A former beauty salon in 16th Street Heights will become a small grocery store stocking Ethiopian staples and more.
Construction at the approximately 500-square-foot space, at 5507 Colorado Avenue NW, has finished. According to Amanuel Desta, speaking on behalf of the store's owner, Aseged Desta, the store will open in March after the completion of the permitting process.
The location is owned by the Madison Terrace Cooperative, a 45-unit housing complex above the Colorado Avenue retail spaces. This particular space had been a mother-daughter-owned salon for about 15 years before it went on the market, says Andrew Doyle, the property manager for Madison Terrace.
Desta says Aseged chose the store's location because of its proximity to a "high concentration of the Ethiopian community." The store will carry injera — the spongy flatbread essential to Ethiopian cuisine — spices, and other dry goods.
Official census estimates say the D.C. area is home to 150,000 African immigrants, of which up to one in five are Ethiopian.
This particular stretch of 16th Street Heights has a handful of convenience stores that carry some groceries, including fresh produce. The nearest supermarket is a Safeway about one mile away.
The transaction was brokered by EJF Real Estate Services.
Rachel is the managing editor of Elevation D.C. She also covers tech, business and science for publications nationwide. She lives in Brookland.