Neighborhood

Relish DC: Not Your Typical Business Casual

Nancy Pearlstein of Relish has a fantastic style, a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and a Boston accent. “When I moved to DC on advice from my brother who lived here already to open Relish, I knew nothing about the city except for one thing - I didn’t like politics,” she says while walking us through almost 30 years of the store’s history and even lengthier time of her styling and retail career. Fresh out of college, she worked for her family’s men’s clothing store in Boston. Years after, she moved to Chicago to advance her career at a larger retailer and to gain corporate job experience. She hated it, she says laughingly. “The biggest reward is when people come back to me and tell me about all of the compliments they got while wearing the clothing I styled them in. If things don’t look good on someone, I tell them to take it off immediately. I’m a very honest person like that, as you can tell”, she chuckles again. The current brick-and-mortar space has not always been its location. When Nancy moved the shop to Georgetown, she didn’t know exactly what people would want to buy and wear. She sells Dries van Noten (whom she knows from the time he sold his designs in a booth at a trade show), Raf Simons, a more recent Sacai, and brands alike - the lines of clothing that have intricate and complex DNA. There are brightly colored skirts with giant flares all over them, see-through sequin tunics, statement resin earrings that will surely make your ears hurt, and platform sandals and cowboy boots mindfully placed around the vast retail space. “Not your typical business-casual”, says Nancy adding that her clients are people who come from all over the world to live and work in this city; and even if they can’t relate to most of her unique selection they appreciate the craftsmanship and sensibility that goes into making the garments and they buy and wear them accordingly. “My team and I work really hard when buying for the store, merchandising the racks, and styling our customers. We want them to leave us with a wardrobe that makes sense. After all, you can make anything look as funky or as conservative as you want by simply putting things together the right way. This is what I was trained for and what I have been doing my whole life. I’m constantly fascinated by my customers who are influential and the smartest people I’ve ever met. It makes it ever so special that they let go of control when it comes to their appearance and trust me with it. I relish that”, she concludes.

Georgetown on the Journey: The Immersive cherry blossom art experience

In celebration of cherry blossom season, local DC muralist Chris Pyrate is bringing his signature cherry blossom street art to Georgetown Park. The public art installation, titled Georgetown on the Journey, will be on view to visitors through May 2023, with art displays spanning from East Market Lane to Grace Street Plaza.

A Washingtonian and visual multimedia artist from Southeast, Chris Pyrate is known for his signature cherry blossom art murals throughout the city. Pyrate has amassed a notable clientele that includes Grammy Award-winning musician Lupe Fiasco, Nike, and the Washington Wizards. His popular pastel floral murals will appear in four consecutive phases throughout Georgetown Park over the course of the installation’s two-month-long duration.

“This project couldn’t be more special to me as a DC native. Georgetown was always an escape for me outside of Southern Avenue where I was raised. I worked my first job here as a design artist on M street, so to now be commissioned to bring my artistry back to such a historic neighborhood is a full circle moment,” said Chris Pyrate. “I look forward to contributing a public art installation to Georgetown Park. This partnership signifies how far DC has come with embracing artistic expression throughout the city.”

GLOW: Georgetown’s newest holiday tradition

It has been a couple of weeks of us enjoying the gift of Georgetown Glow curated by Georgetown’s Business Improvement District. Established in 2014, GLOW is the neighborhood’s newest holiday tradition, but also one of the most innovative free public art exhibits created in the city. This year’s carefully and thoughtfully selected light installations are brought from all over the world and mindfully placed around the historic areas of the neighborhood. The 8th edition of the festival features art that sparks cheer, curiosity, kindness, unity, and power that we hold as humans - from 16-foot-tall Light Falls on M street, to The Cloud Swing in East Market Lane, to the field of giant butterflies on the Grace Church lawn. The art pieces remind us of the joys of simplicity and slowing down. “All the Light You See” located in Waterfront Park near the intersection of Wisconsin Ave and K Street, spreads a thoughtful message on morality. GLOW programming includes more than 30 walking tours, GLOW-themed yoga, and Pilates classes. It also makes any evening in Georgetown special, whether it is a family outing or a solo walk to reflect on the year past and plan for the one ahead. Make sure you use the swing for both of those occasions. GLOW runs through Sunday, January 22, 2023 with the artworks lit nightly from 5 to 10 pm.

