Revisiting King Street

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I’ve been overseas the past three months.  On a very long list of things to I wanted to do when I came back was to take a walk down King Street and see if there had been any significant changes.  

King Street is at its most beautiful with snowfall and Christmas lights – that has not changed. Unfortunately, something else which has not changed is that most of the establishments that were vacant when I left remain so. I had hoped that the opening of the MGM Casino would provide a much-needed jolt to the local economy – more and better frequented bars, restaurants, retail stores, etc. It may yet do so.  

When local businesses in Old Town close they tend to be replaced by chains – sometimes with a chain I don’t like (another Five Guys?) and sometimes with a chain I do like (such as the recently opened sweetgreen). Still, a chain is a chain. If King Street is dominated by chains, it becomes more like anywhere else – albeit with an interesting history and a nice waterfront.

If you want to see what a community with very few independent establishments is like, look no further than the National Harbor across the water. To be fair, Old Town does have solid independent establishments – but less as time goes on. If the trend continues, there is less reason to leave the National Harbor or elsewhere to visit.

The cost of opening a business in/around King Street remains high. It is a tough market that requires large amounts of capital up front. The Alexandria Restaurant Partners Group has managed it by functioning as a consortium of restaurants operating in Northern Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. In Alexandria, this includes local favorites such as Virtue Feed and Grain, the Majestic, Lena’s, and one of the few new restaurants to open on King Street in recent months, Vola’s Dockside Grill. Chains, on the other hand, use capital to replicate rather than innovate.

The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce has long stated that the city is overly reliant on high residential taxes to pay its bills rather than fostering a business-friendly environment. In response, it has released an initiative called “Tomorrow’s Alexandria.” As part of this initiative, the Chamber will spend 2017 hosting events and discussions focusing on how the city should look 20 years from now, emphasizing the growth of small businesses and integration of Alexandria into the regional economy. Progress on both fronts would be very positive.   

My walk ended at the waterfront – still beautiful and still a work in progress with more clearance than actual construction. The slow, measured pace of development is intentional given concerns many residents had that projects were moving ahead too fast, without sufficient input, and that oft promised reductions in residential taxes in exchange for more development would never happen. A positive change is better signage around the waterfront to help orient tourists. Discussions will begin next month on the future of the Torpedo Gallery – a working space for local artists that should be a much better draw for visitors than it currently is.

It was nice to be back. For me, the ideal Old Town remains one that cultivates local businesses, has diverse dining options, an Old Town Theatre that is a vibrant performance and community space rather than a multi-year eye-sore and a bustling waterfront, with protection of the city’s historical heritage.

What’s your vision for Old Town? Share your thoughts and I will be happy to post them as a guest blog.