April 26, 2023
Updates from Adams Morgan
Click Here
to see previous updates in our newsletter archive
Check
ObviouslyDC.com
for the latest in DC government funding and grant opportunities for businesses.
Be prepared. Visit to
Ready.DC.gov
for preparedness information for a
variety of hazards including manmade and natural disasters.
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2023 AdMo Art Walk Continues Through April 30
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Think of Adams Morgan as your own personal art gallery thanks to the
AdMo Art Walk
, a free, fun way to experience art brought to you by the
Adams Morgan Partnership BID
,
The DC Arts Center
, local artists, and neighborhood businesses! Walk the streets of Adams Morgan and admire an impressive selection of artwork displayed in various storefronts in a self-guided walking tour
through April 30
. Each participating local artist has a variety of artwork on display in an Adams Morgan business. Thanks to overwhelming support from the community since the event’s initial launch in 2020, it has continued to grow with increased participation from local businesses and artists.
Visit the
AdMo Art Walk website
for a full list of participating artists and businesses.
The event has gotten great media coverage from
Fox5
and on
WJLA's Good Morning Washington
among others.
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Adams Morgan Movie Nights lineup set, kicks off on May 23
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Voted as one of the best outdoor movie series in DC by readers of the
Washington City Paper
, Adams Morgan Movie Nights is a can’t-miss event! Adams Morgan Movie Nights will kick off on Tuesday, May 23 and continue with weekly screenings on Tuesday nights through June 27. Movies are free and are shown on the soccer field at Marie Reed School. Movies start approximately 30 minutes after sunset.
What better way to end your day in Adams Morgan than with a good laugh? This year’s lineup is comedy focused and sure to put a smile on your face.
This year’s lineup:
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May 23:
This is Spinal Tap
(Opening Night)
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May 30:
Coming to America
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June 6:
The Birdcage
(Pride Week🌈)
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June 13:
Raising Arizona
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June 20:
Bridesmaids
– People’s Choice Movie
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June 27:
Shrek
(Family Night)
Thanks to
Hotbed
in Adams Morgan, attendees can enjoy comedy both on and off the big screen! Each Movie Night will kick off with a stand-up feature from a local comedian before the movie begins.
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Movie Nights: Brown Bag Movie Meals
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We're looking for businesses who want to participate in our "Brown Bag to Movie Nights" program again this year.
Participating businesses will be promoted along with our movies every week. All your business needs to do is put together a carryout meal of some sort, preferably with utensils (if needed), that will be available on our movie nights (Tuesdays, 5/23 - 6/27) and
fill out this form
to let us know about it. Contact
Brian Barrie
(202-536-9515) for more info.
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Mayor Bowser's budget proposal included
cutting three of the six DC Circulator bus routes
including the Woodley Park to McPherson Square line that runs through Adams Morgan. That line has the second-highest ridership of the six routes and runs until 3am on Friday & Saturday nights and until midnight the rest of the week. The Circulator is a vital link for people who live in, work in, or are just visiting Adams Morgan.
DC Council is marking up the the section of the budget that deals with transportation tomorrow, so if you're concerned about losing the Circulator in Adams Morgan, c
ontact your DC Councilmember today. A complete list and how to reach them is
available here
.
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It’s Bill-A-Palooza!
DC Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen plans next week to introduce the Helping Small Businesses Recover and Thrive Amendment Act of 2023, a package of proposals to lift up and support our local restaurants and bars. Proposed legislation includes:
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Prohibiting sales tax on service charges.
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Excluding service charges from being included as income in leases based on sales.
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Public education campaign for diners about changes to the tipped wage.
But wait, there’s more!
Councilmember Allen is also proposing legislation to allow bars and restaurants to pay for alcohol manager licenses annually (as opposed to every 3 years), prohibit credit card swipe fees on the sales tax portion of guests' checks, and doubling rent/property tax credits for some businesses.
If these proposals look familiar it’s because they are.
They’re in direct response to input from and advocated by you and RAMW. Many of these proposals are included in our 2023 Legislative Agenda and are discussed in our regular Coffee with Your Councilmember meetings.