Little Words Project - the latest opened store in the women-led kindness movement

Little Words Project on Wisconsin Avenue is new in Georgetown and is the latest (and may we say, a very timely) opened store in the women-led kindness movement. Little Words Project aims to inspire and encourage people to be kind to themselves and to pay that kindness forward, one bracelet at a time. "I hope your Little Words bring you all the positivity and love that you bring to us," - says the founder and CEO of the company Adriana Carrig. The idea of the trade-marked original word bracelet is beyond the belief of just an accessory. When you buy a bracelet, you get a unique code that allows you to register it while sharing the story behind the purchase. It is encouraged to pass the bracelet along as a token to someone who might need some extra love and appreciation. You will be able to track the bracelet as it makes its way from wrist to wrist while also indulging in hopefully uplifting stories of love, care, and strength that the accessory becomes a reminder of. Tracking stories associated with the word “Georgetown” made us smile, laugh, and even cry sometimes. From a woman buying the bracelet before the dream job - professor at Georgetown - interview (we hope she got it) to getting the bracelet gifted from mom to daughter during a severe case of depression to exchanging one with a best friend just because you love them and want to say it one extra time. A small keepsake with a giant concept is how one can describe this project. Having it accessible right before the holidays makes it an easy but nonetheless meaningful gift choice.

A “Not So Cookie Cutter” Walk Through Georgetown with Nancy Miyahira

Nancy Miyahira, the vice president of marketing for the Georgetown Business Improvement District, has taken us on a unique walk in the neighborhood a few weeks ago. “Working on behalf of such an authentic place, it is important we remember the history”, she said. Georgetown has not only been a cozy and safe home to its residents but has also evolved into a busy center for retail, art and even movie production in the last few decades, says Nancy while we are climbing the infamous Exorcist Stairs. “Sometimes people forget or don’t inquire enough about the past of the neighborhood. At the time of the founding, Georgetown was by large an African American community town. The famous “blue house” that appears on social media a lot shouldn’t be trending only because it looks pretty but because of its historical significance. The house was once home to Alfred and Hannah Pope, a prominent black couple, active in political affairs and real estate, who influenced not only community development but also a merge of Georgetown with Washington City”. 

Continuing our tour, at the top of the stairs we turn left and walk towards “The Transformers House.” How do the two such different worlds of history and modern life collide? “The homeowner is an art collector and the sculptures outside of his home are part of the archive”, she mentions while pointing to the roof where one more transformer is peeking across as if it is watching over the area. This not-so-cookie-cutter tour eventually takes us to Martin’s Tavern where JFK famously proposed to Jackie (they even have a proposal booth available for reservations) by way of N street where the Kennedy family lived. But before that, we are stopping at Halcyon House, the social impact incubator on Prospect street. It was started by Dr. Sachiko Kuno, who bought several historic buildings in Georgetown and created a philanthropic organization to help young inventors, artists, scientists and anybody who wants to change the world and make it a better place. 

After we cross Wisconsin Avenue with no luck of getting a proposal booth for lunch, we aim for our last stop, the house of Julia Child. It is ironically (“is it ironic though?” - Nancy wonders) situated at the quiet end of Olive St. The home is a B&B now but is as charming as we imagine it would have been when the famous chef lived there. Do residents and locals ever get irritated because of the tourists’ interest in their homes? “I think it is the opposite, people love the attention their neighborhood gets” - Nancy adds. After all, it does come with the territory, literally. 

