Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets (HDCMS)

Taste of Dupont 2010 The Taste of Dupont will take place on Tuesday, October 5th from 6-9 PM. Create your own progressive dinner with $5 individual tasting tickets redeemable at any of our participating dining establishments, many of which will have specially priced cocktails or wines paired with your tasting. Participating Dining Establishments (as of August 30) - Annie's, The Burger Joint, Cafe Green, Firefly, Floriana, Gazuza, Level One, One Lounge, Scion, Soho Tea, Twist, and Urbana. Buy Tickets HERE and Check Out Menu items as they are submitted!   ************ HDCMS Cookbook: Call for Recipes If you are interested in submitting your recipe for our exciting new, hardcover Dupont Cookbook The Taste of Dupont, you can either email me your entry, fax it to 202-449-1377 or type it in yourself quick and easy at: www.typensave.com  GroupName: DupontCooks, Password: HDCMS.  Do so before September 10, 2010! You’ll also be able to see the growing list of recipes being entered, contributor names, and categories.  All business owners or managers will also have their place of business included in the credit line for each recipe, so it’s a great way to advertise your business for FREE!   Books will be presold at the 17th Street Festival September 25, 2010, and will be on shelves before the holidays! *********    NEW! August 2010 Dupont Circle Rental Opportunities      February 2010 List and information of 26 current rental opportunities in and around Dupont Circle, from first floor retail to small office spaces.  Many thanks to HDCMS volunteer Andrew Gorman who made this report possible!  Download the pdf version HERE     ************   NEW! Using Social Media: Free Seminar Sept 9, 2010 A FREE seminar brought to you by Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets and Jim Turner at Hilltop Computers, 2010 P Street, NW. Thursday, September 09, 2010 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM You may already be on Facebook and other social media sites, but do you know how to generate business by using the myriad sites and services?  Registration is required, as class is limited to the first fifty people that respond.  Register here:   http://www.eventbrite.com/event/620735637 Seminar Description: Social Media - Don't Get Left Behind Do you know how to use social media to help grow your business? Your FREE social media seminar for business will show you how. Use Social Networking to get your business in front of your clients! Connect with Your Customers Chances are that if you are not using social networking, your kids, friends, and more importantly, your clients are. Businesses and people interact with each other daily, sharing photos, telling stories, meeting new people, and building a solid foundation of online connections. They should be connecting with your business! Harness the Power of Social Media So how do we use the power of these social media networks to generate business referrals, increase revenue and help brand your business?   Which Social Networks should you be using? Our FREE Social Media Seminar will teach you this and more. *********** Dupont Festival Learn about the new Dupont Festival that was created in April of 2010, with exciting upcoming events held right in Dupont Circle Park itself like the very successful World Cup screening held June 12th! ************ Dupont Circle Strategic Planning HDCMS was involved in a recent June 2010 study by University of Michigan Graduate Students that provided an outsiders view of how the many organizations function in our community while identifying our amazing array of businesses, resources, transportation, and other factors that make our neighborhood a walking community.  See the report here.  Follow up with recommendations coming shortly.       HDCMS First Annual Classic Car Show Held Saturday June 5, 2010 PNC Parking Lot (Site of the Farmer's Market)   HDCMS was proud to sponsor as part of our on-going "First Saturday" events the first annual Dupont Classic Car Show, featuring over 20 fantastic and classic cars owned and restored by members of the Straight Eights Car Club, a local chapter of the Lambda Car Club.   ************** NEW! March 2010 Dupont Business Directory Did you know that the commercial corridors of Dupont Circle contain more than 500 businesses?  That's more than one for each day of the year!  Click above for our updated, January 2010 complete business list by category or by street index. *************.  ********** 18th Streetscape Project The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has begun the 18th Street Streetscape project, and will be working for the remainder of 2010.  HDCMS worked with DDOT on the early stages of the planning, ensuring that the two block commercial corridor of the street was completed last, during the winter of 2010/2011, to minimize interruption to our many businesses and outside cafes. We will hold a meeting with business owners and a walk-through with DDOT as the scheduled work nears our commercial corridor.  