Studio 400 currently has t-shirts, sneakers and other items for sale outside their building on the sidewalk. They've also got a tent with balloons set up on the corner creating what looks like a mini-street festival.
Is this a "fundraiser" for the families displaced by the recent fire or another example of them doing whatever they feel like on the property?
Dude, actually it's like not a club. Clubs have liquor licenses and are regulated.
This joint is a "catering hall." Hence, the circumvention of the liquor license issue.
Also, I didn't know "clubs" held yard sales during the day. With all the crap out front today, it looked like a suburban driveway on a Saturday morning.
you dont need liquor to be a club. I've been to lots of dance halls and such which are clubs because there is music and dancing, not because there's alcohol.
10pm is pretty early for music. Hell, I rarely go out to clubs before midnight.
So what, they are selling some stuff on the sidewalk. Its better than an empty building.
In order to call yourself a club, you should go through the normal legal channels like everyone else. Using a loophole in the law that allows you to serve liquor under a catering company's name is gaming the system and the community shouldn't stand for it.
As for selling stuff on the sidewalk, I'm assuming you need a permit for that type of use of public space too. I admit, I don't know if they have one.
I don't care if they serve liquor or sell things, I just think they should be held to the same standards as everyone else in the community.
Anon 6:20,7:59 again....I am in complete agreement with Soccer Mom. I have lived in the city toooo long to see this as anything other than another hustle and evasion of regulations. They went through none of the precedures that anyone else who is trying to upgrade the street lawfully went through and that starts with the ANC process. This gives notice to the community and lets the commnunity and the vendor have a dialogue and gives the community voice. It is not surprising that the community has the reaction it does givin the way 400 has operated.
Maybe someone can make sense of what's going on there...mentoring youth with go-go music, fundraisers at 10 pm(with who? wouldn't the whole community be included it they were serious?),signs advertising "Grown and Sexy"(mentoring youth?), now they are selling goods on the sidewalk(even though their CO says "hall"). I'm open to any explanation that may be out of my cultural experience, but in the over 140 posts on another thread, no one offered anything. And any reasonable person can understand what an establishment is supposed be if communicated clearly, but there are alot of mixed signals here. This is a slap in the face to the other law abiding ventures on the street.
I'd like to know about the zoning regulations for their CO. If they are a "hall"...what exactly does that use mean? Is there a minimum square footage, minimum frontage, are a specific number of parking spots required, is there a limit on the number of events per a time period, etc.?
While I would agree that city residents just have to expect a certain level of noise, I think it's obnoxious for anyone who complains of EXCESSIVE noise to be summarily dismissed by being told to "go back to the suburbs." Or did I miss the election where dcjaded was chosen President of City Living Standards?
Anon 8:53 -- no, you didn't miss any such thing. However, you did imagine the part where dcjaded was responding in such a fashion to people making a *noise complaint*. The first reference to noise in this discussion was yours, in your 8:53 am post.
How in the world did this discussion head off in the direction of Studio 400, when the clean topic is about the teenager setting fire to a home? How about if the comments get "back on topic"...
Fair enough, Chris. I should have been more (or, perhaps, less) specific in my choice of words. My concern was the way in which certain views are summarily dismissed on this blog with the phrase, "Go back to the suburbs." I intended to use noise complaints as AN EXAMPLE of the phenomenon. Sorry for the lack of clarity.
I also apologize to Diane (and Inked) for my role in keeping these comments off topic. Now back to that teenage arsonist.....
Off topics comments come into play alot on this blog. If they are off limits then there should be some way to enforce that, otherwise people will roll with it if they want to discuss.
There is quite a bit of discussion here regarding Studio 400, which there should be. My comment was regarding the horrific act that a young teenage boy did to his own relative's home. What possess someone to do such destruction? How can someone so young have so much anger that he would try to harm his elderly relative. Did he think he would be receiving some type of large dollar amount for her death. Will we ever know the truth? Regarding Studio 400, I went past there one afternoon and saw dozens of youths just hanging out in front, on the side of the place. It was too early in the day for any type of dance scene. I really wonder what in the world is going on.
