Thanks to an Insider reader, Matthew Garvey, a leasing agent at Rhode Island Row indicated that the following stores are about to sign leases*:
Dunkin Donuts
Sprint Store
5 Guys
Have you heard of any others? Share with The Insider!
**We are checking with the developers on whether or not these tenants are signing leases.
rhodeislandavene.com 
Thanks for this update!
I’m glad we’re getting a 5 guys. Hopefully the Dunkin Donuts will be more successful than the one at 18th and RIA.
With some residential density, these places should do well.
Its a start. That’s about what I expected for national chains hopefully we can get a few local and different types of options too
So 5 Guys is not exactly fine dining, but I am happy about them coming anyway – way better than say… another Subway sandwiches or Burger King, etc. Same with Sprint and DD too. Thanks for the update!
5 guys…ok. DD…eh, but, alright.
Sprint. Really. A cell phone store. Great. Why don’t we just put another Foot Locker and another Radio Shack in there. Just what RIA needs.
Way to go.
Well, now we have more shops at the RIA metro than the Fort Totten Metro and the Brookland Metro!
We were expecting to hear of a mobile phone store from the list of stores Urban Atlantic told us would be coming last March at the Ward 5 Biz Expo which included a pet store, organic market, cleaners, sit down restaurants, etc. So, do hope we can hear news about signed leases for these stores in the future. Whatever happened to the CVS, is that still coming? And what about that DC Government entity at RIARow?
Well, if RIARow can get 5 Guys, can they get a Starbucks? Hmmm! Hope they keep trying to get a Trader Joes!
Well, despite its often less-than-yuppie reputation, I like Dunkin Donuts, so no complaints from me (starsucks is overpriced swill, DD is a decent cup of joe at a reasonable price and I assume they’ll be offering WiFi, so it meets a need). Five guys is a step in the right direction, much better than other fast food outlets…not personally a fan but I think it’s the right fit to service those around during the day and people looking for a quick bite for dinner. A cell phone store did not make me happy, but we knew it was coming all along…hopefully it will be small. Now, if we could get a cleaners and a place to sit and eat and drink I’ll be much happier.
Have you seen this post at LIfe on the Edgewood? http://lifeontheedgewood.blogspot.com/2012/01/row-island-row-update.html It says her sources confirm CVS and DMV as well.
Yes, CVS has been confirmed for a while. I didn’t know the DMV is confirmed – good draw of traffic to the area.
I was hoping that the quality of tennants in the apartments would attract better retailers that Five Guys and CVS. Will the tennants be of the quality to support a Trader Joe’s, a non-chain restaurant, and a high-class bar? My fear is that Five Guys, CVS, and DD will be over-run by the kind of people I see hanging outside the Metro these days. That will not improve RIA at all.
I am still holding out hope for a Trader Joe’s or a market of some kind. I would dearly love to be able to stop and pick up food/wine/etc. on the way home from the Metro without having to traverse that ridiculously oversized Giant parking lot. We need more food options now that Safeway has closed; just some kind of corner market or something.
I’m a little disappointed that this development hasn’t attracted more exciting retailers yet. CVS is nice (for picking up odds and ends on the way to/from work) and Dunkin’ Donuts is okay I guess– at least there will be someplace in the neighborhood to buy coffee, finally– but I’m not really wowed by Sprint or DMV. We don’t need more of the same . . .
J Rawlings,
From its inception, RIARow was intended to have a drug store to serve as the anchor.
11,000 daily commuters beat 200 tenants any day, but I definitely think those residents should have a voice in the kind of retail they want to see at RIARow. Is the Columbia Heights 5 Guys over-run by the people hanging out at the Metro? The Target in Columbia Heights has a diversity of people, because a diversity of people live and commute to Columbia Heights. So, I would expect the same thing for CVS, Trader Joes or any business at the RIARow Metro or any Metro station. Trader Joes likes to advertise its cheap prices, so that should attract a variety of people because they have quality goods at reasonable prices.
The same fears were expressed with Home Depot opening in Brentwood. People of all kinds work and shop there. They were at one time the highest grossing Home Depot in the northeast. If only Trader Joes would listen to that!
I know people are looking for groceries, but a quick ride up 12th Street has a very nice organic market, YES! I worry about cannibalizing a great local business. They have beer & wine, fresh crusty breads, bulk foods (great value esp on herbs and spices) and fresh veggies. If you haven’t been to 12 & Perry to Yes!, you should. And support DC business.
I’m not disappointed because 1) its not an exhaustive list of future tenants, and 2) the smaller spaces are going to attract businesses like this, and 3) there are name brands that are reputable and traditionally profitable. Have you ever been to New England? There is a DD on every corner and they do fantastic business. I’m also thinking that the tiskier businesses-such as a tablecloth restaurants-are probably waiting to see what else comes in there, I think that the current line-up is an okay start. Just think about if 10 no name stores came in-no one would want to take a chance there!
Definitely true. For example, Chipotle wouldn’t move into Hyattsville’s Art District until Elevation Burger and Busboys and Poets went in there.
I also agree that this is a great start, and it will draw others. In addition, with all the other development starting to hit this area (Brookland, Fort Totten), future tenants will realize how valuable of a location RIA is.
I just wanted to second Gwynne’s endorsement of Yes! Organic. Great selection, good prices, local operation. What’s not to like!
Yes! Market is located near the Brookland Metro. So, residents and commuters near the Brookland Metro can use that. For those of us closer to the Rhode Island Metro, we’d like our own organic market. That’s all we are saying. Otherwise, we could all go to Glut, that’s in Mount Rainier, Maryland, but we want something in DC. That’s the basis of why we want an organic market at the RIA Metro or along the eastern RIA Corridor. Some people like the quality of Glut, some like the quality of Yes!, some like the quality of Whole Foods, and others like the quality of Trader Joes. All these stores can coexist. Its happening now with Whole Foods and Trader Joes at the Foggy Bottom Metro. Brookland residents and commuters just need to continue to support Yes! This same fear happened when Home Depot came in. And, Brookland Hardware is still alive and successful.
Now onto recruiting Trader Joes. The EastBanc developer is rumored to be buying up parcels of land at the RIA Metro. (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/01/09/eastbanc-branches-out-with-huge-parcels-on-u-street-bladensburg-road/) Could they be thinking about buying the Home Depot/Giant parcel which is for sale? Either way, could this get us closer to getting Trader Joes? That would be nice.
This blog has to understand that people are going to complain no matter what stores come in and in what order. Some people will never be satisfied. There is still a lot of vacant retail space at RIARow and Urban Atlantic is still interested in getting suggestions.
I am strongly considering moving into RIRow in the next 3 months. A small market or Trader Joe’s would go a long way to making my decision easier. I like the Yes! in Brookland, but without a car I plan on walking/metroing for all my grocery needs. I can get meat and the big stuff at Giant or the NY Ave. Harris Teeter, but it’d be wonderful to have something closer to buy produce/dairy, etc.
These initial retail tenants sound like a good start and I look forward to hearing about future commitments.