This photo was taken on Thursday September 20, 2007. These days you'd likely find a crowd out on the sidewalk even on a Thursday night.
Kojo covers H Street in this audio recording. Interviews with Cliff from the Martini Lounge, Tony from the Pug, Casey from Taylor, Anwar Saleem of H Street Main Street, and At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown.
I heard it on NPR today. Way to go guys!! Great show and THANK YOU for helping H Street the wonderful area it is becoming!! I commend you for investing believing in the neighborhood
ReplyDeleteThis was very positive and great for H St... but why, on their map, did they have a link for Tropicana eatery...closed for months, yet omit Napa 1015 across the street, which has been an active member of all H St. initiatives... while Tropicana did squat. During the Festival their tables were jammed but whenever there is pressabout H St. they are excluded. Except on this blog, there almost seems to be some kind of vendetta. Just wondering...
ReplyDeleteOh silly thing, NAPA didn't locate in the "entertainment" district, therefore they don't exist in yuppie eyes. The Diner on Bladensburg won't exist either. It's all about branding you know for them. And most of the media, is just too lazy to care really.
ReplyDeleteFunny....As I look back at all the buzz and activity over the years concerning H street and the transformation,NAPA 1015 doesnt get as much press as the other venues......hhhhhmmmmmmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI have visited all the resturants on the strip and have enjoyed them all.However NAPA 1015 has a special place in heart.It's like my first born,since they were one of the first resturants on the strip other than a carry out.Hang in there NAPA 1015.
5TH STREET
Stop crying once and for all about Napa. The food is ok, mostly run as a catering joint. I think there is better take out food on thr block but that is just my opinion. In addition, the buildout makes you feel like you are in a really bad model section of Home Depot which all in all is not very inviting for the price they charge for their food
ReplyDeleteNo mention of 12 either. Must be nice to be a friend of Kojo
ReplyDeleteJoe Englert said:
ReplyDeleteFolks, nobody is trying to slight anybody. We are a loose confederation of businesses with a very non-existent p.r. budget. Therefore, we have no paid or designated p.r. person. There is no centralized or contrived point to stay on because we never made one up.
No one has a grudge or vendetta against anybody. We are not all on the same page all the time but we mostly realize the stronger a neighbor is, the more likely our business will be strong.
We meet not so frequently as a group with no real official name or dues. But trust me, when we did the H street festival, we certainly tried to look out for our fellow restaurants.
We are relauching our Atlas website soon. It will cost $4000 dollars to create. All businesses who want to be included will be more than welcome to pay their way and be included. Thanks for being interested in our street!
Joe will take the credit for everything. He probably invented the internet. "But trust me, when we did the H street festival, we certainly tried to look out for our fellow restaurants."
ReplyDeleteYou did not do the festival. HSMS did. And everyone is welcome to post their biz on www.hstreet.org......for free.
As for Napa, HSMS regularly includes them in ads like the Hill Rag.
Joe...this is not your personal street.
Joe Englert said:
ReplyDeleteNo, it was actually Al Gore and I that invented the internet. He did the editorial. I did the pictures.
The Festival this year did involve HSMS, but they weren't the only major force behind it. Like I said, lots of people put in many hours to make it come together. They worked with HSMS, but they aren't all HSMS. Joe Englert did play a roll. I don't see him claiming to be "the" force behind H Street, or the Festival. What we have going on now is something organic. Not everyone on H Street gets along all of the time. But trust me when I say they do look out for each other. This year the Festival organizers made an unprecedented effort to include local businesses. If someone wasn't involved I think it was by choice.
ReplyDeleteAnd Joe Englert was very involved with the Festival organizers.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first moved into this neighborhood nearly 4yrs ago and first heard of Englert and what he does/is doing I was very critical of it. Mostly becuase I came from a city where developers were noted to squeeze out long term home owners only to buy their property just to tear it down to build a crappy building for yuppies at a higher price. I then realized he was not at all pushing anything onto anyone or anybody, yet he took a HUGE risk in an area that really needed it.
