The publication, the Downtown BID’s fifth in an occasional series of working papers to foster dialogue about critical issues relating to Downtown’s economic, social and physical environment, is available for downloading at www.downtowndc.org/leadership#5.

Holiday Afterglow
The 2008 Downtown Holiday Market lived up to expectations and was bigger and better than ever. It ran for 19 consecutive days—from December 5 to December 23—on F Street between 7th and 9th Streets and generated an estimated $700,000 in revenue, up 17% from a year ago. Roughly 150,000 people turned out for the fourth annual outdoor bazaar. 

The large number of vendor applications led to a rigorous selection process in which 157 unique exhibitors (53 artisan and food exhibitors per day) were chosen to participate. There were 57 live musical performances, resulting in 114 delightful hours of entertainment. A diverse group of artisans participated, including those who sold jewelry (40), crafts (24), clothes and accessories (19), imported crafts (17), paintings (16) and photography (13).

Record publicity helped boost the event’s success. The Holiday Market was covered in four separate web-based or print articles in the Washington Post. The Holiday Market had more than 25 listings within the top 50 finds in a recent Google search; was featured in the Diverse Markets Management and Eastern Market e-newsletters; and appeared in more than 10 individual blogs. The number of Downtown BID website page views of Holiday Market related pages exceeded 15,000 for the month of December. Media partners included WAMU, The Washington Examiner and WASH FM.

The Holiday Market continues to prove that Downtown DC shoppers are delighted to find high-quality artisan craft items in our neighborhood. It has grown to become a model for city-wide marketplaces and seasonal shopping programs. Thank you for supporting the Holiday Market, which the Downtown BID produces annually in partnership with Diverse Markets Management!

Velvety Sweets
We reported in November that Tangysweet, the all natural yogurt shop, would open a second DC location at 675 E Street in December. Well, it has. Only now there are two shops at the location. Owner Aaron Gordon shares the space with his sister, Canada, the proprietor of the new Red Velvet Cupcakery. No sibling rivalry here!

David Guas, the original creative force behind the sweets at Acadiana (901 New York Avenue), Ceiba (1341 G Street), DC Coast (1401 K Street) and TenPenh (1001 Pennsylvania Avenue)—all owned by Passion Food Hospitality—is Red Velvet’s creator and executive pastry chef. The cupcakes will feature his signature flavors, many of which are modeled on his Louisiana and Cuban heritage. The new establishment will deliver and offer catering and pick-up services. For more information, call 202.347.7895 or visit www.redvelvetcupcakery.com. Contact Tangysweet at 202.347.7893 or visit www.tangysweet.com.

From Highlands to Lowlands
The new Scotch Bar is a big hit over at the Willard InterContinental Washington (1401 Pennsylvania Avenue), where it has been incorporated into the hotel’s historic watering hole, the Round Robin. The Scotch Bar at Round Robin opened this month and features more than 100 malt whiskies from six regions in Scotland. Guests can savor quarter-ounce servings (or tots), the one-ounce pour (dram) or design their own tasting flight by combining two or more whiskies. Prices range from $3 to $75. The Scotch Bar at Round Robin is open from 4:30 pm to 12:00 am seven days a week. More information is available by calling 202.637.7348.

Presidential Presence
President Barack Obama has taken over the Penn Quarter neighborhood. Through mid-February you can find his likeness on everything from tee shirts, air fresheners and mouse pads to buttons, tote bags and peppermint candy at the temporary Inauguration Superstore, which opened last month at 421 7th Street. For more information and to place orders online, visit www.inaugurationsuperstore.com. 

Wining and Dining
Say hello to yet another new addition to Penn Quarter, Zola Wine and Kitchen (505 9th Street), the new wine shop and chef’s test kitchen located down the street from its parent, Zola Restaurant (800 F Street). The trendy, 1,700-square-foot space also includes a cooking school and private dining space. Zola Wine offers about 400 different wine labels and Nouveau American cuisine. Pretty white wood floors add to the sleek, airy atmosphere. For more information, call 202.639.9463 or visit www.zolawinekitchen.com. 