Neighbors DIverse Community (Neighbors DC), A Unique Collective Pop-up Market

Enica Barnes of Neighbors DC started the collective pop-up market about a year ago but has been working with the small shop community in DC for a while before that. The unique curation of vendors and the people she surrounds herself with is an important part of the process. “This is not a silly thing we are doing here, and my curation reflects that - you can shop for vintage or jewelry, or candles and bar mixers, or plants or pets accessories, and you will find it all here”, - she says. Not only what you sell matters, but also how you do it. Enica’s motto is “mind over matter”, and she likes to think of her vendors as people who create in purpose and with great attitude. Each tent looks like a small shop - there are rugs on the ground at the textile blueprint stand; you can say hello to Bailey (the dog muse to Beasties and Bestiess); the tea you get comes with history and a story behind it. After all, the community comes with the story too. And while the market is a summerlong event, Enica is always thinking ahead about her next pop-up and expanding her team -  “This community of local business owners has really opened up my eyes on what things can be. I used to think that the creative circle in DC was so exclusive and hidden, but when I meet these vendors who just work on their dream, I think that anything is possible”.

How Wendell Allsbrook & Georgetown Butcher Persisted

Georgetown Butcher has been in the neighborhood only since the pandemic, but Wendell Allsbrook has already become a local celebrity status butcher if you will. “They just wrote a piece in Wall Street Journal, I gave them the recipe for housemade bacon”, he says proudly. The pandemic not only gave the new entrepreneur challenges but also brought on a bunch of opportunities. As he puts it, the thing about struggle is how you look at it. Will you come up with a solution to solve the problem? Are you willing to work hard to overcome it? Wendell is in the shop every day. The meat that has been just delivered is being processed in front of our eyes while the camera is clicking: he is gently cutting off all the excess fat, then pulling and wrapping the butcher’s twine around it so effortlessly that he doesn’t even have to look at it. This piece of meat is going straight to one of his regular clients - she will be happy to know it got to be the hero of the shoot, he says laughing. 

In the shop, you will find fresh meats and fish, and small grocery items. There are sardines, anchovies, and many kinds of olive oil. Squid ink spaghetti lives next to pear butter that’s next to red onions and garlic. Wendell says he had to learn not only to be a butcher but a businessman first. And it took him more than 15 years. “I never finished high school, and ever since I’ve put additional pressure on myself to become successful. I didn’t allow me not going to college to stop me from learning how to operate a business. This job and this butchershop is not only about me, it’s for everybody struggling right now to see that you can push through challenges no matter what life is at the moment. That’s why I can’t be tired and I can’t have a bad attitude, I have many people depending on me. There is a lot of hope, but unfortunately not a lot of faith. And I want my example to be that of faith. I want to expand and open up more butcher shops, build partnerships and become a distributor one day; on the other hand, I want to get involved and work with public schools and eventually have a butcher academy and a culinary institution.”

Before we leave, Wendell tells us that he is going to present his ground meat to Daniel Boulud for his new restaurant. “Right now, I’m just putting one foot in front of the other, but the future seems bright,” he says. And there is zero doubt about that. 

St.Patrick’s Day specials at Georgetown Cupcakes

Last Friday we bought all of the variety of the St.Patrick’s Day specials at Georgetown Cupcake. Turns out there are different types of chocolate cupcakes and many vanillas (yes, sprinkles make a difference and we stand firmly on that). Needless to say, we devoured them all in a matter of minutes. But are you really surprised? 

Do you see this line outside their bakery on M street? Yes, that line to get in, along with their Wikipedia page and countless media features don’t lie - the cupcakes are that great. But their two female founders and owners seem even greater. Sisters, Katherine Berman and Sophie LaMontagne teach you how to bake on Instagram, you can see them on TV or pick up their bestselling books. They started the business in Washington DC out of their own savings and a small loan, then managed to transform it into a cupcake empire, if you will. And they did it without sacrificing the taste or the integrity of the business. Giving back to the local community and globally through many initiatives seems to be one of the owners’ missions. And that makes for a very compelling combo because we should never underestimate the power of a good heart or a tasty treat.

Visit Georgetown Cupcake online or in-person at their Georgetown location (on the corner of 33rd and M) to learn more.