We studied the unfinished mural and saw that the collage included a stylized map of – For the Anacostia location slated to open in about a year, Shallal is planning a large piece about Frederick Douglass. The other restaurants feature mural tributes to Paul Robeson, Howard Zinn, Countee Cullen and Pearl Bailey (that last one not created by Shallal). Hughes’s life and work are the founding inspirations for Shallal’s enterprise. The Langston Room of the flagship 14th and V Streets NW Busboys shows off his “Peace and Struggle” salute to activist heroes through the ages, topped by verses from Langston Hughes (“Let America be America again….). Shallal usually conceives and executes the murals himself, in his distinctive collage style. Andy Shall explains his mural-in-progress. The big surprise, every time, is the original mural that dominates the performance space/secondary dining room of each location. Shallal’s formula is familiar but never dull - eclectic cuisine served in politics-and-poetry-friendly environments tucked into swank new condo or apartment developments. is the sixth link in the local restaurant chain since 2005, with the seventh already being forged in Anacostia. This new Busboys and Poets in Takoma D.C. “We are sold out like crazy for the opening event Saturday,” a Valentine’s Day party with jazz and poetry. “I get halfway into these murals and I think, ‘What have I gotten myself into!’” Shallal said cheerfully. An inspection was scheduled for later in the day. In other rooms, workers were in the final stages of pulling the restaurant together. He used a flattened cardboard box as a palette, and looked slightly deadline-haunted. The nonprofit business association, which formed in 1987, recently obtained approval from the City Council to extend its boundaries to include a section of University Boulevard East, between Anne Street and Carroll Avenue, to represent those businesses that are in the city’s sector plan.We found Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets, daubing paint on the wall of the forthcoming addition to his progressive restaurant empire Wednesday morning. “We don’t get much turnover here, so openings are very special,” said Melanie Isis, executive director of the Takoma/Langley Crossroads Community Development Authority. by hair stylist Julie Marcial, who returned to the area following the sale of a well-established salon in Hampshire-Langley Center last year. Julie’s Hair Salon 2 also recently opened at 7489 New Hampshire Ave. ![]() Owner Doris Agbasi relocated her clothing and fabric store from Washington, D.C., to be closer to other businesses in the area that cater to a large African customer base. McDoris Fashion and Fabric recently opened at 7635 New Hampshire Ave. Other parts of Takoma Park are seeing new businesses sprout up. Spring Mill Bakery is expected to open on Carroll Avenue this fall, while Vegaritos is slated to open on 4th Street NW in the fall.īeing Metro accessible, environmentally friendly and having a community loyal to supporting locally-owned independent businesses are key factors for the business growth, Barclay said. and Evolve Vegan Restaurant at 341 Cedar St. and restaurants Republic at 6939 Laurel Ave. The Old Takoma section has seen a wave of recent openings, including MAD Fitness exercise studio at 7302 Carroll Ave. Units will have many environmentally friendly features, such as water-saving plumbing fixtures and building materials with a minimum of 20 percent recycled content. There will be a fitness center, a business center, an outdoor terrace, a community room, bike storage and a courtyard with a firepit. The apartment building will provide a pedestrian path leading to the Takoma Metro station. The establishments feature community activities, such as open-microphone poetry readings, book signings by authors and musical acts. There are two in Washington, one in Hyattsville and another in Northern Virginia. ![]() The Takoma Central one will be the fifth store. The first Busboys opened in 2005 in Washington, D.C. ![]() “But we will have a bookstore and a community-shared work space,” he said. The Busboys and Poets will be about 7,000 square feet, but won’t have a farmers market as hoped, owner Anas “Andy” Shallal said. “We’re working with The Bozzuto Group” - the company leasing the units - “to provide maps of the area for residents,” Barclay said. Executive director of the Old Takoma Business Association.
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