Last year, the owners took that mission to the , organized by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District and The , a woman-founded market operator dedicated to promoting equity, sustainability, and small business growth, for the first time. During the month-long event, the book store sold everything from their inventory, and for Young, there was no question they would return this winter. 

鈥淭hat type of exposure for a small business is unheard of,鈥� Young said. 鈥淭he market is a tremendous boost for us.鈥�

Before knowing their first year at the market would be a success, Young said they were scared they wouldn’t sell everything or have enough for the entire month. This year is different, she said. 

Over the past year, the business owner spent time budgeting the inventory necessary for the four-week market, in an attempt to not 鈥渟curry and try to order something that may take a week to arrive.鈥�

They have gathered data around what was popular, what wasn鈥檛 so popular and what customers requested often. Now, Young said, they are ready. 

From Nov. 21 through Dec. 23, Mahogany Books and 114 other vendors, including over 20 first-timers, will take over between 7th and 9th Streets. 

The market is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. 

Young said many customers who have visited Mahogany Books over the past year have credited the market, adding that she noticed the event鈥檚 diversity allows for different cultures and communities to combine and learn more about each other, including Black history. 

鈥淚t’s crucial at a time when I feel like so many people’s ideas get isolated,鈥� Young said. 鈥渢his market, to me, really reflects all the different cultures, all the different values, all the different communities in D.C.鈥�

The Youngs started the online book store in a one-bedroom apartment, hoping to make Black history and stories accessible. But being a business owner doesn鈥檛 come without its hurdles. 

Young said many people didn鈥檛 believe in their mission, but they decided to mute the 鈥渘aysayers.鈥� 

The couple commonly heard questions such as 鈥淎re people even buying books?鈥� Ramunda鈥檚 answer is yes. Mahogany Books鈥� location at the National Harbor sees 55,000 people a year.

鈥淭he proof is in the pudding now,鈥� Young said. 鈥淭his little Black bookstore is rocking.鈥�

Young said the preparation for the market starts months in advance. 

for vendors interested in participating in the market open between February and March. After that, The Makers Show chooses the 115 vendors who will participate at the market. 

Gerren Price, the CEO of the DowntownDC BID since 2022, said 鈥渁 mix of different types of vendor options鈥� and ensuring diversity among them are key factors behind the decision making. 

This year, 70% of the market鈥檚 vendors will be women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and locally owned. 

The market celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024, and Price said it was a reset moment for the event. With a change in the aesthetics, a greater focus on supporting small businesses and the addition of more vendors, the event brings foot traffic to Downtown, an area still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Since 2020, fewer people have visited local businesses and restaurants in the area, Price said. Beyond remnants of the pandemic, he said federal layoffs and the 44-day government shutdown also impacted foot traffic in downtown. 

However, the holiday market helps shift that dynamic. Price said the DowntownDC BID did an economic development analysis after the 2024 Holiday Market and found that for every $1 people spend in the market, they tend to spend $1.50 in activities downtown. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that we鈥檙e bringing as many people as we can into the downtown core just to support that broader economic infrastructure,鈥� Price said. 鈥淪o it’s fun and it’s festive, and it’s all about bringing joy, but it’s also dollars and cents and it helps the baseline of the economy in the city.鈥� 

The market broke a record in 2024, with more than 347,000 visitors in 31 days, according to the CEO. He said he expects even higher numbers this year based on previous success and 鈥減ositive word of mouth.鈥�

For the small female-owned business those numbers make a difference. 

Angelika O鈥橰eilly, owner of Eliana Curated, a jewelry store in Old Town Alexandria, has been a customer at the market from the start. Since opening her business in 2020, one thing was certain: She wanted to have a pop-up in the DowntownDC Holiday Market.

For three years, O鈥橰eilly applied to join the market, with no success. However, things changed in 2024, when the DowntownDC BID partnered with The Makers Show. 

鈥淭hat was the best thing that ever happened to me,鈥� O鈥橰eilly said. 鈥淚t was transformative. I can tell you, 30% of our revenue last year came from the DowntownDC Holiday Market.鈥�

O鈥橰eilly was born in Eastern Europe, and when she was 5, her parents made a choice: to move to the U.S. and give their daughter an 鈥淎merican education.鈥� Her interest in entrepreneurship flourished early. 

During her time in middle school and high school, O鈥橰eilly started a “babysitting club鈥� and a driver鈥檚 ed school for 16-year-olds. However, she spent 18 years of her adult life in the tech industry before launching Eliana Curated, and she didn鈥檛 do it alone. 

The business is a family affair. In 2020, when O鈥橰eilly was pregnant with her first daughter, her parents moved to D.C. to be present for their only daughter and the first granddaughter. But they weren鈥檛 ready to retire; they needed a project.  

