LeDroit Park residents plan to show support for the LeDroit Park Market (1901 4th Street NW) after it was robbed on Friday at 8:15 pm. The armed, masked robber made off with less than $400 in cash and undoubtedly terrified the two women who were staffing the store at the time.

To show our support for the store, which reopened within the past year under new management, the LeDroit Park Civic Association is asking neighbors to stop by on Wednesday, March 25th from 7 pm to 9 pm.

Your favorite neighborhood blogger will be there too!

The LeDroit Park Market (1901 4th Street NW) has finally reopened under new management.  The market stocks essentials like milk, ice cream, chips, bread, coffee, paper towels and is open daily from 7 am to 10 pm.  The market also serves sandwiches and fresh coffee and will soon sell beer and wine.

The reviews posted on the neighborhood listserv have been positive so far. Neighbor Anita writes:

I stopped by the morning and picked up a slice of banana bread. I returned for lunch and had a nice chicken Caesar salad. I enjoyed both.

Dee writes:

I went there for the grand opening and had what was probably one of the best cups of coffee I’d tasted in a long time. I sat with my friend and we chatted at the window for over an hour, and got a nice cheery goodbye from the staff as we left. It’s definitely a gem in the neighborhood and worth the trip!

The market had operated under various owners over countless decades. It closed in 2011 and the shop owner, Simon, was rumored to have returned to Ethiopia. The building’s owner reincarnated the market for about a year, but the store’s selection, which focused more on exotic gourmet items more than typical essentials of a corner store, failed to attract enough enthusiasm.

The owner closed the market and sold the building to a couple that now lives upstairs.  The couple leases the market to a family that operates several small markets throughout the city.

The LeDroit Park Market will be remain closed for the next two weeks while it undergoes some minor renovations and electrical repairs. We’re afraid we’ll have to satisfy our ice cream cravings elsewhere.

 

Simon’s store, the LeDroit Park Market at Fourth and T Streets NW was robbed earlier this afternoon. The suspect is described as a black man, 5′ 6″ to 5′ 7″, bearded, and wearing a green shirt, white sunglasses, a dark colored hat, blue jeans with black shoes. The neighborhood-funded surveillance camera placed on Simon’s store may have caught a glimpse of the suspect.

When Simon opened his second business, Cookie’s Corner at the corner of Second and Elm Streets NW, some decried the presence of bullet-proof glass at the counter.  Does this latest robbery vindicate that decision?

If you haven’t heard, Cookie’s Corner at the Second and Elm Streets NW is now open for business. It’s somewhat like the LeDroit Park Market, which is owned by the same person, but Cookie’s Corner will serve pizza in addition to sandwiches.

We, like others, are a tad disappointed with the inclusion of a curtain of bulletproof glass at the counter.  Then again, it’s easy to issue that criticism if you’re not the person who has to staff the counter.

We paid a visit on Tuesday and were informed that food service begins this weekend.