Business Briefs • Sarah Payne

Business Briefs

by Sarah Payne

Made in Shaw: Right Proper Brewing’s Craft Beers

Many businesses in the neighborhood could rightfully say their products are made in Shaw, but only Right Proper Brewing Shaw Brewpub and Kitchen (624 T Street NW) uses that claim as their slogan.

After working in the hospitality industry for the majority of her career, owner Leah Cheston decided to establish her own restaurant in 2013. Cheston and her husband Thor, whose background is also in hospitality but primarily in beer, worked together to make their vision a reality.

“We always just liked the idea of opening our own place,” Cheston said. “My idea was a wine bar and his was a neighborhood brew pub. His vision just seemed to be a little further along than mine, so we decided for him to go for it first.”

They chose a space with a rich history. The former pool hall is mentioned by Duke Ellington in his autobiography as having helped to inspire his musical career.

They brew their beer on site in a variety of styles, from Senate, a light American lager, to Haxan, a robust porter. The beer menu changes weekly to feature new releases. Cheston said they have brewed over 150 different beers since their opening. They also have a production facility and tasting room in Brookland (920 Girard Street NE). Some of Right Proper’s brews are available in cans and bottles at the brewpub and retailers, but all the beers that are on tap can be ordered to go in growlers.

“Shaw has been more of a pilot brewery and a place to test recipes,” Cheston explained. “It’s kind of fun and we’re doing a lot of collaborations with community partners and other breweries.” A recent example is Bison Blood, a hoppy brown ale brewed to celebrate nearby Howard University’s 2022 homecoming. Right Proper’s kitchen offers a variety of Southern inspired dishes, all made from scratch. Their fried chicken sandwich is the most popular item, but according to Cheston, the restaurant’s Southern hospitality is really what sets them apart. “I’m from a small southern town in North Carolina and my husband was really charmed by that way of life, particularly with the language, with sayings like ‘she’s right pretty’ or ‘I’ll be there right quick’ and so he said, ‘I want to open a ‘right proper’ brew pub.’”

Cheston sees the brewpub as a true community space for neighbors to gather for good food and drinks.

“We’ve had all kinds of community events,” Cheston recalled. “We just did a block party as part of the Art All Night festival. We’ve done drag brunches and a lot of partnerships with local community organizations because we just see this as a community space.” Live entertainment is also part of their offerings. The restaurant welcomes children during all of their operating hours and features a “Half-Pint Menu” for kids, highchairs, changing tables and crayons.

Right Proper Brewing is open Monday through Thursday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Brown thumb or green thumb, Rewild has the plant for you Many Whether you have a green thumb or not, Rewild Shaw (1924 8th Street NW Suite #100) can help make your home or office a greener place with their selection of houseplants, pots, planters and experts to guide you through their care. According to Joseph Ressler, a managing partner at Rewild, the plant and flower studio’s inventory is primarily sourced from family nurseries in the southeastern United States. Their collection features many unusual houseplants not commonly found in larger stores like Home Depot. Leah Cheston is a co-owner of Shaw’s Right Proper Brewpub. In addition to selling plants, the store’s ex-

Photo: Alexander M. Padro, Courtesy Shaw Main Streets. perts are also able to diagnose plants that are having problems, and with any purchase in the store, they will repot plants for free. Additionally, for a fee, Rewild offers delivery and repotting services in the home, as well as consultation services to design, install and maintain plants in both residential and commercial spaces. Rewild has also partnered with local businesses to conduct workshops. Ressler believes that community is at the heart of Rewild. “We love Shaw,” Ressler said. “It feels like we are very much ingrained in the community. We know our neighbors, we’re involved with Shaw Main Streets. It’s just a great area and we’re very happy to be a part of the community.” Rewild celebrated their fourth anniversary on October 21, 2022 and Ressler emphasized the importance of small businesses in the community. He said the shop will feature a variety of great promotions for Small Business Saturday in November. In addition to stores in Shaw and Northern Joseph Ressler is a managing partner at Rewild. Virginia, Rewild also Photo: Alexander M. Padro, Courtesy Shaw Main Streets. began operating the

U.S. Botanical Garden gift shop in April 2022. A portion of sales at that location go to the Friends of the U.S. Botanic Garden, which presents community education programs and events. In addition to selling plants in the gift shop, they also sell artwork from DC artists.

Rewild Shaw is open Monday through Friday. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. e shop’s entrance is on 9th Street, despite the 8th Street address. You can also visit their Northern Virginia location in Ballston (700 N Randolph Street #190) and the United States Botanic Garden Gift Shop (100 Maryland Avenue SW).

Anastasia Mori owns La Jambe, Shaw’s French wine bar. Photo: Alexander M. Padro, Courtesy Shaw Main Street

La Jambe Brings La Jambe Brings French Flair to Shaw

Community and authentic French avors come together at La Jambe (1550 7th Street NW). Originally from the south of France, owner Anastasia Mori lived in Paris before relocating to the United States. She created La Jambe as an authentic French neighborhood cafe experience for Washingtonians.

“ e idea behind La Jambe was to reproduce something that I was very familiar with and loved back when I lived in Paris,” Mori reminisced. “It is the neighborhood bar where you go after work, have a bot-

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