BUSINESS

A customer says goodbye to Girma Hailu, business owner of Sara’s Market at 3008 Q St. NW, on June 25, as Crush Funk band played for the neighbors. Photo by Robert Devaney.

INS & OUTS

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

FAREWELL TO SARA’S MARKET AND GIRMA HAILU

A Georgetown tradition of more than a century ended last month. Sara’s Market at 3008 Q St. NW shut its doors for good on June 28.

Business owner Girma Hailu — who closed his 7-Eleven at 2617 P St. NW in May after decades working there and owning the franchise with his wife Tsige “Chu-Chu” Sebsibe — made the difficult decision a few weeks ago. “I really tried, but it just doesn’t make sense anymore,” Hailu told The Georgetowner. “I love this neighborhood. This place is home.”

Last year, with encouragement from the neighborhood, Hailu bought Sara’s business, refreshed the old store and restocked it with the top-quality items patrons wanted. Along with fine wines and cheeses, the dry cleaning and alteration services continued. Neighbors were supportive.

However, daily revenues at the small store were increasingly abysmal — its bottomline likely cut into by more online grocery services and newer stores opening up this year.

IN: PRESSED, JUICED UP

The shiny juice joint at 1300 Wisconsin Ave. NW in the former space of the Papyrus card store opened July 8 to lines waiting out the door. Store manager Evan Hrycyk, who ran Pressed stores in Orange County, California, says the new spot is his company’s 116th store and that he is “stoked” to be in Georgetown. Pressed began in 2010 as a 25 square-foot “juice closet” in Los Angeles and included a food truck in Malibu. It offers its signature cold-pressed juices along with plantbased foods.

IN: STORIE COLLECTIVE DESIGN FIRM

The design firm tells us: “From whole home renovations to single room remote designs, Storie Collective collaborates with families and trade professionals to create approachable and authentic spaces that tell a story.” It provides two principal services: full-service design and remote design for residential and commercial interiors. Founder and creative director Sara Swabb lives in Georgetown with her husband, Erik, and two daughters, Tippi and Minna. The lead designer is Mirentxu Meyer.

OUT: GEORGETOWN ALLURE

Georgetown Allure, the skincare medical spa at 3288 M St. NW, next to Pizza Paradiso, has closed. The business announced that the closure is temporary — “Due to unprecedented delays in our revamp project at Georgetown Allure, we will be temporarily closed and all appointments are set to be rescheduled. We appreciate your patience and understanding and apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused. We look forward to servicing you very soon!” — but its sign is off the building and a for-lease sign is in the window.

MOVING: PACERS RUNNING… TO WISCONSIN AVE.

Pacers Running, now at 3273 M St. NW, is planning to move to 1079 Wisconsin Ave. NW, the former space of Lily Pulitzer and Sarah Flint.

FALL DEBUT: YELLOW TO OPEN, NEXT TO LUTÈCE

Yellow cafe will open in the fall at 1524 Wisconsin Ave. NW, between Lutèce bistro, the closed Little Birdies boutique and the George Town Club.

“Chef Michael Rafidi is opening a second location of his popular Eastern Mediterranean cafe, Yellow,” Washingtonian reported. “The Navy Yard spot, which specializes in Levantine cuisine, will expand to Georgetown this fall. On tap: homemade pastries like orange blossom croissants, wood-fired pita sandwiches, vegetable dishes, interesting wines, and specialty coffee drinks. Whereas the original Yellow adjoins Rafidi’s Michelinstarred dinner destination, Albi, the Georgetown cafe will be its own standalone show with all-day hours and more room to dine. The cafe — outfitted with 30 seats indoors and a 30-person patio—will eventually run morning through night.”

CORRECTION: UPWEST IN FORMER KIEHL’S; HATLEY IN FORMER DAWN PRICE SHOP

UpWest, a casual women’s clothing store, opened at 3110 M St. NW, part of the Canal Square retail complex — in the former Kiehl’s Skincare space. UpWest’s motto is “Progress Over Perfection,” and the retailer writes: “We believe moving forward is more important than being perfect. That’s why we strive to use more and more sustainable fabrics, give generously to those in need and only work with Brands We Believe In for our non apparel items.”

Hatley, on the opposite side of the Canal Square entrance, occupies the former space of the Dawn Price store at 3112 M St. NW and is best known for its PVC-free rain gear and cotton pajamas. John and Alice Oldland started Hatley as a cottage business in North Hatley, Québec, Canada, in 1986. Today, Montreal-based Hatley sells its products in approximately 3,300 stores in North America and in more than 20 countries. It operates a direct-to-consumer website and 15 corporate stores in North America, the latest in Georgetown, D.C.

Exuberant employees at D.C.’s first Wegmans at City Ridge welcome customers today. Courtesy Wegmans.

Wegmans... Wow! Everything you ever wanted in a grocery store. And more.

BY SUSAN BODIKER

Cue the choirs of angels. The muchheralded, long-awaited Wegmans has opened in NW D.C. More precisely, in City Ridge, the new residential, retail and commercial complex on Wisconsin Avenue where Fannie Mae once stood at 41 Ridge Square NW. (Its Queen Anne “castle” will now house an international education organization.)

We’re talking a maximalist shopping experience here. At 84,000 square feet, you can easily get your steps in as you walk through miles of aisles of produce, meat, dairy, alcoholic beverages (including hard goods), prepared foods, ready-to-heat foods, global and ethnic ingredients, and a fullon market café (burgers, pizza, poke bowls, sushi, sandwiches), which seats 160.

The family-owned chain is headquartered in Rochester, New York, with stores that stretch from Massachusetts to North Carolina. All supplied by hundreds of local farms, organic and conventional, elevating “farm to table” to a whole other level. Wegmans also pays-it-forward with donations to local charities, like Food and Friends, in every community it serves.

And did we mention the “cheese caves” where cheeses are aged so they’re ready to savor as soon as they hit the display cases?

Whole Foods, who?

Why are you still reading this? Wegmans opens today, July 13, at 9am. Go!

For more information on store offerings and hours, visit wegmans.com/wisconsin-ave.