Meeting Planner Advice

Something you don't see very often in Washington, DC - business development in Anacostia - has happened on MLK Avenue, SE. Today was the grand opening today of Big Chair Coffee & Grill, the most anticipated new business in the area. This new area DC restaurant is a coffeehouse, lunch counter and soon-to-be nightspot once its liquor license is procured. 

A bright, warm, sun-filled shop, Big Chair is run by an Ethiopian family. All the coffee selections are Ethiopian in origin, and a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony will even be held Sundays. There is a long bar downstairs, presumably for evenings when this can turn into a nightspot and a lounge upstairs. For now, everything is served at extremely affordable prices.

But what excites everyone most is not the coffee or the free wi-fi, but rather the fact that the venue was built at all. Developers thus far have been unwilling to build in Anacostia until it becomes gentrified, despite the fact that the area is home to black, middle-class residents who enjoy the same coffeehouses, nightclubs and shopping as the white hipsters in NW, DC. Let's hope this is a sign that more development is coming to the area - more SE DC hotels, venues, restaurants and shopping will not only attract business to the area but build a stronger community there.