So, O鈥橰eilly, who wasn鈥檛 prepared to leave the tech industry just yet, had an idea in mind: to buy designer brand garments from antique shops, collectors and state sales and 鈥渃ycle the buttons.鈥� They filled the buttons with 14 karat gold posts and made them into earrings.

O鈥橰eilly said she still remembers the business鈥檚 first pop-up in Virginia, when no one bought an item. Her father, who shapes the designs alongside her mother, stayed positive and encouraged O鈥橰eilly to 鈥渟tay consistent,鈥� she said.

After four years of juggling her job in the tech industry, being a business owner, a wife and a mother of two, O鈥橰eilly said she decided to focus on her business full-time in October of 2024.

鈥淲e kept showing up,鈥� O鈥橰eilly said. 鈥淭hen, we did the DowntownDC Holiday market last year, and it blew up.鈥� 

Since then, the business owner has opened a physical store in Old Town Alexandria, where she said many tourists and locals who stop by credit the holiday market for introducing them to Eliana Curated for the first time. 

For the store鈥檚 second year in the event, O鈥橰eilly said customers expect a new line of waterproof jewelry and new vintage designer buttons. But for her, what she looks forward to the most is connecting with new customers.

鈥淲hat I love about being a woman-run business is getting to meet all of you in person and like having new relationships,鈥� O鈥橰eilly said. 鈥淚 feel like I have 100 new friends that I make every single month.鈥�

The post At DowntownDC鈥檚 Holiday Market, vendors drive profit as foot traffic rebounds first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

In October, the company announced a seven-year deal with Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., making the pharmaceutical a major sponsor at the arena. Under the agreement, Vanda received naming rights to the arena鈥檚 new in-house production facilities, now called Vanda Pharmaceuticals Studios. 

In a joint statement with Vanda, MSE CEO Ted Leonsis said the partnership reflects a shared ambition to tell 鈥渂igger stories, reach wider audiences and uplift the D.C. community.鈥�

The announcement came as phase one of the Capital One Arena redevelopment is nearing completion and phase two, which focused on locker rooms, lounges and premium fan areas, also is ending. 

Vanda is the project鈥檚 second founding partner, following a multiyear deal with United Airlines. The United deal includes branding and integration opportunities with the NBA鈥檚 Washington Wizards, NHL鈥檚 Washington Capitals, WNBA鈥檚 Washington Mystics, Capital One Arena and Monumental Sports Network.

MSE is looking to secure as many as 10 founding partners, which would involve team-controlled media, community outreach programs and advertising.

MSE did not respond to requests for comment. 

Community impact minimal so far

Chinatown ANC Commissioner Thomas Lee said phase one brought little disruption to the surrounding Chinatown community.

The initial stage of construction mainly focused on interior upgrades, with minimal work on the building鈥檚 exterior. Aside from temporary fencing, a few dumpsters on Sixth Street and the short-term closure of the Metro stop entrances over the summer, Lee said most nearby businesses have been unaffected. 

Lee said the next phases will include exterior improvements and expanded work zones and will likely be more visible to the community. However, he said, for now, he sees the light footprint of phase one as a positive sign that the redevelopment has been well-managed. 

While the first stage caused little neighborhood disruption, Lee said he hopes the city will use this moment to address lingering issues with the surrounding streetscape and public spaces. 

He said his constituents have complained about cracked brick sidewalks, lights not working and overflowing trash bins, adding that those need attention. 

 As the project develops, the commissioner said he would like for the city to combine the 鈥渋mmense investment鈥� in the arena with improvements to downtown infrastructure and public safety. 

鈥淚f we were to combine all three, we will then see a huge return to when people were attracted to downtown,鈥� Lee said. 

Winston Lord, co-leader of the new phase of Chinatown鈥檚 Task Force, said the community has expressed 鈥渉istorical skepticism鈥� about whether the redevelopment and renovations can work.  Some of those concerns, Lord said, are related to possible gentrification in the area and wanting to make sure the amount of money invested in the project is proportional to its changes.

However, Lord said MSE has been engaged with the Chinatown community to address concerns and fears about gentrification and loss of local culture. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 still early, but all the key players, as far as I can tell, are all rowing in the same direction, which is hugely optimistic,鈥� Lord said. 

Lord, founder of Lord Advisory, a strategic advisory firm in D.C., is one of the co-leaders for the successor to the Gallery-Place Chinatown Task Force, an 18-month task force created by Mayor Muriel Bowser to address the future of Capitol One Arena and its neighboring areas. 

Lord and Tim Ma, a restaurant owner in D.C., who do not have governmental authority, were asked earlier this year to continue the task force鈥檚 work. The D.C. Council approved $250,000 as part of Bowser鈥檚 fiscal 2026 growth agenda to implement ideas seeded by the task force. 

