Business Ins & Outs: Fountain Inn Opens; Amazon Books Closes; Scout Gets Store
By • March 17, 2022 0 1215
In: Fountain Inn Livens Up Book Hill
The Fountain Inn opened yesterday at 1659 Wisconsin Ave. NW — just in time for St. Patrick’s Day — with some serious whiskeys.
We had the pleasure of visiting @fountaininndc and, wow, is it beautiful,” wrote Rachel Shank of Georgetown Main Street. “We couldn’t be happier that this spot is joining our independent business community.”
The new tavern has staked its reputation on fine spirits — as well as on the spirits of Washington history — and tells us: “Originally established in 1783 by clockmaker John Suter, The Fountain Inn (a.k.a. Suter’s Tavern) was one of the most important taverns in American history.
“While the precise location of the original tavern is unknown, we do know this: Washington slept (t)here; Jefferson drank (t)here; D.C. was built (t)here. Now, a lot has changed in the last 235-plus years and yet, a lot has remained the same. Our vision for the 21st century Fountain Inn is to rekindle, restore but also rewrite its legacy, spirit and history in the form of a rare spirits tasting room that welcomes all through its doors.”
We’re ready for our back-to-the-future moment and a fine whiskey.
Out: Amazon Book Store Closing on Saturday
The Amazon Book Store at 3040 M St. NW will be closing this Saturday, March 19.
As previously reported, Amazon will be closing all 68 of its physical bookstores, along with its pop-ups. The closure includes Amazon Books at 3040 M St. NW. Ironically, the Georgetown book store opened in part of the former Barnes & Noble space in 2018.
The company remains committed to its physical grocery stores. The Glover Park Whole Foods reopened last month with high-tech transaction devices.
“We’ve decided to … focus more on our Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Go and Amazon Styles stores and our Just Walk Out technology,” Amazon said in a statement. “We remain committed to building great, long-term physical retail experiences and technologies, and we’re working closely with our affected employees to help them find new roles within Amazon.”
Scout: You Got the Bags. Now, There’s a Store
The Washington, D.C.-based brand — known for colorful bags that mix function and fashion — opened its first-ever flagship store on March 11 at 1027 33rd St. NW, next to Catons Walk and one door from the C&O Canal. The store is also next to Scout headquarters. Led byDeb Waterman Johns, who lives in Georgetown, the company employs more than 40 persons. Of the new store, Johns said: “It is the authentic Scout lifestyle world. Full of color, fashion, function, and of course, fabulous.”
Scout co-founder Deb Waterman Johns in front of its flagship store on 33rd Street. Courtesy Scout.
