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| Looking east over Columbia Rd NW |
DC retailer and service shop BicycleSPACE is set to open a huge bike store in the heart of Adams Morgan. BSPACE recently announced, via their blog, that they're planning to open a 6,400 square foot store at 2424 18th Street NW. This is the very large former restaurant space between Bistro 18 and Meskerem. Restaurants Leftbank and Slaviya operated here, but after closing the space has been dormant for, maybe two years (?)
The Douglass Development brochure (PDF) for this property mostly touts the assets and demographics of the neighborhood, but does note that the property comes with a Class C liquor licence. I wonder which business --if any at all-- will get a hold of that valuable license. It's a CR, so only a restaurant can make use of it (i.e. the bike shop couldn't, for example, set up a bar in the back). That's if the developer is even still in possession of the licence.
Overall, great news for Adams Morgan. BSPACE has a good range of bikes, from ~$500 city bikes all the way up to ~$4,000 all-terrains. I do wonder about City Bikes, the shop where I purchased my last bike. It's located just blocks away, at 2501 Champlain St NW. Honestly, I think they'll be fine. The two shops seem different enough and there just aren't that many options for bike sales and service in Adams Morgan, Dupont, Columbia Heights, or Mount Pleasant.
Good luck BicycleSPACE!
