The latest in the Ellwood Thompson’s saga: Jim Graham says they’ve given up on DCUSA, while the store, as usual, says they’re still coming. To recap, Ellwood’s is a Richmond-based organic grocery store that’s been saying they’re coming to DCUSA for years.
Graham told the City Paper that they’re not coming, they’re breaking their agreement and will lose $1 million. Graham sounds less than pleased:
“I was the one who sent them there,” said Graham, noting that they’d first asked him about the 14th Street location now occupied by Yes! Organic. “Little did I know how conservative, really timid, they would be come…they’re going to pay for this very bad decision.”
He also said they’re looking for other tenants.
And as they usually do, the store denies it, saying they’re still coming. Owner Rick Hood issued a statement that he doesn’t know where Graham is coming from.
“I don’t know why Jim Graham is saying this. We are not in default. We continue to work with the landlord to make this happen,” Hood said.
Here’s my opinion: Ellwood Thompson’s will never open. I hope I’m wrong, but every time I hear something new, it’s that they’re almost there, or they’re still close, or they’re working with the landlord. If it takes 2 years to work out a lease, I doubt it’s ever going to happen. It seems to me that there’s some bigger problem somewhere that’s preventing this.
The weird thing is, are they paying rent now? Because if they do open (and haven’t managed to piss off everyone in Columbia Heights with their extremely slow and annoying crap) they’d probably make lots of money and pay off that rent. But considering it’s been so long, maybe they aren’t. It seems like there’s no urgency.
I’m not holding my breath.
