Voice of the Hill is reporting in its Twitter feed that Cliff Humphries plans to sell the H Street Martini Lounge. In the Tweet Humphries is quoted as saying H Street is "just not safe," and that he's witnessed four crimes this week. Wow. Wasn't Cliff on the agenda for an ANC 6A meeting last night? Is this from that meeting?
Great way to drum up interest in the asset you are looking to sell. Its a shame he feels that way, but it is even more of a shame that we can't get a god damned police presence on H street. You ever been out on 8th Street, by the barracks? You can't spit without hitting a cop.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying crime isn't a problem in our area (it is) nor that we suffer from a lack of strong police presence (we do) but, c'mon, this is all highly suspect.
ReplyDeleteHis club is involved in a high-profile stabbing incident, he's implicated in a possible cover-up, and all in the middle of a terrible retail economy and suddenly, it's because this area's not safe that he wants out?
I call BS.
I agree.....I'm sad to hear that The Martini Lounge is closing.They were one of the first establishments on the strip.
ReplyDeleteMuch success
That sounds kinda fishy.....If this the case,dont blame H street for your troubles.
ReplyDeleteAwwww geeez. One of the restaurant owners from H St told me that when they tried to arrange for a reimbursable detail from MPD a few months ago, all the businesses were willing to kick in - except for Cliff at Martini Lounge and Bernard at XII.
ReplyDeleteSo now he complains???
Trust me. He is not selling. If anything, he has generated more business since the incident.
ReplyDeleteDid you read the about all of the theater groups going belly up in the article about the Atlas in today's Washington Post? The crime isn't going to help the Atlas either. Too bad that we have such a wimp for a Councilmember.
ReplyDeleteAll of you that think you know the facts really don't have a clue. Crime is a big issue on H.St. I know it, because I've been a victim of it myself. Mr. Humphries has tried to get MPD to bring back more police to the area, but has just had the deaf ear turned toward him. There was no stabbing in his establishment...I was there that evening and MPD has changed it from a stabbing to an incident. The reality of it is the safety of his staff and customers is in jeapordy. Someone needs to step up and bring some police presence to an area that now rivals Adams Morgan and Georgetown on the weekends. I dare say, if these incidents happened in Georgetown, the National Guard would be called out to protect them.
ReplyDeleteGod forbid any of you are victim of the senseless crime that is going on. Maybe then will you understand his position.
This is the same guy who was on Kojo not so long ago talking about how much better H Street has gotten in the few years he's been there, right? Interesting how his tune changes once he's under investigation and getting a hard time about his business from city officials.
ReplyDeleteHe's right, it's not safe. You could get stabbed by a firefighter.
ReplyDelete"changed it from a stabbing to an incident"
ReplyDeleteUm...what? Oh that's right, those damn cops, always trying to make simple "stabbings" into dreaded "incidents". Please.
His patrons aren't safe because he attracts the kind of people that would not only carry a knife into a bar but would use it in a fight against fire fighters with police officers THERE. Say what you want, but that kinda shit simply does NOT go down in:
Argonaut
Sova
Rock and Roll
H Street Country Club
Pug
Granville Moore's
Sticky Rice
Red & Black
Palace of Wonders
Miss Whiskey's.
Whatever the reason, even with this one incident (or "stabbing" if you prefer) his place attracts more trouble than all the other H Street establishments combined.
The lights go dark at Catalyst Theater
ReplyDelete"all the businesses were willing to kick in - except for Cliff at Martini Lounge and Bernard at XII."
ReplyDeleteSeriously? That would have been great! I thought I remembered Englert talking about them. I thought it sounded more wishful thinking, but this sounds a lot more solid. Why don't Cliff and Bernard? What's the common thread? Wouldn't it benefit all the owners if they did this? I don't know much about XII to be honest.
I heard that the building for the Martini Lounge is for sale. Is this true?
ReplyDeleteJoe Englert said:
ReplyDeleteWe have not launched a reimbursable detail yet. Both Clif and Bernard at XII have approached me in the past and recently to be involved in the program. We are trying to launch this soon.