Lord, the son of a Chinese immigrant and a D.C. native, said Monumental has shown interest in finding ways to be good neighbors to the Chinatown area. 

鈥淭hey are eager and already have shown ways that they want to help celebrate Chinatown,鈥� Lord said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an interest to keep that culture alive and make it thrive.鈥�

The deputy mayor’s office for planning and economic development and the DowntownBID did not respond to requests for comment.

Several more phases are planned through 2027, with construction eventually shifting toward major exterior upgrades, including a new F Street entrance, upgraded concession areas and a redesigned facade. 

The post Capital One Arena set to wrap up Phase 1 of renovation first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

In August, President Donald Trump declared a 鈥渃rime emergency鈥� in D.C. and deployed federal law enforcement agents and National Guard troops to patrol city streets.听听

However, while the federal surge ended in early September, its effects have not.听听

Several business owners and pedestrians in the Chinatown and Gallery Place area expressed that unease but declined to speak on the record, saying they feared retaliation for criticizing the police or federal agents. Others who agreed to talk described an atmosphere of tension and confusion during the federal operation and a lingering skepticism toward local law enforcement.听听

A frequent visitor to the area, who requested anonymity because of safety concerns, said he understands MPD had little choice but to cooperate with federal orders. Still, he said the collaboration听blurred lines between local and federal authority.听听

鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 not even anybody鈥檚 fault,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I do think to an extent that MPD still has to lend a hand and maybe, in some instances, avoid fear tactics when they are unnecessary.鈥澨�听

Another frequent visitor to the area, who also requested anonymity because of safety concerns, said she would like MPD to take a more vocal role in reassuring the Chinatown community that its mission is to serve and not intimidate. 听

She recalled a recent incident where a woman pushing two children in a stroller was publicly detained at the Metro station for skipping the fare gate.听听

听鈥淚 think they could exercise more discretion in situations like that,鈥� she said. 鈥淵es, give her a ticket, but it鈥檚 things like that that make people fear local police.鈥�听

Thaddeus Johnson, a former law enforcement official in Tennessee and a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, said the sense of surveillance and mistrust can linger for a long time. 听

He said the community in Chinatown may not differentiate one law enforcement entity from the other when they see a badge, and actions from one agency can directly impact how citizens see law enforcement in general. 听

Johnson said it takes more than participating in community events to strengthen the relationship between locals and law enforcement. 听

He said officers should practice 鈥渋ntelligence– driven patrol鈥� to show the community they are not doing 鈥渟tops and frisk.鈥�听

鈥淭rust is hard to build and easy to break,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淵ou have to show that you’re responsible, responsive to the needs of people. You’re never supposed to govern in symbolism.鈥�听

Although violent crime District-wide went down by 4,760 reported incidents between January 2024 and October 2025, according to the , Chinatown remains one of the city鈥檚 areas of concern.听

D.C. Crime Cards data shows theft and robbery remain persistently high in Chinatown, particularly around the Metro area. However, theft rates fell from 13,002 to 9,007 incidents between 2024 and 2025.听

Johnson said the Asian community was targeted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and though he said things have improved, recent history combined with the federal takeover could trigger fear and mistrust.听

Nearly 40% of over 3,500 arrests made since the operation began in early August were immigration-related, according to the Associated Press. Johnson said though MPD didn鈥檛 perform those actions, local communities may not distinguish one authority from the other. 听

鈥淎ll we see is a badge of enforcement,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淪o, how other agencies act impacts how you feel, even about the officers you see day to day walking in your community.鈥�听

The DowntownDC Business Improvement District did not respond听to questions in time for publication.

MPD First District Capt. Paul Hrebenak said a large part of policing is training MPD officers on community policing and identifying biases. He said MPD focuses on having a fair balance and check system so the community feels like they are 鈥渢reated fairly.鈥澨�听

However, he said he understands how the federal takeover may have impacted the trust in local enforcement.听听

鈥淚 can definitely understand that there鈥檚 been a shift, perhaps, as this takeover has happened with the community鈥檚 trust in law enforcement,鈥� Hrebenak said. 鈥淏ut I think in the long term and the medium term, things really haven鈥檛 changed that much in our response from neighborhood to neighborhood.鈥�听

The post Federal law enforcement leaves Chinatown uneasy first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

While they acknowledge that crime in the neighborhood is down from previous highs, leaders say these initiatives help project a sense of safety and stability to neighborhood residents.

At an Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2C , 2C04 Commissioner Jim Swart said he reached out to Commander Colin Hall of the Metropolitan Police Department鈥檚 First District to ask for more frequent use of the drug free zones because he has seen them have positive impact in the area.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an important piece of the crime reduction puzzle,鈥� Hall said at the meeting. 鈥淚 wish we could extend it.鈥�

Over the past year and a half, D.C. officials have been leaning on a combination of initiatives to reshape Chinatown鈥檚 sense of security.

