Business Leaders Spotlight Spotluck at Orange Anchor
• March 26, 2015

The Georgetown Business Association met up March 18 at the newly arrived Orange Anchor restaurant at Washington Harbour on the Georgetown waterfront. GBA President Charles Camp welcomed members and guests to the seafood eatery, which was opened by Reese Gardner, founder of Wooden Nickel Bar Company (Copperwood Tavern, Irish Whiskey Public House and Second State), and caters to landlubbers and boaters alike. The purpose of the GBA, Camp stressed, is to help Georgetown businesses succeed. The group heard a quick presentation of a local mobile app, Spotluck, headed by Cherian Thomas and Brad Sayler. The app will soon launch its Georgetown hub to help the community explore where to eat locally. Also, GBA members now can join the City Tavern Club at a discount.

Summer Opening for Watergate Hotel with ‘Mad Men’ Styling
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Closed for seven years, the once legendary Watergate Hotel – part of the equally legendary Watergate complex on the Potomac River, next to Georgetown – marked a ceremonial “topping off” of the hotel’s grand ballroom – part of a $125-million renovation – on March 19.

“Once it was the grandest luxury hotel,” said Jacques Cohen, principal of Euro Capital Properties, which is developing and owns the Watergate Hotel. The group intends to bring back the hotel’s mystique with retro styling and luxe appointments, as well as a 12th-floor rooftop bar. Other amenities at the hotel, which will re-open this summer, include a whisky bar, fine dining and casual restaurants and a fitness center and spa.

The grand ballroom, the “hotel’s crown jewel,” according to Rakel Cohen, the director of design and development of Euro Capital Properties, will be called the Moretti Ballroom after the hotel’s designer Luigi Moretti, the Italian architect who created the complex’s contemporary and ground-breaking style in 1961.

The hotel opened in 1965. Completed in 1971, the mixed-use Watergate complex with three residential buildings, two office buildings and a hotel was constructed by Italy-based SGI and developer Giuseppe Cecchi.

The Cohens were joined by Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans and Foggy Bottom advisory neighborhood commissioner William Kennedy Smith, M.D., “Mad Men” costume designer Janie Bryant and hotel managing director Johnny So.

Thos. Moser Opens at 33rd Street and the Canal
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Thos. Moser, Handmade American Furniture, opened a new store in Georgetown over the weekend. After being at the corner of 33rd and M Streets for 10 years and closing in June 2012, the Thos. Moser Showroom is a few doors down the same street, at 1028 33rd St. NW. Company founder Tom Moser met clients and fans and made new friends in the new space – which he considers the company’s finest – next to the C&O Canal. Also on hand were other company employees, including head craftsman Warren Shaw.

Susquehanna Antiques
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Another unique Georgetown business is departing: Susquehanna Antiques at 3216 O St. NW. “Yes, I need to give it up,” responded proprietor David Friedman to our inquiries. “I have bought commercial real estate in my hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, and I will be leaving Georgetown after being here since 1980. That is 35 years of paying rent at a very high dollar-figure. I am looking for a modest private space so that I can still serve all my Washington clients, but it has not yet presented itself. “

Thos. Moser Back By Popular Demand
• March 11, 2015

Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers will return to Georgetown March 20. After closing in June 2012 following a 10-year run at the corner of 33rd and M Streets, the Thos. Moser showroom will reopen just down the street at 1028 33rd St. NW.
The Thos. Moser team will hold a public opening event, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, March 21 (see Calendar), with founder Tom Moser, 80, signing catalogs until 2 p.m. and a demonstration by master craftsman Warren Shaw. Visitors can enter to win a spot in the customer-in-residence program, in which winners spend a week at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine, and build a Continuous Arm Chair at the Moser workshop.

For Sweet Sixteen, WFP Invests in Tech Edge
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With 16 years of success under their belts, Tom Anderson, Dana Landry, Bill Moody and Marc Schappell at Washington Fine Properties are marking their “Sweet Sixteen” with tech savvy and style.

