Deanwood Heights Main Streets News

NEWS DEANWOOD HEIGHTS MAIN STREETS

DHMS Newsletter

Fall 2010

DHMS Celebrates Completion of Storefronts

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eanwood Heights Main Streets celebrated the completion of four storefronts under the Storefront Improvement Program with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 18 at Menick’s Market, 4401 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE. The program, which is funded by the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development, provided exterior improvements, including new signs, lighting, Menick’s Market received new signs, a new door and a power window wash, among other improveglass rements.

placement, power washing, paint, and storefront repairs.

In addition to Menick’s Market, improvements on three other stores have been completed: • A-1 Grocery, 615 Division Ave., NE • A&S Grocery, 4748 Sheriff Rd., NE • Dave Brown’s Liquor, 4721 DHMS Board and staff, Lee Smith, Kwame Brown and Sheriff Rd., NE community members at ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Joining the DHMS staff and board at the event were Lee Smith, communities. We want to make sure that director, DSLBD, and Kwame Brown, ateconomic development continues in this large councilmember. “At DSLBD, we neighborhood – even in tough times.” have the awesome ability to hand out Mary Wallace, a 13-year resident of money for these projects. . . . This is a Deanwood who lives across the street start; much more is possible with an enfrom Menick’s Market said, “I am glad to gaged and supportive community, ” said see that improvements have been made at Lee. Brown said, “The one thing we cannot ignore is the small businesses in our Continued on page 3

DHMS Participates in Deanwood Community Day Scores of Deanwood residents gathered at the Deanwood Community Center on 49th Street NE on September 18 for Deanwood Community Day 2010, which provided food, music, activities for children and more. Public officials in attendance included DC Council Chairman Vincent

Joyce Harris leads the Faith and Foundation Historic Tour of Deanwood.

Gray and Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander, as well as several Ward 7 ANC commissioners.

A highlight of the event was the Faith and Foundation Historic Tour of Deanwood, which showcased places of worship and community and economic development. Several area church members participated in the tour, providing interesting tidbits of information. For example, Yvonne Harris explained that Randall Memorial United Methodist Church served as a meeting place for the late Dr. Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement. In addition to stopping at several churches, the tour also included a stop at the historic Strand Theater, The Fishing School’s new 6,000 square foot youth and

Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander and DHMS Executive Director Deborah Jones

parent center constructed in 10 days by a home improvement reality show, and the H.D. Woodson High School reconstruction site.

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Executive Director’s Message

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elcome to the first issue of the Deanwood Heights Main Streets News, a newsletter designed to keep you informed about Deanwood Heights Main Streets (DHMS) programs and services, as well as accomplishments of businesses, community organizations and residents. The News will also feature profiles of businesses, community-based organizations and residents. We have come a long way since our humble beginnings in November 2008, when we were established under a grant to the Washington East Foundation from the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) – we now have a fully engaged board of directors, a headquarters location, two full-time staff and several consultants who are working hard to fulfill our goal of sustaining area businesses via revitalization efforts and technical assistance.

We are proud of the following accomplishments since our inception: • Launched the Deanwood Heights Main Streets (DHMS) (November 2008) • Established the DHMS office at 4645 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave (January 2009) • Board chair testified before City Council Committee on Economic Development, chaired by Councilmember Kwame Brown, in support of putting Main Street funding back in the budget (February 2009) • Began business assessments of DHMS businesses (February 2009) • Hosted Certified Business Enterprise (CBE)/Micro Loan Day sponsored by the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF) for business owners (March 2009) • Launched Web site — www.dhmainstreets.org (May 2009) • Participated in Deanwood Community Clean up and Block Party sponsored by the Deanwood Citizens Association and KAGRO (June 2009) • Businesses began participation in the 2009 DC Department of Energy Small

Business Energy Efficiency Program (August 2009) • Held Gospel Roundup and Deanwood Historic Church Tour as part of Deanwood Community Day at IDEA Public Charter School (September 2009) • Awarded Clean Team grant funding from DSLBD and the Department of Public Works (September 2009) • The Internal Revenue Service approved status as 501 (c)(3) organization (October 2009) • Worked with W7Arts Collaborative, Midnight Forum and DPW to install mural at 615 Division Ave NE (October 2009) • DHMS Clean Team began working in Deanwood Heights (December 2009) • Awarded funding from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development for the Ward 7 Small Business Technical Assistance Program currently underway with six businesses participating.

• Testified at DSLBD oversight hearings before DC Council Committee on Economic Development, chaired by Councilmember Kwame Brown (March 2010) • Clean Team marched in the Nannie Helen Burroughs Day Parade (April 2010) • Held Main Streets “First Saturdays” Art Showcase (May 2010) • Held Main Streets “First Saturdays” Spring Clean & Green (June 2010) • Participated as a sponsor of Deanwood Community Day and sponsored the second Faith and Foundation Historic Tour of Deanwood (September 2010) • Held Main Streets “First Saturdays” Healthy Foods (October 2010) • Held ribbon-cutting ceremony for completed projects under the Storefront Improvement Program (October 2010) We look forward to your support to ensure our continued success. If you have questions about our programs and services, or suggestions about how we can be of better service, please don’t hesitate to call 202-621-2288 or send an e-mail to info@dhmainstreets.org.

