7-Eleven on P St. to Close May 15
By • May 9, 2022 0 3026
Well, there’s no thank you heaven, and soon there’ll be no 7-Eleven in Georgetown.
The 7-Eleven convenience store at 2617 P St. NW — a favorite of residents, visitors and cops — is set to close May 15, longtime franchise owner Girma Hailu told The Georgetowner.
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Hailu arrived in the United States in the 1980s, after living in the Soviet Union and then making his way to the U.S. consulate in West Berlin for asylum. He and his wife, Tsige Sebsibe, have operated the P Street 7-Eleven store — which opened in 1964 — since 1986. Hailu became a franchisee in 1999 and has been prospering there as a business owner and friend of the community.
More than a month ago, 7-Eleven corporate officials met with Hailu and told him his business was underperforming at its current location and that the numbers would not likely improve post-pandemic. They offered to find him a new D.C. location — but not in Georgetown. Hailu said he believed home deliveries and nearby grocery stores had cut into his business.
Hailu and his wife, also known as “Chu-Chu,” said they are heartbroken at the turn of events, having poured their hearts, souls and time into building their 7-Eleven business in the Herring Hill area, once a thriving Black section of Georgetown.
Founded in 1927, 7-Eleven, Inc., is an American multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It operates, franchises and licenses 78,029 stores in 19 countries and territories. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings, which is headquartered in Tokyo.