Mayor Muriel Bowser opened the Safe Commercial Corridor Hub in 2024 to connect residents to a range of services, with a focus to keep the neighborhoods clean and safe.

Bowser also reimplemented the drug free zones. The zones were created under the 1996 to allow police to order groups in designated areas suspected of drug-related activity to disperse for up to 120 consecutive hours.

In 2014, the D.C. Council the legislation, but in 2024 Bowser reinstated drug free zones with the goal to 鈥渋nterrupt activities and allow neighborhoods to clean up and reclaim public space.鈥�

Howard Marks, a Chinatown resident since 2014, said it was the right choice and said he would like to see it implemented more often.

鈥淛ust by putting the orange posters, drug dealers avoid the area,鈥� Marks said, referring to the posters used to announce the drug free zones. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing, it created a new atmosphere.鈥�

Marks, the vice president of the Gallery Place Condominium, which manages the residential portion of the mixed-use building at 777 7th Street NW, said he would like to see more drug free zones implemented around the Capital One Arena area.听

Capt. Paul Hrebenak of the Metropolitan Police Department鈥檚 First District said the enforcement tool must be backed up by data showing high levels of drug or violent crimes in the neighborhood.听

Chinatown has seen a decrease in crime and increase in security since the pandemic, according to Hrebenak, who said the achievement is due to a combination of several efforts. 听

In August, President Donald Trump declared the Metropolitan Police Department under “direct federal control,” an order that lasted for 30 days. Hrebenak said local law enforcement in Chinatown remained consistent during the takeover and prioritized transparency with the residents in the area.听

鈥淚 can definitely understand that there鈥檚 been a shift, perhaps, as this takeover has happened, with the community trust in law enforcement,鈥� Hrebenak said. 鈥淏ut in the medium term, things haven鈥檛 changed that much in our neighborhood-to-neighborhood response with MPD.鈥�

Hrebenak said moving forward, MPD鈥檚 goal is to continue to improve the safety in the Chinatown area, but drug free zones are not the only focus.听

He said the tactic is not a 鈥渟ilver bullet,鈥� but the zones give officers a legal way to curb loitering tied to drug use and sales.听

鈥淣o drug free zone is going to magically make an area not have drugs anymore,鈥� Hrebenak said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we slap a drug free zone on a certain area and expect it to be all, end all. It鈥檚 a small part of a larger initiative to help some of these areas.鈥�

John Kwon, manager of Chinatown Liquor Beer & Wine, has worked at the store on 602 H St. NW for the past 10 years.

Kwon said he鈥檚 watched the negative impact of the pandemic on the Chinatown area and the said the drug free zones and the Safe Commercial Corridor Hub have played a role in improving the area.

鈥淭he drug free zones help so much, and I would definitely like to see it implemented more often,鈥� Kwon said. 鈥淏ut homeless is my biggest concern about safety.鈥�

First District Officer Majohn Williams is stationed at the Safe Commercial Corridor Hub at 675 H St. NW.听

Williams started working at the hub when it first open. For the past year and a half, she said she has seen violence in the area decrease alongside the calls for service. Williams echoed Kwon鈥檚 concern and said though safety has been improving, homelessness continues to be an issue in the area.听

In addition, Williams said a lot of people in the Chinatown community don鈥檛 know about the hub.听

鈥淪ome people may walk past it and not know what it is,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚 do feel like it needs more advertisement, so the center is able to help more than what we鈥檝e been helping.鈥�听

Marks raised the same concern during the September ANC meeting. He said the hub can鈥檛 be an effective tool for the community鈥檚 safety if it鈥檚 hidden. Marks encouraged the

city to improve the signs in front of the hub to help people understand its role better.

最新蜜桃影像 reached out to the mayor鈥檚 office and ANC 2C commissioner Thomas Lee but did not receive responses to questions in time for publication.

Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) said she has worked with Chinatown residents and stakeholders on ways to support and enhance public safety. Pinto is the chairperson of the committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, which is responsible for public safety issues including law enforcement, law enforcement oversight and also violence reduction in the city.

“Drug free zones are a critical tool for our local police to identify and address hotspots of crime activity to allow communities to reclaim public space,” Pinto said.

Hrebenak said while data can help the city and Chinatown residents have an idea of the bigger picture, the real measure of progress is how people experience the neighborhood.

鈥淚 think over the last few years, we鈥檝e really seen the shift that鈥檚 been through investments like the Safe Commercial Corridor Hub and the Drug-Free Zones,鈥� Hrebenak said. 鈥淏ut also we鈥檝e made a conscious decision to make sure we have police resources in the area and we can ask people 鈥楬ow do you feel walking to work?鈥� 鈥楬ow do you feel living in Chinatown now?鈥� and there鈥檚 a huge difference from two years ago.鈥�

The post Chinatown leaders push for expanded drug free zones first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The Japanese restaurant it lost its lease to the incoming $75 million Marriott Tribute Chinatown Hotel, part of a redevelopment project led by Eddie Moy, the building鈥檚 longtime owner, and local developer Rift Valley Capital.