ReplyDeleteWithin four years, this whole area has really changed for the better. I only wish I take part in or be more involved in all that happens outside of this blog.
Joe Englert said:
ReplyDeleteI tried to figure the h street.org site out. There doesn't seem to be any businesses or restaurants.
If you are a small business or retaurant and want to get your message out to the viral community, we have the resources, contacts and know how to reach publications consistently. But please don't act as if anybody or business is shutting anybody out. I think the street businesses are very inclusive.
It really is a good idea to seek out businesses on the street whom consistently make the papers and blogs (Pug, Martini Bar, Granville, etc) and learn to market yourself to the greater communities out there.
Also, we are planning to do reimbursable police details in the near future. Pitching in to help keep the streets safe is really a great idea for all businesses. Please, accept our invitation to join us in our efforts
"reimbursable police details" ?!!??!!
ReplyDeleteI know that you are being realistic, and that you are doing this to survive. But dammit, I'm tired of this city not doing it's job. You are already paying extra to clean the street because the "Mayor"s crew" can't even do that. Where is Tommy Wells? Where is Thomas?
Speaking of reimbursable police details... Can an apartment complex be held responsible for the need for 24/7 police presence for a year? There has been full time police presence for over a year now, at 16th and E NE in front of the apartment complex there. (Ever since that child got caught in cross-fire.) There is always at least one officer, but usually two or three. 24 hours a day. For a year! Whats the cost of this? Can the owners be held responsible for paying for neighborhood security because it rents to criminals- or rents to people who DRAW criminals to the complex? One officer told me last year that this is where people go to get crack. I'm happy the cops are there, but it seems to be a huge cost to the taxpayers. I'd rather the owners pay to monitor their residents.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering.
Inked is usually very accurate but there is one thing that should be corrected.
ReplyDeleteH Street Main Street produces the H Street Festival and it comes out of their limited budget. The people who worked with Anwar Saleem were volunteers.
The mission of HSMS is to promote the local businesses and the community behind them. In previous years, the Festival relied on outside vendors with little involvement from the bricks and mortar merchants and we made a conscious effort to change that with the 2009 Festival.
The most rewarding responses that we received were those that called it the best local Festival that "most reflected its community." Those who attended the Festival made that possible - all 15,000 of you!
So when Joe said that "we did the H Street..." he was correct. That "we" meant the business community which spent their own money on their booths and other efforts, plus HSMS and the volunteers. "We" all did it for YOU, and you came out and made the Festival successful.
The Festival was really a group effort of everyone on H. From the hairdressers who participated in the Fantasy Hair Show, to British Ink's sponsoring of the Tattoo Contest, restaurants who had booths far from their own actual locations, and businesses/non-profits who sponsored booths, as well as the places that added extra staff to handle the crowds. Some who chose not to participate this year have already said that they want to be part of the Festival next year.
The hstreet.org website has not been kept up to date. It has been done by an outside firm and changes cost money, so "everyone is [not] welcome to post their biz on [the website]...for free."
HSMS will be working to make the website reflect its mission of advancing the goal of promoting the development of H Street as a viable commercial district and the advancement of all the businesses on the Corridor. Watch for changes to make it more user-friendly.
The businesses on H are all independently owned. Even those in which Joe Englert owns an interest - with partners. They often cooperate in advertising and public relations efforts but those efforts are usually independent of H Street Main Street. Not every business is highlighted or even mentioned in all media coverage. Frankly, some do a better job than others in promoting themselves. Some don't even have websites. Go figure.
As Inked said, not everyone always has the same opinions or gets along, but they usually have the long-term best interests of H Street at the core of their efforts.
anon 9:35 - get your facts straight before spewing your bitter assumptions about Joe. Yes he has multiple (personal) interest on H St but I personally know he's always willing to help others and give sound business advice to individuals seeking to open their own establishments on H St or elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteBitter ugly statements really don't accomplish anything except annoying the rest of us who visit this site to obtain and share info about our blossoming neighborhood.
