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Photo by Ian Buckwalter
Though somewhat hidden from the street, the market had become a neighborhood institution of sorts, largely due to its location in a massive apartment complex where, as the Not For Tourist guide said in its writeup of the shop, "every DC resident has spent the night...at least once." Residents and visitors were used to being able to run downstairs for a six pack of beer to enjoy on the roof on a warm summer night, last minute cooking supplies while dinner was already on the stove, or a pint of Ben & Jerry's at 10:55 p.m. without even changing out of their pajamas. More importantly, it was a great convenience for the building's elderly residents to not have to go out in harsh conditions for basic necessities.
Despite the opening of the new Harris Teeter mere yards from the Dorchester's door, locals were hopeful for the store's survival; many still used the market for the same purposes they always had, and only went to Harris Teeter for items they'd previously reluctantly gotten at the Safeway on Columbia Rd. Even so, the market had taken a hit with HT's opening and had been in a state of flux for much of the last year, with a number of layout changes over the course of last summer and fall. Store owner Yeheyis Getachew, who took over the store in 1995, told the Washington Times last June that his business had plummeted 30 percent since HT's opening.
So It might come as a surprise that the Harris Teeter factor isn't what's forcing the Market's doors to shut permanently.
Photo by Ian Buckwalter
"We're fighting it in the court," Getachew told DCist, and it was that court battle that got him a two and a half month stay of Borger's original deadline. "But it doesn't look like we're going to win."
Borger Management has not responded to DCist's repeated requests for comment.
The closing of the market marks the end of what was once a substantial retail community in the Dorchester basement, complete with a dry cleaner and a video store. The dry cleaner closed a number of years ago, and the video store rented its last title in 2007. And while with Netflix residents can still get their movies without having to leave the building, it appears that those 10:55 pajama-clad Ben & Jerry runs will have to move down the block to Harris Teeter.
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This is yet another example of the Dorchester House management operating without informing the residents beforehand. There is a very adversarial relationship between Borger management and residents of the 395 apartments in the Dorchester House. It is, at times, openly hostile. The market, Yeheyis Getachew, and his incredibly friendly staff will be missed. The community has definitely suffered a loss.
This is happening at the same time as extensive building renovations, so it wouldn't surprise me if they're planning to reconfigure the space somehow. At one of the meetings between management and residents before the renovations started, one of the management representatives said they were planning to turn the store space into a meeting/community area -- because, as he put it, the store probably wouldn't stick around for long after Harris Teeter opened.
Given how extensively they mischaracterized the renovation process at that meeting, though, I'm now inclined to be very skeptical of any claims management makes.
In any case, I'll miss the Dorchester Market and the great people who work there.
Yep, sad news, this store is definitely one of the more charming aspects of the Dorchester.
Best of luck to everyone at Dorchester Market. You will be missed!
I particularly admired Napoleon's one-man protest against the decision to give Harris Teeter a license to sell alcohol. He was outside the Teet every night for months with his sign. Those guys could really persevere. I reckon they'd have outlasted the recession, but no surprise that they were put out of business by Borger. Borger seem to be on a mission to upset everybody in Dorchester House, and now they have managed to shut down Dorchester market as well. A sad day.
Guess you'll have to go else where to get a chew.
I looked at the Dorchester years ago when I first moved to D.C., because it was pretty much the only apartment building in Adams Morgan where parking was available and plentiful, but the apartments were pretty run down.
i feel bad for the guy who owns the market, but it almost seems like he owes h-t an apology for claiming they'd be the ones to drive him out of business.
as usual, DC landlords suck.
i didn't think that joint was gonna last after HT opened. but with all the renovation going on at DHouse i can see that mgmt might have other plans for the basement. the space down there seems very under utilized.
Don't let the management at my building hear this! I would be very, very, very sad if the restaurants, or the cleaners, or the mini-mart in my building closed. I have to admit I wouldn't miss the video store or the nail salon, though. Sorry for the residents at the Dorchester - having a market in one's building is the greatest!
You mentioned getting a six-pack of beer to take to the roof. However, the Borger folks have a rule against alcohol on the roof deck. It's like they're trying to make the place as inhospitable as possible.
I'm pretty sure they post that regulation to satisfy insurance requirements. As a Dorchester House resident and frequent user of the rooftop deck, I've never seen that rule enforced.
The Euclid Market around the corner (17th and Euclid) closed on Sunday as well. I'm surprised I'm the first one to mention it. I thought they were much better than Dorchester. Although, I'll freely admit, I usually go to Harris Teeter anyway.