鈥淎s we enter another healing phase, we have all the intention of regrouping and finding another way of continuing Momiji in the D.C. community,鈥� the restaurant wrote on an Instagram post.

Momiji鈥檚 closure highlights a broader shift underway in D.C.鈥檚 Chinatown, where longtime businesses are giving way to redevelopment projects and changing demographics. The hotel project, a new luxury apartmenttower and are set to reshape the area.

Some residents and business owners see new investments as a chance to modernize and bring fresh activity to the area, while others worry it accelerates the decline of legacy businesses that once defined the neighborhood鈥檚 character.

Andrew Cohen, a Chinatown resident since 2021, said losing local businesses to bigger corporations can impact the cultural aspect of the community.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a shame to see places closing, but if something is going to close, I hope it can be replaced with something of a similar kind,鈥� Cohen said.

Cohen said he is not familiar with specific plans for the Marriott hotel but added that he is optimistic the company will support the Chinese traditions in the area.

Momiji joins the list of Asian-owned business losses for the neighborhood, following Full Kee Restaurant and Gao Ya Salon, two long-time Asian-owned businesses that vacated their properties in July because of the hotel project.

Moy said the businesses were not forced to leave the building. Instead, he said the owners signed a month-to-month lease with the understanding that redevelopment was possible.

The building owner said the plan is to offer local Asian business owners the option to lease street-level retails and spaces below the hotel.

The hotel project is expected to preserve the seven historic row homes along the H street, where Momiji is located, and will feature 142 boutique rooms, a pan-Asian restaurant and a Chinese market.

鈥淭he hotel would bring more foot traffic to the city and a more vibrant and exciting Chinatown to the public sector and the Asian community,鈥� Moy said.

Fewer than 10 legacy businesses.

Momiji鈥檚 closure will leave Chinatown with fewer than 10 small legacy-owned businesses, according to . Shani Shia, an activist with the Save Chinatown Solidarity Network, said the closures are part of a larger trend threatening the neighborhood鈥檚 cultural fabric.

Shia formed the network in response to  D.C.鈥檚 Mayor Muriel Bowser鈥檚  and to 鈥渟upport the preservation of Chinatown鈥檚 working class.鈥�

She said the group calls for stronger protections to keep legacy businesses in place, saying that rising rents and redevelopment threaten to erase the neighborhood鈥檚 cultural identity.

鈥淭here needs to be more cooperation, collaboration and shared prioritization of preserving the legacy businesses instead of trying to replace with new stuff,鈥� Shia said.

Bowser created the task force in 2024 to find ways to revitalize the neighborhood. As the initial stage of the task force came to an end in 2025, the group has recommended new steps to revitalize the area with Asian grocery stores, cultural festivals and targeted funding for minority-owned businesses.

Ben Guzman, the director of the Mayor鈥檚 Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, said Chinatown is a key part of Bowser鈥檚 broader vision for the revitalization of downtown.

鈥淐hange is inevitable, and what’s important is how the city, from our perspective as a city agency, is how the city manages that change,鈥� Guzman said. 鈥淭he coming and going of businesses matters, but it is how we set the table in terms of being a place where businesses can and want to come that helps create the conditions of the culture we want to foster in Chinatown.鈥�

Guzman said the role of Chinatown in D.C. has evolved since it was in the 1880s.

At the time, the prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States. The act pushed Chinese immigrants to create a place where they could integrate with others during a time when the law was against them.

Over the years, the Chinese and broader Asian communities spread to other areas, redefining Chinatown鈥檚 role as a cultural hub. In 1990, 60% of residents in Chinatown were Asian. In 2020, that number dropped to about 20%.

Guzman, who has lived around the area for almost 30 years, noted multiple factors that are leading to changes, including the effects of COVID-19 and the growth of other neighborhoods such as The Wharf and Union Market. Both districts underwent rapid redevelopment in the past decade, attracting more businesses and visitors. The Wharf and Union Market serve as examples, Guzman said. 鈥淏ut we’re not just trying to attract businesses to Chinatown. We’re trying to maintain a cultural legacy.鈥�

Evelyn Moy, senior president of the Moy Family Association, agreed. She said Chinatown has long been a cultural touchstone for Chinese Americans in D.C., rooted in the history of exclusion and migrations.

Evelyn Moy said advocates won鈥檛 succeed in keeping major developments from happening. However, she sympathizes with advocates who want to preserve the culture in the neighborhood and said she encourages them to keep the cultural legacy alive.

