September 4, 2007
Closing Bell Rings for Common Share
Sad but true: the Post has some great coverage of the closing night at Common Share on Friday. The bar, located on 18th Street NW south of the Adams Morgan strip and just north of Florida Avenue, was one of the cheaper places in the city, with beers going for $2. While there are rumors that the bar may reopen elsewhere, possibly the H Street NE strip, we'll sure miss the inexpensive brew and laid back, diverse atmosphere.
Co-owner Christine Rhone told the Post the owner of the land decided to sell, though it's unclear to whom or for what purpose. D.C. Government's website says the owner of the property was Welch Revocable Family Trust.
Rhone attributes the bar's closing to the changing city and neighborhood (though she doesn't use the G-word) saying,
"You have people moving onto a bar strip buying half-a-million-dollar condos, saying they bought them for the culture and then complain because it's too noisy. What sense does that make? They complained about my customers, saying I was bringing in a certain 'element.' And what's that element? Black college students, socially conscious white kids with tattoos, and longtime regulars."
The bar was one of the last cheap places left in Adams Morgan strip, aside from Asylum's cheap beer deal on Saturday and Dan's Cafe. We have good memories of the bar, which attracted all sorts of people, as Rhone notes. It was usually pretty hot inside, especially upstairs, but the beer and friendly crowd more than offset the temperature. DCist Ian remembers living in Adams Morgan and the $2 beers that were "an essential part of keeping my budget in check back in those days."
So how about you, Common Share goers, any good memories you'd like to share? Where will you go now?
Photo by Flickr user joelogon, used under a Creative Commons license
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Does anyone know where anything else like this exists in the city now? Dan's is fine, but I'm looking for something with a little less mildly-illegal feel and a more diverse crowd.
Sniff...when I first moved to Adams Morgan in 1994 the bar that occupied the space was Madams Organ. I remember the first day that I walked into that godawful bar post-Madams move and thought that this place was "never going to make it".
Even though the crowds were HUGE at times...I always seemed to enjoy my times there...from the awful body odor to the nasty couches on the upper floor it really did not matter.
I remember watching the Yankees versus the Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series and was overjoyed as a Yankees Suck chant broke out as the Yanks blew it...any bar that hates the Yankees is my type of place. Plus it was the first bar I took my wife to when she came to DC to visit me for the first time...
Sad day.
"Revocable Family Trust?" Is there any other kind?
I remember Madam's Organ used to be there before Common Share. Or maybe that's the alcohol poisoning talking? Back when I was too poor to afford wheels, I'd ride my bike up to Common Share and be loitering around, waiting for them to open. First round was almost always on the house. The place wasn't full of noisy idiots, cellphones, and braying jackasses yet. That would come later. It was just me and a cold drink and everything was right with the world, or at least that little corner of Florida and 18th. After a few rounds, the place would start to fill up with people with mouths like firebuckets and I'd have to get the hell out of there. Reminds me of that passage from The Long Good-bye:
"I like bars just after they open for the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny and the barkeep is giving himself that last look in the mirror to see if his tie is straight and his hair is smooth. I like the neat bottles on the bar back and the lovely shining glasses and the anticipation. I like to watch the man mix the first one of the evening and put it down on a crisp mat and put the little folded napkin beside it. I like to taste it slowly. The first quiet drink of the evening in a quiet bar -- that's wonderful.
I agreed with him.
"Alcohol is like love," he said. "The first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third is routine. After that you take the girl's clothes off."
What kind of dumbass moves to a place with nightclubs in their backyard and complains about the noise? It would take a far less brilliant mind than mine to figure that one out.
monkeyE, always entertaining, now I'll at least have a good movie recommendation while I sit at home drinking, thanks!
ive noticed a growing number of folks with kids in adams morgan.. i too dont understand the paradox of moving to a neighborhood because you love something about it, only to wholeheartedly
kill it... life....
Trusty's on PA Ave. SE comes pretty close, and wins extra points for not being in Adams Morgan.
Jimmy Valentines in NE also rides the hiptard/sketchy rails. Convenient access to places that sell PizzaSubsFriedChickenSeafoodChinese is a big plus. That and the Ivy City heroin traffickers.
"What kind of dumbass moves to a place with nightclubs in their backyard and complains about the noise? It would take a far less brilliant mind than mine to figure that one out."
Well put monkeyrotica. Could you please forward this to my neighbor who bought the condo next door? Saturday at 11pm she started complaining about a bbq I was having. So that's Saturday, 11pm, on a holiday weekend, two doors away from Soussi, complaining about a bbq with a dozen guests. wtf.