I think it is prudent to withhold judgement on what happened if we weren't there. Slowly the truth will come out.
Clif has gone through a hard time but I am sure he will land on his feet.
He has a great buidling in a great location that is only getting better. I am sure he will do fine..............
Just heard on NBC4 that the residents of Senate Square were notified that their building is going to foreclosure.
ReplyDeletegood riddance, and good luck.
ReplyDeletenot the best BS to say goodbye to the hood, but i'm sure it makes him feel better.
he's had a good run, but his time is OVER.
good on you, englert, for being the penultimate politician and being suave.
lease his bldg and do something decent, PLEASE!
something for everyone. it's a closer trek from Union Station and could attract some serious business if you think about it.
look at demand, average income for the area, work hours, race, sex, etc.
oh... maybe not.
wth.... just open a really rockin vet clinic. or... an electronic cigarette joint, or... an employment agency....
times change, economics change, places change.
what would you like to see open in the spot, mr. englert? assuming you know so much about the area, and demographics, etc.?
in your opinion, what would work on that end of H Street?
just curious, and i swear i won't take your idea.....
it's a gold mine area, and you know it....
You can tell that Mr.Poo has never been in the Martini Lounge. It is one of the nicest and most diverse bars on H. Not everyone is into dive bars and Clif had a nice place going. It's too bad that his comrades has given his place an unjustified bad reputation.
ReplyDeletesorry. you're right. martini lounge was absolutely amazing, and i have no idea why they were embroiled in this CRAZY situation.
ReplyDeleteit's mindboggling...
if you have an IQ of 110.
thanks in advance for your eye opening commentary.
"being the penultimate politician "
ReplyDeleteyou realize penultimate means "next to last" right?
Mr. Poo doesn't know sarcasm when he reads it, and must resort to silly immature name calling...
ReplyDeleteanon 4:32
ReplyDeletedon't be a daft twinkee head.
that's not name calling, it's downright trolling.
This is too bad, if true. I found the folks at Martini Lounge to be friendly and the service to be good.
ReplyDeleteA little off topic....I was reading the city paper today and noticed there was a section that listed all of The DC neighborhood blogs.With a little time on my hand,I decide to read them all.To my surprise there were at least 20 neighborhood blogs that were not current and boring. I would like to thank the person that created The Frozen Tropics Blog.In reading the other blogs,none can compare to frozen tropics.Thanks again for all that you do to promote our neighborhood....good,bad and indifferent.Keep the good reads up.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone gotten a comment from Mr. Humphries confirming that he actually said this? It seems out of character and especially foolish if he is trying to sell the business.
ReplyDeleteHumphries is simply jealous of everyone who overpaid for real estate in the area. That's why he's doing this: because he is priced out forever, and he must now live in Chantilly VA as a result.
ReplyDeleteCan you beleive all the jealous haters out there? Anyone who criticizes H St NE is just green with envy.
Can you beleive all the jealous haters out there? Anyone who criticizes H St NE is just green with envy.
ReplyDeleteyep. They are just "killing" over with grief.
Apologies for going off topic but I can't see a way to contact the blogger directly: Any info on a) which H St places will be open on Thanksgiving and b)local places to buy a Christmas tree?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks...
check out princeofpetworth.com for christmas trees. he had a post about that recently.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend Ginkgo Gardens for Christmas tree purchases. www.ginkgogardens.com
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:35, you can contact me directly through the link on the "view my complete profile page." I haven't heard who will be open on Thanksgiving. Typically it's going o be the bars. Argo was open last year, but I don't know if they are open for it this year. The Pug is probably your best bet. Last year they had food as well as drink.
ReplyDelete"yep. They are just "killing" over with grief."
ReplyDeleteEnough to make me want to move to Killumbia Heights or possibly even Bodymore, Murderland.
I think the owner is saying this because he's been through a tough couple of weeks as a business owner--the stabbings and the ANC's concerns about a liquor license at his new establishment, Dulce Lounge. I think diversity of the H St owners is important-Joe Englert can't own every damn thing! :-)
ReplyDelete