner rather than later. The publication released a guide to the best small businesses in the country and Relish, a boutique in Georgetown’s Cady’s Alley, made the cut. Just a dozen and a half stores were featured in the piece, designed to shine a light on businesses faring well through the ongoing pandemic. Relish, a great place for one-of-a-kind pieces, was founded nearly 30 years ago by Nancy Pearlstein. You can find the Vogue article HERE.
Avocado Mattress Coming to M Street/Cady’s Alley
Dubbing itself “the antithesis of the traditional mattress store,” California’s Avocado Green Mattress is planning on opening its doors at 3336 M St. NW later this summer. Aiming to cater to the health- and environmentally conscious, the store, with light, airy vibes, will include a space for yoga classes and speakers and a wellness café with kombucha on tap.
Additional reporting by Kate Oczypok and Peggy Sands.