Come on, the place is a dump. Half the time I walk by there's someone out front being arrested, and when there's not, there's a crowd of thuggish loiterers harrassing passers-by. You don't need to lament the closing of every single dive bar as if it's the shuttering of Cheers and you've been a 20-year regular.
BA: Does Trusty's attract the same type of crowd? I liked Common Share a lot because it was mostly black but I didn't feel out of place as a white girl. But I only went a handful of times due to my dislike of Adams Morgan. I actually live somewhat close to Pennsylvania Ave in SE, so Trusty's might be a good alternative.
I used to go, but that has passed. With chalky skin, someone would kick my ass.
~Dental Floss Tycoon
Common Share wasn't about sketchy people, or gentrification or hiptards or any of that crap. It was about a place where you could go and drink good beer without breaking the bank - and have a good time doing it. Plain and Simple.
It's a shame....
I've only been to Trusty's a couple of times, but I was the only Black patron when I was there.
I've lived in the neighborhood for more than a year now, so I may be guilty of being a gentrifier or otherwise labeled, but I loved the Share, even though I probably called it Common Ground about a dozen times in various states of inebriation. I live pretty much across the street and never have had any problems w/ CS and I'm sad to see it go.
I do take exception to a place like Dahlak just around the corner who blast their bass at 3 am on a Monday night though.
I have to agree with Guest 9 -- I never thought it was anything special. It just seemed like a standard average dive bar, with the added bonus of getting stared at for being white.
The first time I went there, I could have sworn my friends were calling it "Common Chair." I thought that was a very odd name for a bar.
I had no idea Common Share had shifted demographics to be mostly black college students. When I used to go about 7 or so years ago it was mostly white students looking for cheap brew.
Don't forget the persistent and plausible rumors that they watered down their drinks.
D.C. needs more dives and less expense account places to get drunk. But keep in mind that neighborhoods change. Adams Morgan ain't what it used to be, but there are places in town that are taking the role as other places morph into something different.
Life is change.
Guest 5, the Kalorama Triangle section of Adams Morgan is in-boundary for Oyster, one of DC's "best" (under the circumstances) elementary schools. It's the only walkable, relatively urban neighborhood in the city with access to an Upper-Northwest school. Also, the housing stock within the historic district is appealing. Shame about the bars, though.
There's a mix at Trusty's, but I guess I wouldn't classify it as "mostly black," as you put it. Regardless of race, people are friendly, the bar food is tasty, beer is affordable, and they have games if you're bored. I'm not a fan of the internet jukebox, though.
December 2002 I had just moved to Alexandria after growing up in the more distant DC suburbs. The mean streets of Adams Morgan actually seemed like mean streets to me.
A friend said we could get cheap beer at Common Share so we showed up. It was pretty empty but the beer was, indeed, cheap.
But suddenly the place was full of dancing, drunk Santas. About 20 of them just walked in taking the place over, dancing, screaming and being way cooler than Chanukah Harry ever could be.
I managed to snap this photo. And just as quickly they were gone. On to the next bar, I suppose.
We can always sit around Andrew Wiseman's livingroom amd drink some cheap Milwaukee's Best beer and talk about the good ole days.
On the subject of crowded dive bars, a quick refresher course on bar etiquette seems in order.
Question: You've spent 20 minutes at the Black Cat bumping into people and spilling beer when someone finally calls you a douchebag. Do you:
[a] Apologize and shrug it off?
[b] Be a gentleman/lady and offer to take the fight outside?
[c] Huff off to the bouncer, put on your monocle, and whine, "They called me a douchebag! I want them thrown out!"
If you picked [c], congratulations! You are, by definition, a douchebag!
Contrary to popular belief, you are not an unique and precious snowflake and people in bars are not there to validate your stupidity. That's what the two-party system is there for. If you have no sense of personal space or control over basic body motions, either consult a physical therapist, refrain from strong drink, or up your antidepressant dosage. Say, to something approaching toxic levels.
Thank you for your time and attention. This message brought to you by Priapic Primates to Preserve Partying Priveleges ("We're brimming with 'P'!")
Sounds good to me #20.
The same thing happened with the people who moved in behind our bar! They called one Tuesday night, saying we had to turn off the music because it was a work night. Umm.. we're still working. And we have a permit. And.. you moved in to a house behind 3 bars! What did you expect? And.. you drive a Lexus and a Land Rover.. what exactly are you complaining about?
Farewell Common Share!
That window seat was prime real estate. I sat there on one of the first few dates I had with my wife.
Upstairs was nice during Adams Morgan day, too.