Studio 400 is just bad news - I've also seen people just hanging out (like yesterday at 10 AM) and when I've passed the place at night on the weekend, there has always been a crowd of thuggish people hanging out -like 15 or more.
It's only a matter of time before something bad happens there - as it is, if I lived on the 800 block of 4th Street I'd really be freaking out about it. I guess on the bright side, if this place stays in business those neighbors can count on their property assessments going down.
Saturday I was at the intersection at a red light and someone came up to the car and asked me to make a donation. I gave her all the cash I had and put my contact info on a clipboard that looked more than legit. I was impressed that someone in the community is doing something to help these people out. Their intent seems legit.
I agree that threads should typically not be hijacked to discuss another topic. However, I think many in the community, including myself, have grave concerns about this Studio 400 place which we would like to discuss/share information on. Unfortunately, the previous thread on Studio 400 has been archived.
Hopefully, Elise will repost on the topic when the July 2nd meeting comes up to discuss Studio 400. I encourage everyone to attend that meeting.
I have walked and driven by Studio 400 on several occasions after coming home from work. Every time, there are a bunch of kids loitering around and drinking out in front of the place. This is not some after-school program for mentoring kids. This is a club with at least one liquor stores across the street form it. If the kids don't get served in the club, they can easily pay off one of the local winos to buy them alcohol before going into the club.
I'm sorry to say but it is only a matter of time before something happens outside this place and H St. has another setback.
DCJaded, I honestly can't understand how you can defend a place like this that flies in under the radar and then attracts a bunch of underage kids to hang out and drink on the corner. Please spare me the "kids have a place to go to thats safe" argument. This is not some kind of afterschool basketball league. This is a "BYOB" club that is operating for profit and is attracting teenagers.
DCJADED is sticking up for the Studio 400 because the owners and patrons are mostly African American and feels the posters are being discrimitory because of their race...
I actually stopped by Studio 400 the other day on my way home.
I too noticed lots of "thuggish" looking young black kids. They were just hanging out drinking kool aid and eating funyons.
I decided to stop and ask them exactly what they were doing just hanging around bringing down the property values. They told me they planning jihad against all the anonymous bloggers.
These comments are silly, get a job, read a book, get off your lazy asses and exercise.
Thanks for enlightening us - I guess being fat, jobless, illiterate and living in a bunker, I misinterpreted what these groups of upstanding young people are up to.
Let me be the first to admit my mistake and say that the youngsters who hang out there during the day are just taking a well-earned break from their neighborhood litter patrol before heading home to spend the afternoon planning their course load for the next school year with their intact nuclear family unit. After dinner, I'm sure their parents will direct them back to Studio 400 for the wholesome cultural experience of under-age teens mingling with the crowds of off-duty doctors, lawyers, and scientists who patronize this establishment to discuss politics while drinking the bottles of chardonnay they brought from their personal cellar.
The teenage arsonist has been a long time presence in the area and unfortunately was headed down this road for at least 5 years. He was already wanted for shooting out windows in the neighborhood.
The kid did not have the best home life and from what I can tell had zero positive influences in his life. Unfortunately, his fate was sealed long ago. Trust that whenever he gets back on the street, he will be even more hardened and will most likely be ready for even more serious crimes.
Between the actual criminals and the anonymous posters, our neighborhood lost. Things were better 7 years ago.
I know the principal at Studio 400: Dizney. He set up the fundraiser because he felt like he should give back to the community where his business was located and he felt bad for the folks who lost everything. For what's it worth, the guy is a hardworking guy with an entrepreneurial bent. He works a 9 to 5 and previously had opened a studio on Rhode Island Ave NE that was not too terribly successful (the location couldn't have helped). I've never known the guy to be anything other than relentlessly optimistic and I seriously doubt he wants to do anything other than have a music place where folks can have a good time and go home.
