In case Metro Center is too far to travel for v-neck shirts and stretchy pants, rejoice! American Apparel is opening in Dupont Circle, at 1518 Connecticut Ave NW. Photo below. Dupont will be the second neighborhood in DC to be graced with the presence of the Los Angeles based company. There is currently a store at 1090 F Street NW. In addition to Metro Center, there is an American Apparel in Silver Spring and another planned on M Street in Georgetown.For years, the block was home to Riggs Bank, then PNC Bank. The building has retail storefronts, but they served as storage and office space for the banks. A shame, because the other side of Connecticut Avenue is fairly lively. The single use nature of the building dampened energy on this block, just north of the circle. PNC apparently wised up and realized that you can charge mucho $$$$ to tenants to rent those spaces. Maybe offer some higher interest rates for our savings accounts, yea?
'For Lease' signs have been in the windows of those particular spaces for about a year so and hopefully other retailers will bite. Dupont is sort of meddling right now, regarding its identity. There's some nightlife, some shopping, plenty of restaurants, but nothing defines it as much as the Circle itself. Maybe with another tenant or two on that block will help shape the neighborhood north of the circle.