Inaugural Extravaganza
Ever sat in the Oval Office? Looked out the windows of Air Force One? Talked about history with President Abraham Lincoln? Well, maybe not the latter—but even so, it’s not such a far-fetched idea. Through January 24, political enthusiasts will be able to do all of this and more at InauguralFest, a nonpartisan tribute to presidential history on the CityCenter DC site located at 11th and H Streets.

InauguralFest offers visitors a chance to touch history. They can board a full-sized Boeing 727 fuselage, a replica of Air Force One; sit in a full-sized Oval Office, replete with the historic Resolute desk that Queen Victoria gave to President Hayes, and sign a bill into law; and take in several displays, including one of interactive presidential talking figures, first ladies’ gowns, a presidential pet museum and interactive areas for children. Tickets are $17.50 for adults and $12.95 for children, seniors and military personnel with ID.

Volunteers are needed for this event, which runs from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on Friday, January 23, and from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, January 24. For tickets and more information, visit www.inauguralfest.com.

DC businesses interested in selling tickets for InauguralFest and sharing in a portion of the proceeds, can request a referral code. Group discounts, for 20 or more tickets, are also available. For more information on coupon books, ticket coding and business incentives, call 877.661.2124 and listen for the prompt.

The Downtown Events Corporation, a Downtown BID affiliate corporation, oversees event programming on the 10-acre CityCenter DC Lot.

Spilled Beads
The Bead Museum (400 7th Street), founded in 1995 and opened to the public in 1997, closed its doors last month because of dismal sales and the lackluster economy. The Museum offered exhibits, lectures, tours, educational programs and special events. Created by Bead Society of Greater Washington members, the tiny museum explored the history and cultural aspects of beadmaking and design from around the world. Before shutting its doors, it was only one of two museums dedicated to beads and beadmaking in the US. The other museum is located in Glendale, Arizona.

Moving On
Zenith Gallery (413 7th Street) is leaving its current location once its lease expires next month. Margery Goldberg, the founder and proprietor, says the Downtown mainstay will continue to sell art, remain active in Washington’s cultural community and stage tours while it looks for temporary new space. In the next few years, Goldberg says the gallery, located Downtown for more than 20 years, will move to a Mount Vernon Triangle luxury hotel which will be part of a multi-use project, The Arts at 5th and I, awarded by Mayor Fenty and planned for development by the Donohoe Cos.

Seal of Approval
The Downtown BID has been recognized as a “Green Steward.” The Sustainable Business Network of Washington (SB NOW), a nonprofit membership organization for companies that integrate environmentally and socially responsible principles into their operations and strategy, certified the Downtown BID as the first organization to have its daily operations audited successfully for eco-friendly practices. Last year, the Downtown BID partnered with SB NOW to test the Green Business Certification Pilot Program, “Certifiably Green.” The holistic pilot program audits building tenants' operations, identifies where improvements can be made and then offers certification at four levels. Although focused on internal operations, the certification also helps the public determine whether businesses are truly green and sustainable, and to what extent.

Now that the BID is certifiably green—it uses everything from soy-based inks and recycled paper to power-saving servers and computer monitors—SB NOW is extending the second phase of its pilot by signing up nine more businesses for its certification program, including AARP (601 E Street) and Washington Gas (101 Constitution Avenue). All told, more than 70 organizations are now on SB NOW’s waiting list to get certification for green operations.

Making a Difference
The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) is now accepting applications for the first annual Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Awards program, which will recognize outstanding businesses and organizations for their environmental stewardship, innovative best practices, pollution prevention and resource conservation. Applicants can choose to apply for the awards under one of six categories: Construction/Development, Hotel, Innovation in Green Products or Services, Retail and Partner (for associations and non-profit organizations). Or you can apply under a general category, either Small Business or Large Business. Organizations that promote environmental practices on behalf of DC and its residents are eligible to receive a "Partner of the Year" award. This category is open to associations, business improvement districts, non-profit organizations and other partners. The application deadline is January 30. For more information, contact Mary Lynn Wilhere at marylynn.wilhere@dc.gov, or visit www.ddoe.dc.gov.

Switching Gears
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), 500 5th Street, unveiled a newly spruced up website, www.MetroOpensDoors.com, which boasts a range of user friendly features and offers a slick new look with streamlined content and simplified navigation with strong graphic elements and icons. Information buried under multiple links is now a thing of the past, and customers should be able to find what they want in three clicks or less.