I never thought much about Mr. Salam that is until he started the H St. cleaning crew. Those guys are amazing and have made a huge impact on the corridor. GO ANWAR!
ReplyDeleteNapa 1015
ReplyDeleteHello Everybody,
As a business and property owner on H street it is a pleasure and an honor to receive such incredible support from the community. We at Napa 1015 have been striving to serve as one of the many integral businesses here, and it would not be possible without the regular support of all of the people who continue to return to our restaurant. With that said, it would be hypocritical for me to not acknowledge the hurt we experienced in not being acknowledged as the institution we strive to be and that many others have consistently recognized us for. I understand as well that this omission does not speak to our relationship with the other businesses on H Street, and we will continue to do our best as a restaurant dedicated to great food, great wine, and great community. On behalf of the entire staff here at Napa 1015, thank you once again for all of your support, and we look forward to the continued growth of H Street.
Cheers!
Jorge
Speaking of the trash collection. Joe bashed HSMS's efforts on that front too. Check it out because it was on this very blog.
ReplyDeleteJoe is bad news.
Are you guys upset because Napa was omitted from the map that is on Kojo's website? If so I think you all are wrong. Napa is on that map. It just doesn't show up when you click on the fork where Napa is. But it does show up in the list of resturants on the left. It might not show up on the map due to a simple glitch because the Tropicana location would be virtually on top of it.
ReplyDeleteJoe, the hstreet.org website is down right now but when it is up it is very easy to find restuarants and bars there.
Joe is very skilled in the art of misinformation.
Nothing quite like anonymous trolls willing to bash other people by name but not willing to put their own names on the mud they throw.
ReplyDeleteThe hstreet.org website is up now. I clicked on "Eat" then I clicked on "Dine" and out popped a list of places to dine in on HstNE. The very first place that is listed is the Argonaut. The hstreet.org website lists the Argonaut's address, phone number and website.
ReplyDeleteIt seems pretty straight forward Joe.
Joe Englert said:
ReplyDeleteJack, I can't seem to get the site to move past an opening page with a frozen Sidamo and Philadelphia Water Ice mention. I have had this happen with several computers.
Also, I think Anwar from Main Street does as much as he can for HSMS with his limited budget and heavy schedule. I really wish he had more money for an assistant whom would do full-time publicity and promotion for the street.
Anwar really does have a pile of work to do just following regulations and filling out reams of paperwork the District requires.
As the NPR show proves, Anwar makes things happen and our businesses are always happy to help him any way we can.
And Jack, thanks again for pointing me to the site!
Joe,
ReplyDeleteThe wesite does have to be tweeked as it is new. Instead of clicking on "Eat", just roll over it. There will appear a gray box to the right. Click on "Dine".
I agree that Anwar could use a paid assistant.
Joe Englert said:
ReplyDeleteSorry to pipe in again, BUT
As said before, I think we are very inclusive as a group of businesses. Ask Aaron from the Biergarten or Dru (from Dru's) or Eeric from Toki Dumpling or Joey from Dangerously Delicious Pies. We would do anything to help our fellow businesses succeed. When they do well, so do we. So many people on H have helped us do well, it really is a gigantic group effort devoid of ego and pettiness.
Our neighbors to the east are really stretching the strip. I can't say enough about the guys from Taylor and Little Miss Whiskey's. It is great that NAPA always seems to get better. So cool that they have legions of fans.
I thought NAPA had the best patio of all during the festival. Jorge really provided a tremendous atmosphere!
Something is in the water on H! Every business just seems to "get it".
It is easily my favorite neighborhood in the city.
Who would have thought we could have done so much in just 3 years?
The future really is bright.
Margaret,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why you feel that not every business can can post on HStreet.org for free. Because they absolutely can. The site was done by an outside firm, but all businesses on H Street were asked to provide a photo and a blurb about themselves. Those who did have a more informed listing, but every place on H is listed there. HstreetNE merchants know this. Anwar should be giving the website design firm updates to new and closed businesses regularly.
