The X2

High end sneaker and streetwear retailer  A Ma Maniére looks to open on H Street NE. Signage was just installed above the entrance to 1214 H Street NE. A Ma Maniére is one of a bevy of high end fashion retailers from James Whitner. I love his story of opening specialty stores in mid-sized cities like Orlando, Charleston, and Tallahassee as opposed to going straight to New York and LA, whose markets are already full of high end stores. Here is a cool write up on the whole story in Complex. A Ma Maniére is definitely top of the line carrying the like of Off-White, Alexander Wang, and Maison Margiela. 1214 H has been in a long state of reconstruction after being purchased for nearly $1,000,000 in June 2015. This property had been a vacant property for some time even beofre that. It's  listed as having nearly 2,000 square feet  of rentable space, but it's not clear if the store will encompass one or two floors. Probably both. The store is clearly not close to openin

DC's eight CAVA restaurant will be opening soon at 523 H Street NE. This will be the second Northeast location for the Greek and Mediterranean fast casual eatery, with the other being just blocks away inside Union Station. No word on exact opening date, but the interior is looking close to finished (perhaps ready for fixtures & equipment) and the exterior is getting a lot of the current attention with final paint jobs, repairs, and whatnot. CAVA employs a build-you-own, quick serve format. In my experience they move the lunch line faster than any other competitors (Chopt's may be as fast, but few others). CAVA is also vegan friendly! The new H Street store appears to be quite small, so I will be curious to see how they handle dining in. Still, grateful to have another quality fast casual option in the neighborhood. 

Conrad from the southwest corner of 10th and I (Eye) Sts NW. City Center is mostly known for its retail components; a collection of stores selling everything from $2 cups of coffee to $140,000 electric cars. Apartments, condos, and thousands of square feet of office space fill out the rest of the spaces. One thing missing though is a hotel. Not that the area is lacking; the Grand Hyatt, Marriott Renaissance, and Marriott Metro Center are less than a block's walk. But soon the development will have its own. The Conrad will be a 360 room hotel run by Hilton and located at the corner of New York Ave and 10th St NW.. The name is inspired by Conrad Hilton, founder of the franchise. Conrad is one of the top Hilton Brands, behind only Waldorf Astoria. And it will join several other Hilton brands already in DC including Canopy, Garden Inn, DoubleTree, Hampton Inn, and Homewood Suites. The new hotel will be the 38th Conrad worldwide. Bryan Voltaggio (Range, Lunch Box, Volt)