Still around and positioned on the home page are the popular Trip Planner and service disruption information about rail, bus and elevators—only now they include improved interactivity and usability. Also on the home page is a new rotating headline and colorful graphic at the center of the page that highlights important topics of the day. If a major service disruption occurs, the space will be used for real-time urgent communications.

On the interactive Metrorail map, a pop-up box with a station’s address, arrival times for the next few trains and any service alert for the station appears on screen when a user clicks an individual Metrorail station. The box also has links to a Google map of the area, allowing searches for nearby restaurants, hospitals, schools or grocery stores. And a “New to Metro” tab on the home page links newcomers to the region to information they would need to navigate their way around the Metro system. Cool.

In the Driver’s Seat
Mayor Fenty has appointed Gabe Klein, the co-founder and chief executive officer of On The Fly—the vending and mobile catering business—as the new director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). He replaces Emeka Moneme, who resigned in July. The entrepreneurial executive also once served as regional vice president of Zipcar, the car-sharing company. The appointment is hailed as a positive development. “Gabe is known for innovative projects and partnerships—great attributes for the director of Transportation,” says Ellen Jones, the Downtown BID’s transportation director.

Taking advantage of the city’s innovative new vending program, Klein opened On The Fly in 2007, making the Downtown BID area home to the city’s first green prototype vending stand called the SmartKart. On the Fly was one of three vendors (part of “The Lunch Bunch”) that participated in the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ (DCRA) pilot demonstration project to enhance vending in Downtown and offer consumers more options. DCRA received a Downtown BID 2008 Momentum Award.

Safe Passage
Check out the spiffy new medians on K Street. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) currently is completing significant brickwork and curb repairs to the medians along the major thoroughfare between 14th and 16th Streets. DDOT also has built two new handicap access ramps that allow for easier passage across the medians, adding to existing median ramps along the popular street. The newly bricked medians provide safer access to Metrobus and the DC Circulator and are a collaborative initiative between the Downtown BID and DDOT.

Travel Buffs
Got a thing for travel? This spring, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will roll out a new, for-profit subsidiary that will serve as a one-stop travel planning resource for cultural and heritage travel buffs. Heritage Travel, an online community that will bring together like-minded travelers, will also provide opportunities to share best practices and access detailed reports, online training and informational sessions. 

The National Trust has been involved in heritage travel for nearly 40 years through programs such as Heritage Tourism, Historic Hotels of America, Partner Places and Historic Sites. Now, through a fee-based program, it is partnering with heritage destinations, attractions, events, experiences and businesses such as Cultural Tourism DC (1250 H Street), which represent authentically the places, stories and people of the past and present. For more information, visit www.heritagetravelinc.com.

Honoring Excellence
The Washington Business Journal is accepting nominations for the second annual Minority Business Leader Awards. The awards program will salute 25 of the region’s most successful and influential minority executives and business owners who have displayed outstanding performance for their companies within the past 12 to 18 months. If you missed the opportunity to recommend a superstar last year, now’s your chance. The deadline for submissions is January 28, 2009. All submissions must be received no later than 5:00 pm on that day. Finalists will be featured in the publication’s April 3rd edition, with an awards reception tentatively planned for April 2. For more information, or to submit a nomination, visit www.washingtonbusinessjournal.com/nomination.

Tuesday, January 27, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
DC Chamber of Commerce
Speed Networking: Your Lunch time Workout
Phillips Flagship Restaurant
900 Water Street

The business community is invited to this popular DC Chamber of Commerce event, which will feature a lunch and speed-networking opportunity. Bring your cards and calendar to arrange follow-up appointments. The cost is $40 for members and $75 for nonmembers. For more information, contact Candice Hicks at chicks@dcchamber.org or 202.638.6736.

Wednesday, January 28, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington
2009 Annual Meeting
Capital Hilton
1001 16th Street

The Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA) welcomes members to renew professional connections and recognize those individuals who keep the industry and the association strong. Program highlights will include presenting the Sidney Glassman Memorial and Outstanding Associate Member Awards and the chance to meet the 2009 volunteer leaders and learn about the year’s priorities. The cost to members is $95. More information is available at www.aoba-metro.org.