Quick question: how do you guys tell the thugs from the ordinary kids who don't want to look soft and get picked on? I think some conclusions are being jumped to.
Soul Searcher...can you clarify what 400 Live is? I have read that it is a place to 'mentor kids". I have read that it is a club. Do clubs mentor kids? How does that work? I have read that it is a music studio. Now I read the owner is an entreprenur. That means business in my mind. As I said before I am having a hard understanding....I could use some help. Just because he's a nice hardworking guy doesn't mean he gets to operate the way he wants. I also agree that one should not be judged solely on how one dresses. I think that gets to be dangerous.
Soul Searcher...please ask Dizney to pick up his trash. It's finding its way all over the neighborhood.
Could you also ask him if he's getting the appropriate permits and licenses, working with the ANC, following zoning laws, has any intention of being transparent with the community about the way he intends to do business, etc., etc.
Diane, you must be new to this blog. Studio 400 was brought into this thread "WP: Teen Faces Arson Charges in House Fire", because someone had said in a previous post about this same fire that Studio 400 would be raising money for this displaced family. So it kinda fits.
Does anyone know how much they raised? DCJaded, sounds like you're in tight with the owner and support his venture, maybe you can find out for us. We appreciate your interest in community improvement by checking into this. Thanks very much.
32 comments:
Studio 400 currently has t-shirts, sneakers and other items for sale outside their building on the sidewalk. They've also got a tent with balloons set up on the corner creating what looks like a mini-street festival.
Is this a "fundraiser" for the families displaced by the recent fire or another example of them doing whatever they feel like on the property?
My thought exactly...5:42. Fundraiser at 10pm? I hate to be cynical, but the way they operate....
Dude, its a club. Clubs dont start until like 10. Go back to the suburbs.
Dude, actually it's like not a club. Clubs have liquor licenses and are regulated.
This joint is a "catering hall." Hence, the circumvention of the liquor license issue.
Also, I didn't know "clubs" held yard sales during the day. With all the crap out front today, it looked like a suburban driveway on a Saturday morning.
dcjaded..of course it's a club...that's the point. What's your point?
you dont need liquor to be a club. I've been to lots of dance halls and such which are clubs because there is music and dancing, not because there's alcohol.
10pm is pretty early for music. Hell, I rarely go out to clubs before midnight.
So what, they are selling some stuff on the sidewalk. Its better than an empty building.
Jaded,
You're missing the point.
In order to call yourself a club, you should go through the normal legal channels like everyone else. Using a loophole in the law that allows you to serve liquor under a catering company's name is gaming the system and the community shouldn't stand for it.
As for selling stuff on the sidewalk, I'm assuming you need a permit for that type of use of public space too. I admit, I don't know if they have one.
I don't care if they serve liquor or sell things, I just think they should be held to the same standards as everyone else in the community.
Anon 6:20,7:59 again....I am in complete agreement with Soccer Mom. I have lived in the city toooo long to see this as anything other than another hustle and evasion of regulations. They went through none of the precedures that anyone else who is trying to upgrade the street lawfully went through and that starts with the ANC process. This gives notice to the community and lets the commnunity and the vendor have a dialogue and gives the community voice. It is not surprising that the community has the reaction it does givin the way 400 has operated.
Maybe someone can make sense of what's going on there...mentoring youth with go-go music, fundraisers at 10 pm(with who? wouldn't the whole community be included it they were serious?),signs advertising "Grown and Sexy"(mentoring youth?), now they are selling goods on the sidewalk(even though their CO says "hall"). I'm open to any explanation that may be out of my cultural experience, but in the over 140 posts on another thread, no one offered anything. And any reasonable person can understand what an establishment is supposed be if communicated clearly, but there are alot of mixed signals here. This is a slap in the face to the other law abiding ventures on the street.