Deborah Jones DHMS Executive Director

Deanwood Heights Main Streets 4645 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave., NE, Suite 202 Washington, DC 20019-3622 phone: 202-621-2288 fax: 202-621-2289 info@dhmainstreets.org www.dhmainstreets.org

Board of Directors Richard Evans, Chair Holly Muhammad, Vice Chair Kanya Bennett, Secretary Tony Scurry, Treasurer Robert Bradshaw Dorothy Dinkins Nataki Doyle Alicia Lewis Willette Seaward Gregori Stewart Loumis Taylor Deborah Jones, Executive Director Kristen Thomas, Program Assistant Elaine W. Smith, Editor www.ewsandassociates.com 202-526-0524

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Board Profile: Richard P. Evans, Chairman

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services and technical assistance to meet their individual needs and by helping the owners/managers become better resellers of their products and better partners in the community.”

With respect to challenges of fulfilling the DHMS mission, Evans said, "We don’t have a large number of retail stores like the other Main Streets organizations. We have a mom-and-pop retail district specializing in neighborhood needs. There is minimal commercial space in our Main Streets boundaries because we are located in one of the District's oldest neighborhoods.”

Evans admits that there was some initial resistance from some of the business owners to DHMS. “We have shown them that we are not intrusive, and that we are here to help them be successful.”

ichard P. Evans is the founding chairman of the Deanwood Heights Main Streets Board of Directors.

Already active in the Ward 7 community – he serves on the boards of the Hillcrest Civic Association and the Washington East Foundation, and is an advisory neighborhood commissioner (ANC 7B) – Evans views being involved with DHMS as “a part of my civic duty.” In addition to his civic activities, he is president of New Columbia Solutions, an advertising and marketing company, and is an employee of the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. A native Washingtonian, Evans graduated from H.D. Woodson high school, and the University of the District of Columbia.

“What DHMS is focused on,” Evans says, “is developing programs and services to retain and perhaps expand existing businesses. Deanwood Heights has about 37 small businesses, many of them struggling in this economy, and our goal is to help them thrive and grow. We have to develop the businesses we have by providing them with professional

Storefront Improvements (from page 1) the grocery store. I also noticed changes inside.” The changes that Wallace was referring to include improved layout and organization of the store’s inventory, as a result of merchandising technical assistance provided by DHMS staff and consultants.

Danny Kim, owner of Menick’s Market, expressed extreme gratitude with his store’s improvements. “It helps us a lot,” he said. Frank Han, owner of A-1 Grocery, said that there has been a “200 per-

cent improvement” to his store, which also received a mural painting on one side.

Cristina Amoruso of DSLBD said that the improvements at A-1 “are like the difference between night and day. It’s amazing what DHMS has done here.”

To view facade before and after photos, visit www.dhmainstreets.org.

DHMS Board and staff with Frank Han, Kwame Brown and Lee Smith. A-1 Grocery Store received exterior painting, including a mural on the left side, and a new sign.

Deanwood Community Day (from page 1) The DHMS-sponsored tour, a tour booklet and an audio CD were funded by a grant from the Humanities Council of Washington, DC. Sponsors of Deanwood Community Day included the IDEA Public Charter School Steering Committee, in partnership with ANC 7C07; DC Department of Parks Recreation, DC Department of Transportation, Deanwood Citizens Association, Deanwood Heights Main Streets, Deanwood Community Center, East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, Ophelia Egypt Program Center, Randall

Participant signs up for information from Planned Parenthood

Council Chairman Vincent Gray draws a crowd.

Memorial United Methodist Church, Sixth District Metropolitan Police Department, Upper Room Baptist Church, Ward 7 Arts

Collaborative, Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander, Ward 7 Nonprofit Network, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

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Deanwood Heights Main Streets 4645 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave., NE Suite 202 Washington, DC 20019-3622 www.dhmainstreets.org

Clean Team Essential to Deanwood Revitalization

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ny neighborhood commercial district revitalization effort has to start with providing a very basic service – keeping it clean! In Deanwood Heights, this service is being provided by the DHMS Clean Team under an agreement between DHMS and Gospel Rescue Ministries (GRM), with funding provided by the Department of Local and Small Business Development and contributions from several DHMS businesses.

GRM is a nondenominational social service agency that provides transitional housing, food, substance abuse treatment, and vocational skills to men and women who are homeless and/or unemployed in an effort to change their lives. Under its Ready to Work Program, GRM provides street beautification services in commercial neighborhoods, including Dean-

wood Heights, DuPont Circle, Adams Morgan, North of Massachusetts Avenue, Mt. Vernon Square, and H Street, NE. The DHMS Clean Team’s leader, Esther Otero, explained that she is a former drug user who is seven and one-half years clean, as a result of her participation in GRM’s Ladies Program. She served as a GRM volunteer Germain Stoddard, Esther Otero and Loretta Kennedy before applying to be a supervisor in the Ready to Work pronity,” said Loretta Kennedy, a Team Clean gram for the Clean Team. In Deanwood, member. “This is what gets me going in the Clean Team sweeps and picks up trash the morning,” said Germain Stoddard, around businesses, fire hydrants, bus who Otero describes as the team’s workastops, and handicap access areas. Otero holic. “We get to interact with the commusaid that the team cuts grass in the medinity and with businesses who are very ans and shovels snow in the winter, and supportive. This program gives people an has helped to clean a few vacant lots. “It opportunity to get a fresh start, but people feels good to be able to help the commuhave to be willing to help themselves,” he said. Kennedy added, “It provides life skills and an opportunity to move to the next level, and it also helps to fill in gaps in your resume.”

DHMS Executive Director Deborah Jones said that she has received positive feedback from both business owners and residents, who she said appreciate the service that the DHMS Clean Team is providing.

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