While on vacation, I did watch the news so yes, I’m aware of certain big national stories. However, I didn’t care. What did catch my eye was something the town of Winter Garden, FL was doing which made me wonder if DC is doing something similar, and if not, why not.
What the City of Winter Garden has is a website showing commercial properties available for lease or sale. Then when you find a property, it gives you the selling price, the lease per sq ft, and the contact agent should you actually want to set up shop. The demographic information is possibly where the city mixes in it’s info by showing what certain (I’m talking very specific like “Medical transcriptionists”) occupations make per hour and annually, where other businesses are in relation to the location you are looking at, and how much money per household and per $000s was spent on things like “Women’s Apparel” in a certain mile radius.
When I heard of that I thought, that would be great for parts of DC that need to attract businesses, like North Cap. However, that would require sharing information with the public, being pro-business, working with private entities, and pro-active. Yet considering that the District can be sloppy with information, anti-small business, and stubborn as a mule against change, I highly doubt the City would provide a tool like Winter Garden’s that would inspire someone to open that small boutique or that dentist’s office, or some other small business by seeing how much particular skilled labor and space will run them.
Another thing, looking at the long list of Winter Garden occupations and their average wages and salaries, got me to thinking about how that may be helpful for job seekers and people trying to become more valuable as workers. So not only would the tool help potential employers but employees as well.
Tag: business
Now open at P and North Cap
ANC Commish Kris Hammond reports there is chicken now available at P & North Capitol at the newly opened Luciana Cafe.
Capital Market: The Series
After the tour of the market area given by Richard and Elise a couple of weeks ago, I suggested creating a resource for would be shoppers. Something that pre-tour could be printed up or for others not interested in the tour, a directory of some of the places one may want to explore. There is a template, and that is just to keep it so that you as a reader and shopper aren’t bogged down with too much sundry information, just the basics. If anyone else wants to participate, I can provide you with the template and some ideas.
First up is Obengs. Unfortunately, I don’t know too much about the place as it is not one of my regular stops. I’ve been in a few times, once to buy the Afrophile roommie some goat meat. I’ll probably update it when I go through there again just to remember what other products are there.
Capital Market: Obeng Market
Obeng International
300 Morse St., NE
202 544 8255
Takes: Cash, Debit & Credit
Description: Serving the African immigrant population the store sells items like fu-fu flour, goat meat, and salted fish. They also sell items familiar to Americans like fresh chicken at their butcher’s counter, large bags of rice, and kitchen spices.
Extra: When ordering from the butcher’s counter your chicken will be cut into quarters and your goat into large cubes. If you don’t want your meat cut say something.
LINKS:
The Capital City Market Blog
Capitol City Market: The Series
InShaw’s Flickr Pix of Obengs
Frozen Tropic’s March 2008 post on Obengs
More on Timor Bodega
I’ve polished off my bottle of chocolate milk and I want more. However, I’m currently using the milk bottle as a vase. Once those flowers are dead, I’m getting more milk and popping the Lactaid. Until then, pretty picture of the milk case at the Timor Bodega @ 200 Rhode Island Ave, NW.
I’m also enjoying the salad greens from the store. I got 1/2 a pound of mixed greens for $4. There are other fresh food items like yellow carrots, and blue potatoes. I also picked up a nice bottle of wine and the owner, Mr. Kim Wee, was nice enough to talk about the different white wines, the flavors, the dryness, and other wine descriptors.
I had asked Kim about the store and it’s story and he said he’s been open for about 2 months. The milk and cream pictured comes from Trickling Springs Creamery in Pennsylvania. The beef and chicken from the Emerald Farm Network, and the salad greens and pork from the Truck Patch Farm in Maryland.
Store hours are 4:30-8:30PM Monday thru Friday, 9:30AM-8:30PM Saturday, and 9:30AM-6PM Sunday. So early enough to grab a something on your commute to work if you pass by. The Timor Bodega takes credit cards.
Ask Kim about coffee. I don’t drink the stuff, but he is quite interested in coffee.
Stop. You had me at 'local dairy'
At this very moment I am enjoying something I thought I wouldn’t have again since the dairy guy at the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market went out of business…. chocolate milk from a glass bottle.
I experienced a rush of complete joy when I wandered into Timor at 200 Rhode Island Ave NW, in Bloomingdale after a booze run at Bloomingdale Liquors. There in the glass case was milk. Not just any milk, milk in glass bottles. Cream in glass bottles. If I didn’t have milk already in the fridge I would have bought plain milk. Instead, I bought the chocolate milk.
There are some other like products in this little store that has recently opened. Meat supplied from a Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market guy. Yellow carrots, vegetarian mushroom soup, “good” beer (I’ll have to take the owner’s word since I don’t know beer), fresh fruit, smoked salmon, etc. I hope to have more info later.
Filet Minon $5 a pound
Richard of Rebuilding Space, the lovely Elise of Frozen Tropics, and some guy named Ken Firestone will be once again leading a tour of the Capitol City Market, so you too may discover the joy that is cheap meat and veggies. The tour, which Richard & Elise started back in 2006 (I think), gives the uninitiated a quick review of what’s available to retail customers. I’ve done a bulk of my regular shopping there since I’ve been familiarized with what’s there. The prices there have spoiled me, with beef tenderloin for less than $5 lb, blocks of butter for $2, lemons for about .22c and avocados for way less than $1. Tours end at Litteri’s, and that’s where I tend to wrap up my market shopping for some cheap and not so cheap wine, pasta, and a sub.
Anyway, according to Richard the tour will be on the 23rd of this month, starting at 10AM at the corner of 4th and Morse Sts NE. I’m guessing along the chain link fence on 4th St NE, where I joined one of their tours one time. Or, if you get there early at 9AM go to K Young’s at 300 Morse St (on the other side of chained linked vacant lot past the little guard shack) and join Richard for Korean food.
A few things I should tell you to lessen the culture shock when dealing with the market area. One, it is a working warehouse area not a tourist spot. It isn’t squeaky clean and watch out for the forklifts and guys moving boxes. Second, many of the businesses are cash only. Third, 70% of the time there is no price on anything. Trust me, most of the time it is way cheaper than the Giant. Lastly, for several places you will need your receipt checked by the guy at the door.
Now let us dare to dream
Open thread on this building at the corner of New Jersey Ave NW and R St. So what do you think? What do you know?
D-lemma
You say nice things about a place to a lot of people and it gets so popular that it’s almost too crowded for you….
But anyway, Big Bear, still good, still got coffee grounds for the old garden, but weekends are busy. I was lucky to find a table. I’m curious to see what the crowd is like on Tuesdays when the local knitting club meets.
Also I haven’t talked about Thai X-ing lately. Well Taw has help and the food comes quicker than before. Not fast, but quicker. Remember the long waits? Now, when he (or whomever answers the phone) says 25 minutes, it is ready in 25 minutes. Panang Tofu still good, but the Yum Woon Sen with shrimp is my new favorite dish. Now that I’ve told you this don’t be over ordering it so there is none left for me when I order.
Ugly no mo'
Remember this sight?
Well the Check N’ Go is Gone. Reading Marc Fisher’s article this weekend, I gather DC laws have made the District an unwelcoming place for payday lenders. I haven’t bothered to notice if the check cashing place on the 400-500 blk Rhode Island Avenue is still in operation. But for what ever reason that bit of entrepreneurial ugly is gone. When you pass by the building now, the weird windows are now 3 perfectly unnoticeable ones and the building got a paint job.