鈥淭he city could have done more, but the city can鈥檛 save everybody,鈥� Evelyn Moy said. 鈥淵ou have to adapt and change. You have to take the good and the bad, and there has to be a balance.鈥�

The Moy Family Association is not involved in the Marriott Tribune Hotel project led by Eddie Moy and Rift Valley. Eddie Moy is the co-president of the association. However, the hotel is part of a personal project for him.

Although the Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force completed its initial phase in 2025, Bowser appointed two community advocates to move into a second phase of revitalization. Winston Lord, a D.C. native, and Tim Ma, a local chef, will work as liaisons between the Chinatown community and the city.

Their appointment comes as city leaders seek to guide Chinatown鈥檚 transformation while maintaining its cultural identity.

鈥淲e will bring Chinatown back as a vibrant cultural destination that鈥檚 rooted in heritage and designed to bring people together.鈥� Lord wrote in an .

The post Chinatown loses another legacy business as Momiji shuts down first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Older adults at the in Chinatown can join a range of activities starting Jan. 3, when the center officially opens with full operational ability.听

The adult day care center soft launched its opening last October 鈥� only offering limited and appointment based medical services due to the pandemic 鈥� after nearly three years of planning and discussions with the Mayor鈥檚 office for approval.听

Since then, patients and staff have also hosted intimate birthday gatherings, gone on field trips and attended lectures about COVID-19 safety protocol.听听

Along with interactive lessons, the adult day care center also provides free breakfast, lunch and a snack to each patient on weekdays. For now, patients can show up at the center at mealtime, get their temperature taken and answer a list of questions, before grabbing their packaged food and returning home to eat.听

But, when the center opens at full capacity next month, patients will be able to sit together at tables of eight or more for their meals to chat or play games before going off on group activities.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 like a little kindergarten,鈥� said Rita Lee, director of the center. 鈥淲e just want to make sure they are busy, happy and healthy.鈥�

Kwok Wing Yumg, 81, agreed and said the center has been special and convenient for him. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very nice here. They do everything very good.鈥�

He is most excited to enjoy the library for some reading and 鈥渕aybe do some exercise鈥� like Tai Chi next month.

‘You gotta have a heart’

The Wah Luck Adult Day Care Center is located in the heart of Chinatown on 6th Street and around the corner from the iconic Friendship Archway.

It occupies the first floor 鈥� a 7,000 square foot space 鈥� of the Wah Luck House, the last remaining low-income apartment complex in the neighborhood. Roughly 98% of the folks living in the building鈥檚 153 units are elderly Chinese-Americans, making up the majority of the remaining Chinese population in Chinatown altogether.听

The center鈥檚 top priority, Lee said, are the medical treatments it provides. It offers an array of medical assistance to the patients 鈥� from blood drawing, urine testing and nurses visits to transportation to and from specialists offices.听

With a roughly 20-person staff, including a doctor who comes in twice a week, nurses, a social worker, a mental health specialist, a nutritionist and other medical professionals, Lee said the adult daycare center also prides itself on the personalized support it offers to each patient.听

鈥淵ou gotta have a heart,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淎ll of my staff knows this too. If you are just here to make money and you don鈥檛 have a heart for the seniors, I tell them please leave.鈥�

Yumg Yu Meng, 80, has lived in the Wah Luck House for six years. She said she feels the staff at the center are like her family. 鈥淭hey treat us so well. We live here very comfortable and happy everyday,鈥� she said.

On a recent field trip to the Holocaust Museum, Meng said it brought her joy to see one of her friends, a 103-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair, tag along comfortably with the rest of the group.听

最新蜜桃影像 that trip, Lee added 鈥渢hey were so happy 鈥� chatting, taking pictures with each other.鈥澨�

Staff at the center also manages and sorts each patient’s medication weekly, ordering prescriptions and filling in pill organizers by time of day to make it easier for patients to follow a medication routine.

The , a community service organization founded in 1883, funds and operates the adult day care center separate from the Wah Luck House, though the apartment鈥檚 leadership is as invested in giving back to the community as the CCBA is.听

Local businesswoman and real estate developer Yeni Wong and her business partner, Andrew Agetstein, purchased Wah Luck House in 2017, looking to turn a page on from the real estate company Aimco. Tenants have long known Wong as the owner of the nearby restaurant Chinatown Garden.听

Wong said when she bought the space it was important to her that she gave back to the community. Plus, Wong said 鈥測ou have to take care of the elders.鈥澨�

But first, before the adult day care center could operate, the CCBA needed to prove to the Mayor’s office that there was a need for the center in Chinatown.听

So, they went unit by unit in the building and took a survey about age, any medical conditions and income status, among other things. The answer was resoundingly 鈥測es,鈥� Lee said.听