Joe Englert said:
ReplyDeleteMike, I ask this with no disrespect. But how do you know that any of our businesses were offered this opportunity? Why are there no emails that I can find with this request for info? How can 20 or so of us owners or managers of most of the places in the 1200, 1300 and 1400 block not know that we could provide links or copy?
As said many times before, we love to work together as a team with HSMS and H St Development Corp, but trust me, to this date, it has always been best just to stick together as a team of businesses and pull our own resources. Many of the programs and initiatives by government agencies either haven't been publicized or are not thoroughly communicated.
I can't tell you how many times that some government official turns up on H to tell us about overlays or funding programs or other initiatives only never to be seen again. It is as if there is two alternative universes at play on h and the people in business aren't aware of many things the government does when it comes to planning or economic development.
Sorry to burst your bubble, there is no conspiracy or slighting of anybody. We are going about our business with very little politics involved.
Joe,
ReplyDeleteI am an HstNE business owner, I was contacted about the website directly by HSMS. Just as the Argonaut, Dr. Granville's and Sticky Rice were. If you would like to post something now, all you have to do is contact Anwar. Remember it is a relatively new site so improvements are made all the time. Joe you are an excellent business man. What I would love to see would be for you to work side by side with Anwar (like what happened with the Festival).
As far as government types showing up and then not delivering anything.....welcome to Washington, DC.
Mike, what business do you own on H Street and why do you think that you might have been contacted personally by HSMS when Englert and others were not?
ReplyDeleteThe website is very incomplete and out-of-date. It still has the 2008 H Street Festival and no link to any information about the 2009 Festival.
The ads done by the same firm that have been running in the Hill Rag are the same one month after month and they include Fitness Together that's been closed for some time.
What do you think is going on?
Anon 11:06,
ReplyDeleteFitness Together remains very much open. They never closed.
Anon 1106,
ReplyDeleteFirst, WillPower closed, not Fitness First. Second, maybe Joe wasn't contacted but the managers of Argo, Sticky Rice, and Dr. Granville were. Third, what are talking about with the website? On the home page of Hstreet.org it says "click here" for info about the 2009 Festival. That takes you to the 2009 festival page. You can lead a horse to water ...........
Ads cost money to make. Yes HSMS is rerunning ads in the Hill Rag. But note that Joe's places are in those ads.
I worked on the H Street Festival and you are simply incorrect. The website does not lead to the correct information about the 2009 Festival.
ReplyDeleteIf you click on the "click for details" on the hstreet.org site, you reach a page discussing the 2008 festival.
Anwar Saleem had requested that the firm handling the website change the site, which had been listing an incorrect date for the 2009 Festival, to include a simple "redirect" to the website for THIS year's festival www.hstreetfestival2000.org
The firm did not comply. This caused a great deal of confusion and many problems.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteWhy are you so vehemently defending that H Street website while trying to bash Joe's effort?
That website is an ill-functioning joke. You mouse over the headings on the left, a breakout of options appears but when you go to click on one of them, BOOM, they disappear. The H Street Festival info leads to 2008 information. The website is full of bugs and, on top of that, it looks ridiculous. It is a pedestrian effort at best.
If joe wants to bring things out of the late 90s in terms of aesthetic and functionality, it is going to cost money. Those businesses that want to succeed would do well to follow his lead as his track record speaks for itself.
Sitting here bashing him, claiming to be an "H Street Business owner" but remaining conspicuously coy about it just makes you seem silly.
--J
Your assessment of the website is off. I think you all are failing to read properly. Go to the home page of hstreet.org click on "Click for details" . That brings you to a page for the 2009 festival. The top of the page clearly says "September 19 2009". If you read further the second paragraph says, "On September 20th of 2008, HSMS hosted.....". Did you read that correctly? "Hosted" is past tense. This is telling about what happened last year an a prelude to what will happen this year. Wake up before you start reading and complaining.
ReplyDelete