BUSINESS

The Amazon Book Store and Nike are in the same building at 3040 M St. NW. Georgetowner photo.

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

IN: STICX AND STONX

Aung Myint expanded his presence in the Georgetown neighborhood with Sticx, now open at 1728 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Occupying a 2,200 square-foot, 20-seat space, the fastcasual place offers varieties of East Asian street food.

Upstairs from Sticx is Stonx, a happily named wine bar — with a choice of more than 200 wines as sake, cocktails and Champagne.

L’Annexe Cocktail Bar reopened March 1 and told us: “Our team was hard at work this past month creating a refreshed menu with exciting new drinks and dishes.” Besides its drinks at the zinc-topped bar or cozy library, the spot at 2917 M St. NW offers a “menu of bites, featuring dynamic small plates with unexpected pops of flavor and texture under the culinary direction of Mark Ouellet.” First at the bar, Dave and Eric approve.

Amazon will be closing all 68 of its physical bookstores, along with pop-ups. The closure includes Amazon Books at 3040 M St. NW. Ironically, the Georgetown book store opened in part of the former Barnes & Noble space in 2018. The company remains committed to its physical grocery stores. The Glover Park Whole Foods reopened last month with hightech transaction devices.

Concept 31/M, the retail pop-up mix, ended its run at 3077 M St. NW. The corner property at 31st and M Street previously housed Brooks Brothers for years.

Landlord Philippe Lanier of EastBanc told The Georgetowner it remains a great concept and he hopes to find permanent places for the businesses elsewhere, if possible, adding, “With Concept 31/M, EastBanc took advantage of a temporary large format vacancy to promote a new kind of retail by working with dynamic local retailers in small, collaborative formats to add creativity and diversity to the shopping experience. … we paused this iteration of Concept 31/M to make way for exciting new brands coming to the space later this year.”

CB2, the contemporary home decor retailer from Crate & Barrel, at 3307 M St. NW closed Feb. 20. As with the loss of the Gap, we’ve heard from a few admirers who have expressed retail dismay. CB2 opened at the EastBanc property in 2011.

The Pie Sisters — Alli, Bear and Cat Blakely — left the following note for fans. “Pie Sisters will be closing its doors on Feb 20th … It has been our absolute pleasure being part of the Georgetown community over the past 11 years. … Although the store will be closing, the Pie Sisters brand will continue …”

Capital One Bank at 1545 Wisconsin Ave. NW will close May 18 at 5 p.m. “for good,” the local banking giant told its clients in a farewell letter, dated Feb. 14. “We understand that this news may be disappointing — please know we did not make this decision lightly.”

The corner property at Wisconsin Avenue & Q Street boasts a two-story, federal-style building with a parking lot in the rear. It was built in the 1990s and was at first a Chevy Chase Bank. Capital One Cafe remains at Wisconsin Avenue & M Street.

“Nike missed a deadline earlier this year to exercise a renewal option for its roughly 33,600-square-foot space at 3040 M St. NW, according to a source familiar with the situation,” per the Washington Business Journal. “It’s unclear whether it was an oversight or whether the retailer intentionally missed the deadline with the intention of giving back its space or renegotiating for a smaller footprint in the 44,000 square-foot building, according to the source, who was not authorized to speak on the record about the situation … Its current lease is slated to expire in the first quarter of 2023.”

According to the business report, “Lincoln Property Co. is seeking replacement tenants for Nike Inc.’s Georgetown retail store, more than a decade after the athletic apparel giant inked a deal to fill the gap created by Barnes & Noble.” Nike inked its lease in 2012.

The shuttered Key Bridge Exxon gas station property — at 36th & M Streets NW, next to the foot of the Exorcist Steps — was poised to be redeveloped as condominiums as well as a possible spot for the Georgetown terminus of the imaginary aerial Georgetown-Rosslyn gondola. It may be foreclosed March 17.

“A foreclosure notice was filed Monday on the property, located at 3601-3607 M St. NW, according to the D.C. Recorder of Deeds. Those documents say there is an $11.46 million balance owed on the note, held by local gas station magnate, part D.C. United owner and budding developer Eyob “Joe” Mamo, according to a related foreclosure affidavit,” reported the Washington Business Journal last month.

The land has been the subject of many Georgetowner stories — whether as a site for condos or the landing site for the so-called Georgetown gondola.

The former Key Bridge Exxon property at 3601 M St. NW has been vacant and fought over for years. Georgetowner photo.