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Barracks Row revival
Capitol Hill's historic commercial corridor gets a facelift
(Published March 8, 2004)

By SEAN SALAI
Staff Writer

Five years ago, many Capitol Hill merchants and shoppers were afraid to walk down Eighth Street SE.

"You just didn’t see people strolling along," said Councilwoman Sharon Ambrose, who represents the area. "It was a scary place."

Now the street, a historic commercial corridor known as "Barracks Row" that includes the U.S. Marine Barracks and the Navy Yard, is again a hive of activity. In December, construction crews finished refurbishing the parking meters, lampposts, trees and street itself. Renovations began in October 2002.

"Four years ago, things were way sketchy," said Ron Casidine, a manager at Backstage Theatre Store, which relocated from Dupont Circle in May 2000. "Things have turned around 240 percent in the past year alone."

"It’s fantastic," said Rodney Smith, who opened Capitol Hill Sporting Goods and Apparel in 2002. "It’s finished."

Eighth Street thrived on shipbuilding and ordnance production from the days of George Washington until the 1960s, when postwar out-migration of the middle class began to take a heavy toll.

The owners of a flower shop and a liquor store, both located on Eighth Street for more than a decade, declined to speak with the press about these issues. But the office manager of Gentle Dental Care, located on Eighth Street for 20 years, said the new cosmopolitan environment has been great for business.

"When I came here 10 years ago, I asked God whether it was a blessing or a curse," said Rosalind Phillips. "Now the area is turning into Georgetown. There’s an influx of professionals who are very interested in getting braces and whitening their teeth."

Merchants at newer Eighth Street businesses were likewise quick to offer their observations about the old days.

"I either came here for the Blockbuster Video or I didn’t come at all," said Jennifer Zatkowski, who opened Pawticulars pet shop with her husband last September. "As a single woman in the early to middle 1990s, I didn’t feel comfortable after dark."

In the early 1990s, the street’s merchants decided to take action. They created the Barracks Row Business Alliance, enrolling as a Main Street project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1999. Then, when the District started its own "ReStore D.C." Main Street program in 2002, they joined that one, too.

Bill McLeod, executive director of Barracks Row Main Street, said the organization follows the guidelines of the National Trust program but receives 25 percent of its funding from the D.C. program. The National Trust established its Main Street guidelines in 1977.

"Sometimes I feel like my office is a complaint hotline," McLeod said of his role.

Barracks Row is now one of 12 ReStore D.C. Main Streets and is the only National Trust Main Street within the District of Columbia. In addition to its ReStore D.C. funding, it receives money from the Fannie Mae Foundation, Washington Gas and the local merchants themselves.

Casidine, who has worked for Backstage Theatre for 12 years, said McLeod functions primarily as a "problem solver" for local business people. When a construction crew left a portable toilet next to his shop last December, for example, one phone call to McLeod was sufficient to get it removed.

"Things are great on Eighth Street," Casidine said. "They probably haven’t been this good since the 1700s."

Casidine said he believes one thing sets off Barracks Row Main Street from the other commercial hubs in town: unity behind a common goal.

"The owners and managers on Eighth Street are like family," he said. "It’s so different from our old location at P and Connecticut."

One of Barracks Row’s greatest allies has been Councilwoman Ambrose, a visible figure at festivals, meetings and other Main Street special events.

"What I try to do is plug new businesses into the Devolopment Ambassador program, which walks them through the permit process," Ambrose said. "I clear up the red tape."

McLeod said there are currently 17 retailers and 22 restaurants and bars on the street, with four new businesses expected to open by summer. Many of the new merchants also belong to the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals (CHAMPS), which focuses on networking and lobbying.

"Membership in CHAMPS is a requisite in Washington," said Smith, the sporting goods owner. "It helps you interact with other businessmen."

Merchants interviewed by The Common Denominator agree that Eighth Street’s reputation for being "up and coming" is probably the biggest factor in its revival.

"We thought this was the perfect place for a restaurant," said Amir Ehsan, co-owner of Capitol Hill Tandoor & Grill, which opened last Sept. 29. "Taxes are high, but the location offsets our costs."

For the most part, they also agree that the higher expenses of operating a business on Barracks Row is not an obstacle to profit. The street’s proximity to the Eastern Market Metro stop, as well as to the suburbs, is cited as a major boon.

"So far, we’re satisfied," Ehsan said. "Our building is bigger and more visible than our competitors on Pennsylvania Avenue."

Zatkowski, the pet shop owner, said, "Business is great. The environment is very welcoming."

Everyone seems to have his or her own expectation of what will or should happen to the neighborhood in the future.

"Our next step is to get better facades and signs," McLeod said. "That sends a positive signal to people."

Casidine, the theatrical goods salesman, calls Eighth Street an artist’s community. Barracks Row is home to the Shakespeare Theatre, which offers various acting classes.

"We need a grocery store and a movie theater, more outside cafes and more funky Bohemian art stuff," he said. "Starbucks is categorically evil, but it’s been great for us."

Councilwoman Ambrose said some locals are also working to make the Eastern Market Metro plaza at Eighth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE more attractive. She said the most difficult part of Eighth Street’s commercial renewal is already complete.

"We’re about halfway there, in terms of attracting new businesses," Ambrose said. "It will get even better now that the weather is warming up."