In business since 1999, the firm has made waves in Washington’s real estate market by brokering deals on some of the most luxurious homes in the District. During that time, the internet experienced explosive transformation, transitioning from just another means to communicate to a vast source of data and information utilized by businesses and individuals alike.

The internet revolution hit the real estate market in a big way. “Statistics show that 98 percent of people buying homes use the internet as a tool in their search process,” Landry points out. He goes on to say that the web has revolutionized the house touring process. Prospective buyers’ “first appointment is all online and if they like what they see on the web, they’ll come see the house.”

So WFP fine-tuned their site, gearing it “towards the properties, not the agents,” by blowing out their photography, embedding video (sometimes filmed by drones flown by ex-military pilots) and information about nearby schools and, most impressive, bringing Google Street View-like technology to virtual tours of homes on the market through Matterport 3D Modeling. Landry describes it, saying, “If you click on circles in the pictures, it takes you right through the room and you can walk through the whole house.” (Take a tour for yourself here.)

Then, he says, there’s the “dollhouse version” feature on the new site, allowing prospective buyers – or just those with high aspirations or a lot of curiosity – to look through the house in “layers,” with a simple click putting you inside any room in the house. Landry boasts that no other real estate firm in the area is using this technology (yet).

In addition, four weeks ago WFP launched a new in-house app that connects their team, bringing brokers together to better serve the firm’s clients. Landry says, “When we can get our whole team working on an assignment for one of our clients, the power of the team is incredible.” He compares it to Facebook, saying that agents can push notifications to one another about new listings or a client’s specific needs.

The app also stores “critical information” previously only accessible by PC, such as essential forms and lists of home inspectors, appraisers and settlement attorneys.

Landry notes that WFP’s tech upgrades weren’t cheap, but that they have paid off with regard to bringing in and streamlining business. With a relatively small 130-person team, Landry says, “We’ve always prided ourselves on being agile and able to implement effective tools for our agents.” WFP is doing just that with their new web tools.

New Visitor Center Seeks Ambassadors
• February 26, 2015

The Georgetown Business Improvement District plans to open a visitor center on M Street in April, in the southwest corner lobby of the Georgetown Park retail entrance, across from Dean & DeLuca.

To give visitors an orientation to and suggestions about Georgetown, the BID is looking for volunteers to serve as “Neighborhood Ambassadors.” The BID notes: “Ambassadors provide exemplary customer service and enhance the visitor experience in Georgetown. They will greet visitors, answer questions, provide directions (walking, driving and public transit) and offer suggestions for culture, recreation, shopping and dining in Georgetown.”

To apply to become a visitor center volunteer, visit georgetowndc.com/VCVolunteer.

Illusions of Georgetown
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After Ispa for Hair closed at the beginning of February, a new comer is already on the scene at 1629 Wisconsin Ave. NW: Illusions of Georgetown. It will be run by the founder of Illusions of Shirlington, Irma Wheeler, who opened her salon more than 20 years ago in Arlington. Joining Wheeler at the new in-town location will be her son Justin. In Ispa alumni news, Bryan Winter has moved to Salon Leau, just down the avenue at 3240 P St. NW.

Amazon Andes Clothing Store
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The clothing, jewelry and accessories boutique, Amazon Andes, at 1419 Wisconsin Ave. NW, is closing. Discounts are being offered, especially on alpaca fashions. The store was a homage to Bolivia, as well as to environmentally friendly products with no child labor from Elizabeth Bowles, who plans to continue to sell her wares at shows and other events.

French Market Returns, April 24 and 25
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A springtime tradition, the 12th annual Georgetown French Market will return to the Book Hill neighborhood Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. According to the presenting organization, the Georgetown Business Association, the open-air market features merchandise discounts up to 75 percent, French food and live music. Book Hill boutiques, antique stores, restaurants, salons and galleries will display their wares, evoking the outdoor markets of la Ville Lumière.