Donatelli Signs Starbucks, BB&T, Georgetown Valet To Kenyon Square

Donatelli Development is proud to announce that it has signed formal lease agreements with three new retailers for Kenyon Square, nearly completing the line-up for the building's 19,000 square feet of street-level retail.

Columbia Heights' First Starbucks

Kenyon Square will be host to Columbia Heights' first Starbucks coffee store, and it will be a large one, at nearly 2,000 square feet. The outlet will include all of the retailer's well-known features, but the customer seating area will be much bigger than most other Starbucks stores, and it will feature outdoor cafe seating as well. For comparison, the Mocha Hut in the Ellington at 13th and U streets is 1,700 square feet, and it sure feels like a large space, if you've ever been there.

"We are proud to be welcoming the country's best-known coffee retailer to Kenyon Square," stated Chris Donatelli, president of Donatelli Development, "and in a space considered to be a 'flagship' store for Starbucks." They will be occupying one of the spaces in the middle of the building.

"Our" Starbucks joins the other announced coffee shops in the area, Caribou Coffee, Mayorga Lounge and Sticky Fingers Bakery, in what some might say is a predictable coffee surge often associated with rapid commercial and residential development in a neighborhood.

BB&T Signs On

The corner retail space, near the entrance to the Columbia Heights Metro station, goes to Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T). The financial services company will build a full-service branch in the 4,000+ square foot space.

BB&T, with over 1,400 branches across eleven mid-Atlantic and southern states plus the District of Columbia, is ranked second in market share in the DC area. BB&T's operating strategy distinguishes it from other financial holding companies, with banking subsidiaries organized as a group of community banks, each with a regional president. This structure allows decisions to be made locally, close to the client, and also makes their client service more responsive, reliable and empathetic.

A Second Columbia Heights Location for Georgetown Valet

Capitalizing on the growing need for high-quality dry cleaning and tailoring services in Columbia Heights, Georgetown Valet has decided to open a small storefront location in Kenyon Square to serve as a prominent pick-up and drop-off location to supplement its larger plant location around the corner on Park Road, across from the Giant.

Facing 14th Street, across from the DC-USA development and just steps from the Metro, the new location represents a major increase in visibility for the company, and brings a much-needed service literally to the doorstep of Kenyon Square buyers.

Retail Re-cap and Update

These three premier retailers bring to five the number of announced retailers at Kenyon Square, with a sixth very close to being finalized (hint: more long-awaited neighborhood services and associated products). Previously, we announced Logan Tavern and Radiance MedSpa. We expect to continue to bring good news to the Kenyon Square community, particularly as our sister building, Highland Park, gets closer to completion and retailers begin to sign up in greater numbers there.

Meanwhile, across the street things are moving along rapidly at the DC-USA project, which will include over 540,000 square feet of retail and 1,300 secured underground parking spaces.  Among the larger retailers who have been formally announced: Target, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, Marshalls, Staples and Washington Sports Club. Many more are coming, including a number of locally-owned retailers.

As construction proceeds on developments throughout Columbia Heights, it becomes more clear every week that the neighborhood is growing into a bustling commercial and residential center with a vibrant street life.  As always, we promise to keep you informed as more news about the neighborhood becomes available.