I'd like to know about the zoning regulations for their CO. If they are a "hall"...what exactly does that use mean? Is there a minimum square footage, minimum frontage, are a specific number of parking spots required, is there a limit on the number of events per a time period, etc.?
Here we go again... Hopefully, we can get through this heated discussion without the usual remarks...
While I would agree that city residents just have to expect a certain level of noise, I think it's obnoxious for anyone who complains of EXCESSIVE noise to be summarily dismissed by being told to "go back to the suburbs." Or did I miss the election where dcjaded was chosen President of City Living Standards?
Anon 8:53 -- no, you didn't miss any such thing. However, you did imagine the part where dcjaded was responding in such a fashion to people making a *noise complaint*. The first reference to noise in this discussion was yours, in your 8:53 am post.
How in the world did this discussion head off in the direction of Studio 400, when the clean topic is about the teenager setting fire to a home?
How about if the comments get "back on topic"...
From Anon 8:53,
Fair enough, Chris. I should have been more (or, perhaps, less) specific in my choice of words. My concern was the way in which certain views are summarily dismissed on this blog with the phrase, "Go back to the suburbs." I intended to use noise complaints as AN EXAMPLE of the phenomenon. Sorry for the lack of clarity.
I also apologize to Diane (and Inked) for my role in keeping these comments off topic. Now back to that teenage arsonist.....
Off topics comments come into play alot on this blog. If they are off limits then there should be some way to enforce that, otherwise people will roll with it if they want to discuss.
There is quite a bit of discussion here regarding Studio 400, which there should be. My comment was regarding the horrific act that a young teenage boy did to his own relative's home. What possess someone to do such destruction? How can someone so young have so much anger that he would try to harm his elderly relative. Did he think he would be receiving some type of large dollar amount for her death. Will we ever know the truth?
Regarding Studio 400, I went past there one afternoon and saw dozens of youths just hanging out in front, on the side of the place. It was too early in the day for any type of dance scene. I really wonder what in the world is going on.
I agree, Diane(about the youth). I had not heard the whole story and didn't realize he was a relative.
Studio 400 is just bad news - I've also seen people just hanging out (like yesterday at 10 AM) and when I've passed the place at night on the weekend, there has always been a crowd of thuggish people hanging out -like 15 or more.
It's only a matter of time before something bad happens there - as it is, if I lived on the 800 block of 4th Street I'd really be freaking out about it. I guess on the bright side, if this place stays in business those neighbors can count on their property assessments going down.
Saturday I was at the intersection at a red light and someone came up to the car and asked me to make a donation. I gave her all the cash I had and put my contact info on a clipboard that looked more than legit. I was impressed that someone in the community is doing something to help these people out. Their intent seems legit.
I agree that threads should typically not be hijacked to discuss another topic. However, I think many in the community, including myself, have grave concerns about this Studio 400 place which we would like to discuss/share information on. Unfortunately, the previous thread on Studio 400 has been archived.
Hopefully, Elise will repost on the topic when the July 2nd meeting comes up to discuss Studio 400. I encourage everyone to attend that meeting.
I have walked and driven by Studio 400 on several occasions after coming home from work. Every time, there are a bunch of kids loitering around and drinking out in front of the place. This is not some after-school program for mentoring kids. This is a club with at least one liquor stores across the street form it. If the kids don't get served in the club, they can easily pay off one of the local winos to buy them alcohol before going into the club.
I'm sorry to say but it is only a matter of time before something happens outside this place and H St. has another setback.
DCJaded, I honestly can't understand how you can defend a place like this that flies in under the radar and then attracts a bunch of underage kids to hang out and drink on the corner. Please spare me the "kids have a place to go to thats safe" argument. This is not some kind of afterschool basketball league. This is a "BYOB" club that is operating for profit and is attracting teenagers.
DCJADED is sticking up for the Studio 400 because the owners and patrons are mostly African American and feels the posters are being discrimitory because of their race...