What makes Wah Luck so special, she added, is how different it is from other elder care facilities across the District.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e not a nursing home. We鈥檙e somewhere in the middle and that’s what makes it so great,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淏ecause a lot of the time nursing homes can be so overcrowded. I can see first hand how we can benefit the seniors but still grant them their independence.鈥澨�

Starting the adult day care at Wah Luck House and in Chinatown was also a way to overcome the language barrier many of the seniors faced when seeking medical assistance elsewhere.听

Fostering community

Since the soft-launch opening last October, Lee said she realized the social aspect the center provides is crucial. Many of the patients have begun to take depression medication as a result of isolation and the pandemic, she said.听

鈥淪ome of the seniors will say to us, 鈥榶ou know I鈥檓 happy you鈥檙e all here,鈥欌�� Lee said. 鈥溾�楤efore I feel sorrow, it was like hell, and now it’s not.鈥欌�澨�

She said before the center arrived, many of the seniors would spend entire days alone in their apartments. 鈥淚t can be so lonely.鈥�

Now, Lee said most of the seniors seem to be cheerier. She thinks it鈥檚 because they have something to look forward to every day, even if it鈥檚 just going downstairs to pick up lunch.听

Lee described a 鈥渟weet and bighearted鈥� woman who comes to her office early every morning to sneak her candies and chat.听

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the Chinese way,鈥� she said. 鈥淕iving. It shows your love 鈥� gratitude.鈥澨�

On one occasion, Lee showed up to work late from a doctor’s appointment and missed the visit. That afternoon, Lee said the woman鈥檚 daughter called her concerned because her mother 鈥� who wasn鈥檛 sure of how to use the phone to check on Lee herself 鈥� was worried something had happened to her that morning.听

鈥淚t shows that we really care for eachother,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淚t goes both ways.鈥�

Recently, she said, another lady made food for the whole staff 鈥� though it wasn鈥檛 the tastiest.听

鈥淥f course we ate it and didn鈥檛 tell her. It would have broken her heart, she was so excited and did it out of love.鈥澨�

The center has been approved to provide for around 100 seniors who have a proven medical condition and use both Medicare and Medicaid. Right now, about 94 of those slots are filled and eight people remain on the waiting list 鈥� some of which are from within the building.

Though it is not required to live in the Wah Luck House to be treated at the daycare center, all of the current patients do.

Lee said she and the CCBA are hoping to eventually accept people from outside the building, but high rent prices in the neighborhood have made expansion plans difficult.听

She mentioned another affordable housing building on K Street that has a large older adult population.听

鈥淭hey come over here. They鈥檙e looking for the opportunity,鈥� Lee said. But, she said, 鈥渦nfortunately we can鈥檛 accept them yet.鈥澨�

If all goes well, Lee said she also wants to invite school children to come and volunteer at the center so they can chat with the seniors and play games together.

In the meantime, Lee said she is looking forward to Jan. 3, and to more field trips, grocery trips and holiday or monthly birthday parties among the patients. She said at those events, it鈥檚 nice to see them 鈥渁ll dressed up and waving to each other, smiling.鈥澨�

鈥淲e try to do the best to talk to them and help them to bring that community value back to life,鈥� she said.听

鈥淭hat鈥檚 my goal.鈥�

The post At Wah Luck House, Chinatown community takes care of its own first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

A digital billboard promoting the iPhone 13 abuts a traditional gabled roof building. A red dragon snaking around a light pole greets patrons outside the American restaurant Clyde鈥檚. A WeWork space neighbors a family-owned Chinese grocery store.听

For some, the District鈥檚 Chinatown appears to be a relic of what it once was. But neighborhood leaders say Chinatown isn鈥檛 dying, it鈥檚 just changing.听

鈥淭his narrative of decline assumes that there was an apex state of perfection, like an Eden, at some point in Chinatown,鈥� said Wei Gan, project director at the , a non-profit organization working to bring awareness to the significance of Chinese exclusion laws in D.C.

As Chinatown becomes more contemporary, with national franchise brands and a vibrant nightlife, people say it is losing its authenticity. But, Gan said, the alternative is Chinatown staying exactly the same 鈥� so people can continue to say the neighborhood is nothing more than shabby, basement restaurants.听

鈥淚t is a lose, lose situation,鈥� she said.听

In other words, Gan said, public opinion of an authentic Chinatown is a neighborhood that is never restored. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 renovate it, you can鈥檛 develop it, you can鈥檛 change it, you鈥檙e forever relegating these people to live in an undeveloped neighborhood,鈥� she said.