Visit this site for more specific issues, changes in schedule, and project updates.    ******* Old Dupont Trolley Station: RFP Issued March 31, 2010 HDCMS completed a poll with business owners and managers about their thoughts for future uses of the vast, 100,000 sf vacant underground former trolley station to be used in a forthcoming RFP by the City was released March 31, 2010.  See Comments Here.  Pictures of the current conditions and historical views of the station from the book Dupont Circle are here.  For a brief history of the station, click here!     ******** 17th Streetscape Project The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has begun the 17th Street Streetscape project, and will be working for the remainder of 2010.  HDCMS worked with DDOT on the early stages of the planning, ensuring that the commercial corridor of the street was completed first, during the winter months, to minimize interruption to our many businesses and outside cafes.  HDCMS organized a meeting between DDOT and all business owners on January 27 at Level One restaurant to provide details, and to walk through and discuss what changes would be happening at each business location to refine project details.        As with any project of this magnitude, change orders must take place during the construction period as issues and unanticipated problems are revealed.  Updates: Periodic updates and current reports can be found HERE. ******** 2009 Taste of Dupont Held Tuesday, November 17, 2009   This new format attracted over 1,000 ticket holders who visited 16 restaurants for tasty tastings and paired cocktails at locations all over Dupont Circle.  Click the link above to see the participating restaurants, and a big thank you to those that purchased tickets and to our many fine restaurants ******************   HDCMS Awarded Humanities Council of Washington Grant: Historical Images of Dupont Circle HDCMS applied for and was awarded a recent 2009 DC Humanities Council Grant of $1,500 that allowed us to build a history page on our website featuring nearly 200 vintage images and captions from the book Dupont Circle by Exec Director Paul Williams.  The historic images can be seen HERE.   ************ Connecticut Avenue Median Landscaping Project HDCMS is pleased to announce that landscaping and irrigation plans have been finalized for the very long Connecticut Avenue median north of the Circle, from R to S Streets!  We have made great progress of late, and overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles due to the current configuration, existing trees that will remain, utility locations, and the need for a unique irrigation design to ensure a lasting installation scheduled to begin in late and winter of 2009 and plant installation in April 2010 that will continue to enhance the community for years to come.  The overall landscaping plan is one that will bloom during all seasons, and provide maximum visual impact.  This $75,000 + project is scheduled to be planted by students at the UDC Master Gardener program. See the existing, landscaping, irrigation and traffic control plans here. See the Fence Design by Trout Studio Here Project Status: October 2009 Project Budget  *********** The 2009 High Heel Race The 24th annual High Heel Race was run on Tuesday, October 27, with approximately 15,000 spectators from all over the world.  HDCMS was the beneficiary and sold just 50 VIP tickets for the first time in a much welcomed tent at the finish line, saving many from the rain.  Mayor Adrian Fenty and over 150 volunteers made it one of the most successful events to date!      ************ Dupont Business Owners and Managers Meet & Greet October 13, 12:30-2 pm Hotel Dupont, 1500 NH Ave   The informal meet and greet was a successful function to network with business owners, learn what HDCMS has accomplished in the past year, and learn what is planned in the near future.  Many thanks to the creative Hotel Dupont catering staff that provided a fun and innovative "sky" snack set up! We hope to bring these functions each quarter, or more!  Pictures coming soon.   Invite pdf here  ************ Police Night Out: Dupont Circle Park August 4th, 6-8 PM Free food was graciously provided by Circa at Dupont Restaurant!  Free drinks and water provided by Omega DC!  Everyone had a good time, good food, and everyone also got to meet five of our local cast mates from MTV's The Real World being filmed right here in Dupont Circle.  Many thanks goes out to the successful efforts of our hardworking local police officers.  More pics here   *********** Dupont Circle  - May 2009 Magazine Feature!  HDCMS coordinated a feature story on our neighborhood for the May 2009 issue of Mason-Dixon Arrive magazine, with a readership of over 100,000 affluent readers in Maryland and Southern PA counties - a monthly feature written by Gregory J. Alexander that encourages a "backroads" trip to a local town or city.  The author accompanied HDCMS Exec Director Paul Williams visiting local merchants and eating in local establishments.  