Good morning, Washington. Either you’re in the throes of a long weekend courtesy of the holidays, or toiling away at work. We at DCist are glad to be back — albeit at a slower pace this week — bringing you the news and events one post at a time. And while Christmas has come and gone, both Hanukkah and Kwanzaa kick off today, extending the celebration for the week to come.
In the Spirit of the Season: Reminding us that Christmas is not only about the shopping, a large number of citizens from the D.C. metro area spent December 25 helping the less fortunate, notes WTOP. The 19th Annual Community Service Day at Washington’s Jewish Community Center saw over a thousand volunteers participate in everything from painting a homeless shelter to donating blood, giving of their time to help make the holidays brighter for others.
Washington Named the Department Store Killer: Even with the gifts unwrapped, ’tis remains the season for shopping. Department stores, once popular spin-offs of the omnipotent catalogue, have seen better days, or so says the New York Times. With the advent of specialty stores such as Williams-Sonoma and the ease of shopping on the internet, who has the time or desire to trudge through the archaic option of perusing a department store? Though there are certain folks who cherish the art department store shopping, many opt for the convenience and simplicity of going after exactly what it is they are looking for, without having to march past those pesky perfume sample people. The online selection for department store websites also tends to vary drastically from what one will see inside a store, leaving one to wonder if there is anything department stores can do to improve their lackluster performance or if it’s already too late for them to try. And what’s the Washington angle to this story? Hecht’s, the last of Washington’s homegrown department stores, is set to disappear within the next few months, victim of a corporate merger with Federated, Macy’s parent company. The Times has this to say of our fair city: “Perhaps no city in America has buried more hometown department stores than this one.” Ouch.
Ad Agencies Take After Borf: Remember Borf? Remember how so many people hated him, accusing him of engaging in petty vandalism at the expense of city funds needed to remove his “art” from the urban landscape? Well, not everyone has had it out for Borf. With advertising agencies constantly trying to reach out to new markets, we now see them trying to gain street cred, reports the Post. Sony Entertainment is one of many companies that are using graffiti to get their message across to folks in urban areas, and Adams Morgan has been targeted by Nokia and their N-gage cellphone. Some see it as a sneaky way to market products to unknowing folks who might be seeing it as art, others see it as a shameless co-opting of an underground trend. What would Borf think?
Briefly Noted: National Menorah lit … Homeless man gives all he has to give … Redskins beat Giants, one away from playoffs … Toys for tots in Southeast … Five murdered in Great Falls and Tyson’s Corner.
Picture snapped by EXB-WDC.