Ted Gong, executive director of the 1882 Foundation and president of the D.C. chapter of the a non-profit organization fighting against racial discrimination, agreed with Gan and said he pushes back against the idea that Chinatown restaurants are no longer authentic.听

鈥淎uthentic to who?鈥� he said.听

鈥淚 would hesitate to say there is one authority on authenticity, it depends on the eater鈥檚 background and preferences,鈥� Gong said.听

For instance, he said Americanized chop suey might be as authentic as something from the Fujian province, but not from the Hupei province. He said it depends on what you want and what you expect when dining in the District鈥檚 Chinatown.听

A community trying to survive听

Chinatown spans roughly two square blocks, along H and I Streets between Fifth and Eighth Streets Northwest. Its entrance is marked by the Friendship Archway 鈥� an elaborate 47 foot tall archway that spans 75 feet of road. It was built in 1986 to commemorate the then newly-established sister cities relationship between the District of Columbia and Beijing, China.听

Dotted along the streets are corner signs and storefront slogans written in both Chinese and English. Numerous hole-in-the-wall eateries offer dim sum, dan dan noodles and various pork dishes. China Boy even wholesales fresh rice noodles to other Chinese restaurants in the DMV area.听

Adjacent to the remaining Chinese-owned businesses in Chinatown are an Xfinity, a Capital One bank, a Walgreens and a number of vacant buildings.听

Many of the Chinese owned businesses and landlords chose to sell to bigger corporations because they wanted to make more money and knew the franchises could afford higher rent.听

Gan said it is easy to label an ethnic community as either resilient or dying, but on the ground people are not as interested in the cultural identity of the area as they are in trying to survive.听

This is not the first time the District鈥檚 Chinatown has been in a battle of endurance.听

In the 1880s hundreds of Chinese people in the District moved to Federal Triangle because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, prohibiting the immigration of Chinese laborers to the U.S., and racial discrimination. Without access to bank loans, insurance or healthcare, Gan said, 鈥淭hey were forced to congregate and create their own, kind of, parallel economy and support system.鈥澨�

鈥淚t was less of 鈥榣et鈥檚 get together and celebrate鈥� and more of 鈥榟ow do we survive,鈥� 鈥� she said. By the 1930s the government took over the land for development projects, pushing Chinatown to its current location and by 1943 the exclusion act was repealed.听

Most of the original residents left Chinatown for the suburbs when a Metro station came to the area in the 1970s and again with the arrival of the Verizon Center in 1997, now the Capital One arena. Rapid gentrification in the area caused rent to skyrocket.听

Today, just about 300 people live in the neighborhood compared to the thousands that once did.听

Chinatown Garden gets creative听

Carl Brown, executive director of the, which provides free one-on-one services to empower new and existing businesses, said small businesses are integral to communities.听

鈥淎 community without stores is a dying community,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淪mall businesses provide a service or product that doesn鈥檛 already exist in the community.鈥澨�

For Chinatown鈥檚 nearly 20 family-owned eateries, Gan said business owners are less interested in preservation and more in promoting a successful product. She calls this a 鈥渮est to continue.鈥澨�

鈥淲hat I really see happening with Chinatown businesses, and what we鈥檙e really trying to do here is move with the times,鈥� Gan said. The pandemic applied more pressure to mom and pop stores than they were already under and seemed to accelerate plans to revitalize the businesses on social media or with partners like DoorDash, she said.听

Chinatown Garden, at 618 H St., is one of the many small businesses adapting to the times and trying to bring more activity to the area.听

On the first floor, customers dine on spring rolls and kung pao chicken amid traditional Chinese decor. Upstairs, however, is the 618 cocktail and whiskey lounge that opened right before the pandemic and turns into a nightclub on Friday and Saturday nights.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 weird because suddenly you鈥檙e like why is there a techno party in the middle of Chinatown on top of a Chinese restaurant,鈥� Gan said. 鈥淲hen the assumption is that it should be, like, a banquet thing.鈥澨�

But, she said, the stereotype is that Chinese people don鈥檛 party and are 鈥渟tiff and want to sit at these giant banquet tables,鈥� so a techno nightclub in the middle of the neighborhood bolsters the idea that Chinatown is declining.听

鈥淓veryone is just trying to make something of themselves,鈥� Gan said. 鈥淪o, it is not really my place, neither would it make sense for me to go to the bar manager and be like 鈥榃ell, why don鈥檛 you go find a Latino neighborhood for your nightclub.鈥欌�澨�

Plus, she said, 鈥渢hat bar business is sustaining the restaurant business, there is a symbiotic relationship there. So what鈥檚 the big deal if there鈥檚 a techno club in Chinatown?鈥澨�

Surviving in the District鈥檚 Chinatown has been a chronic problem for family businesses for a long time. The Mayor鈥檚 Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs has been dedicated to plans to bring the neighborhood back to life, including small business grants and other programs for long term customers and owners to become familiar with online service tools.听

鈥淲e have been here,鈥� Gong said. 鈥淲e will always be here.鈥�

The post 鈥楢 zest to continue:鈥� DC鈥檚 Chinatown challenges narratives of its decline first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.