Read the entire article here (pdf)       2009 Spring Fling: A Thanks for attending!  Many heartfelt thanks for your attendance and support at our April 21, 2009 Spring Fling event, with silent auction.  Over 250 of you enjoyed the food, historic atmosphere, and silent auction.  It was a successful fundraising event for us, and we thank you!  See Pictures here.  **********   Dupont vs. Georgetown!  You voted, and the winner was DUPONT CIRCLE!  NBCWashington.com's fun contest for the best site for people watching had you vote Dupont Circle 63% to Georgetown's 37%!  The winner was announced on April 14, and HDCMS ED Paul Williams. Board Member Gil Hill and ANC 2B Chair Mike Silverstein were interviewed by NBC 4 in a plug that will appear on newscasts April 16.  See the comment on the voting results here.    ***********   Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets Clean Team Began in October 2008! HDCMS secured funding for a Clean Team that began sweeping, collecting trash, removing graffiti, and cleaning our commercial corridors in October!  If you see our team on the streets, be sure to thank them for a job well done. Did you Know? In the first three weeks alone, the team collected enough trash to fill 831 garbage bags weighing nearly 25,000 pounds!  1,656 bags were gathered in November, and 1,360 in December 2008!    This $125,000, year-long initiative will focus on business areas and adjoining alleys including Connecticut Avenue (north of the circle to T Street), N and P Streets, 17th and 18th Streets.  For the cleaning schedule and additional program information Click Here ************* Other Recent HDCMS Activities: ● 17th Street Planning and Construction Update: Final Design Meeting Sept 24, 2008  The 17th Streetscape Project will begin construction in Fall of 2009! ● General Info Dupont Circle WASA Replacement of 12-Inch Water Main Around the Circle: Aug 2008-Fall 2009.  Work is complete!  ● Learn about the Smart Bike Program in Dupont Circle!  --> ● P Street Streetscape Project Completed: See the Results!   HDCMS Mission: Our mission is to make Dupont Circle's commercial corridors economically healthy, improve our quality of life, and reflect our community's pride and history. Our program is guided by the following goals: Incubate new small businesses that serve the neighborhood Enhance our sense of community Increase public safety Beautify our parks and commercial corridors Our main focus is on three corridors: P Street between Dupont Circle and Rock Creek; Connecticut Avenue between Dupont Circle and Florida Avenue; and, 17th Street between P St and Riggs Street. Four main committees work together to achieve our goals: Organization, Design, Promotion, and Economic Development. Follow the links on the left for more information. Interested in helping? Contact Paul Williams at 202-441-1474 or via execdirector@dupontcircle.biz.   Other DC Main Streets programs: Main Street Anacostia, Inc. Gateway Georgia Avenue Adams Morgan Main Street Historic Dupont Circle Main Street Barracks Row Main Street North Capitol Main Street H Street Main Street Shaw Main Streets, Inc. Gateway Georgia Avenue Main Street Congress Heights Main Streets Deanwood Heights Main Streets Vinegar Hill South Main Street Funding Support from the Government of the District of Columbia, Department of Small and Local Business Development.

HDCMS Upcoming Events   HDCMS Newsletters: August 25, 2010 August 10, 2010  ******************   HDCMS Brochure   HDCMS Board Meetings: 5:30-7 pm   Aug 31,2010 (Hilton Hotel: Dupont Room, Terrace Level)   Sept 28,2010 (Hilton Hotel) Oct 26,2010 (Hilton Hotel) Nov 30,2010 Dec 28,2010   HDCMS Committee Meetings Aug 10, 2010  Noon Promotions Committee, Dupont Resource Center, 9 Dupont Circle, NW Aug 31  4:30 to 5:30 PM Exec and Organization Committee, Hilton Hotel Aug 12, 2010 Noon Design Committee Tour of South Dupont for Branding Project: meet at Dupont Resource Center, 9 Dupont Circle, NW Aug 5, 2010 3-4 pm Economic Enhancement Committee, TD Bank, 1753 Ct Ave   New Businesses   Panas Gourmet Empanadas, 2029 P Street, NW Astoria Wines, 1828 18th Street, NW Bangkok Thai Dining, 2016 P Street Scion Restaurant, 2100 P Street Le Pain Quotidien, 2001 P Street French Bistro, 1725 Conn Ave Sweet Green, 1512 Conn Ave Cafe Green, 1513 17th Street Saigon Bistro, 2153 P Street One West Dupont Wine & Spirits, 2012 P Street Community Events First Friday Open House, Galleries of Dupont Circle Community Meetings First Monday of the Month, 7:30pm DCCA Second Wednesday of the Month, 7:00pm ANC 2B, JCC Second Tuesday of the Month, 7:30pm DCC, Tabard Inn Community Partners ANC 2B Dupont Circle Citizens Association (DCCA) Dupont Circle Conservancy, Inc. Dupont-Kalorama Museums Consortium Dupont Circle Merchants and Professionals Association Web Resources The Wander Group Dupont Circle Main Streets - Flickr group photoblog Dupont Circle Update Dupont/Main Streets Open Forum Government Resources Dupont Scramble next