I actually stopped by Studio 400 the other day on my way home.
I too noticed lots of "thuggish" looking young black kids. They were just hanging out drinking kool aid and eating funyons.
I decided to stop and ask them exactly what they were doing just hanging around bringing down the property values. They told me they planning jihad against all the anonymous bloggers.
These comments are silly, get a job, read a book, get off your lazy asses and exercise.
Thanks for enlightening us - I guess being fat, jobless, illiterate and living in a bunker, I misinterpreted what these groups of upstanding young people are up to.
Let me be the first to admit my mistake and say that the youngsters who hang out there during the day are just taking a well-earned break from their neighborhood litter patrol before heading home to spend the afternoon planning their course load for the next school year with their intact nuclear family unit. After dinner, I'm sure their parents will direct them back to Studio 400 for the wholesome cultural experience of under-age teens mingling with the crowds of off-duty doctors, lawyers, and scientists who patronize this establishment to discuss politics while drinking the bottles of chardonnay they brought from their personal cellar.
Thanks - my mistake!
As Stewie Griffin would say, "And know we come to the center of the shrubbery maze." Didn't take long, huh? About that teenage arsonist...
The teenage arsonist has been a long time presence in the area and unfortunately was headed down this road for at least 5 years. He was already wanted for shooting out windows in the neighborhood.
The kid did not have the best home life and from what I can tell had zero positive influences in his life. Unfortunately, his fate was sealed long ago. Trust that whenever he gets back on the street, he will be even more hardened and will most likely be ready for even more serious crimes.
Between the actual criminals and the anonymous posters, our neighborhood lost. Things were better 7 years ago.
I know the principal at Studio 400: Dizney. He set up the fundraiser because he felt like he should give back to the community where his business was located and he felt bad for the folks who lost everything. For what's it worth, the guy is a hardworking guy with an entrepreneurial bent. He works a 9 to 5 and previously had opened a studio on Rhode Island Ave NE that was not too terribly successful (the location couldn't have helped). I've never known the guy to be anything other than relentlessly optimistic and I seriously doubt he wants to do anything other than have a music place where folks can have a good time and go home.
Quick question: how do you guys tell the thugs from the ordinary kids who don't want to look soft and get picked on? I think some conclusions are being jumped to.
Dizney throws parties, for the ordinary kids who don't want to look soft and get picked on, called "Grown & Sexy".
I don't mind an entrepreneur, but I do mind a dude coming into my neighbor and using loopholes in the law to run a nightclub.
I wish him all the success that he had in his last venture.
Is H Street Main Street supporting this guy?
Soul Searcher...can you clarify what 400 Live is? I have read that it is a place to 'mentor kids". I have read that it is a club. Do clubs mentor kids? How does that work? I have read that it is a music studio. Now I read the owner is an entreprenur. That means business in my mind. As I said before I am having a hard understanding....I could use some help. Just because he's a nice hardworking guy doesn't mean he gets to operate the way he wants. I also agree that one should not be judged solely on how one dresses. I think that gets to be dangerous.
It seems that there are poetry nights at Studio 400 on Sundays.
What is the name of this establishment 400 Live or Studio 400? Or does it depend on the event?
Soul Searcher...please ask Dizney to pick up his trash. It's finding its way all over the neighborhood.
Could you also ask him if he's getting the appropriate permits and licenses, working with the ANC, following zoning laws, has any intention of being transparent with the community about the way he intends to do business, etc., etc.
Diane, you must be new to this blog. Studio 400 was brought into this thread "WP: Teen Faces Arson Charges in House Fire", because someone had said in a previous post about this same fire that Studio 400 would be raising money for this displaced family. So it kinda fits.
Does anyone know how much they raised? DCJaded, sounds like you're in tight with the owner and support his venture, maybe you can find out for us. We appreciate your interest in community improvement by checking into this. Thanks very much.
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