Lots more to come
, including additional proposed legislation and a summer hearing date from At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie that we hope will drive to even more permanent solutions to assist restaurants. Stay tuned for more information, including how you can voice your support.
I-82 Impact: Operators Plan to Raise Prices, Cut Staff
A new survey finds that operators plan to raise prices, reduce staff, and consolidate positions as restaurants prepare to phase out the tip credit. Survey findings include:
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As a result of the increases in 2023 and through 2027, a majority of restaurants say they will raise menu prices (79% by 2023; 80% by 2027), reduce staff or consolidate positions (63% by 2023; 72% by 2027) and reduce employee hours (62% by 2023; 70% by 2027).
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Seventy percent (77%) of operators said they will introduce automatic service charges to guests’ checks.
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Thirty-eight percent (38%) plan to substitute automation or self-service technology for employee tasks.
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Twenty-five percent (25%) anticipate changing their restaurants' service model to include more quick serve or counter service.
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Take a deeper dive.
See more survey results and
read the full report
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Join Us on May 10 for a Congressional Reception
RAMW, with the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals (CHAMPS), National Restaurant Association, and National Retail Federation host a reception for lawmakers and congressional staff at 5 pm on May 10 in support of the Credit Card Competition Act.
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More Info:
Swipe fees that restaurants pay to process credit card transactions can be among the highest ongoing operating expenses. Lack of competition among network processors has allowed fees to surge.
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The Good News:
The Credit Card Competition Act would allow restaurants and other businesses to choose which companies process their credit card transactions.
RSVP today
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ID Check: VA Introduces New License
ICYMI: New driver’s license and ID card designs are rolling out in Virginia starting this week. Those under 21 will have vertical licenses. Birth date and year are also printed larger in the lower left. Meanwhile, the driver’s license top banner will be blue and ID cards will be green. See the new IDs.
Reminder:
DC Hourly Tipped Wage Goes to $6 on Monday May 1
As we’ve previously shared, the hourly tipped wage increases from $5.35 to $6 Monday. The next hourly increase is to $8 on July 1, when the DC minimum wage also increases to $17.
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Gina Schaefer to Keynote DC Chamber of Commerce Small Business Summit on May 9
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The DC Chamber's Small Business Summit on Tuesday May 9th will feature Keynote Speaker Gina Schaefer, CEO and Co-Founder, A Few Cool Hardware Stores. Gina will share her remarkable story of overcoming adversity and discrimination and turning into it success all while supporting and empowering entrepreneurship. Read more about Gina
HERE
.
The Small Business Summit will also include:
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educational workshops for different levels of entrepreneurship
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a Maker's Market featuring local DC retail vendors & makers with a fun raffle for attendees
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a Workforce Development workshop hosted by Ahnna Smith & team from the Workforce Investment Council
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3 educational workshops designed specifically for retail business owners
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a Business Matchmaking/Speed Networking Reception
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an Awards Luncheon honoring local business leaders and change-makers
Click here
for more information and to register for the summit.
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Metro Update-2023 Major Construction
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Metro recently announced travel alternatives to help customers prepare for the
2023 Major Construction
scheduled for this summer. Starting Friday, May 12, they will begin a four-part construction effort focusing on system maintenance and modernization—including rail replacement, fiber optic cable installation, and improved station facilities.
This major construction will result in rolling service impacts on the Orange, Silver, and Green lines over the summer months. Free shuttle bus service will be available for customers during all station closures. Customers are advised to plan extra time for their travel.
Stay informed at
wmata.com/2023majorconstruction
and sign up for email updates to receive the latest project news and information.
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WMATA's "Better Bus" proposal includes sweeping changes to DC's bus network and they need your feedback
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Last week debuted the Better Bus draft Visionary Network – the future bus network our region needs. With input from our customers, employees, and stakeholders, we created a draft network that is frequent, fast, and reliable, takes more people where they want to go, when they want to travel, and advances equity in the region.
Now, WMATA needs your help to spread the word to the region and encourage feedback! Every customer deserves the right to have a say in the future of their bus service. There are many ways to provide input and share this information:
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Please share the
communications toolkit
with your colleagues and partner organizations and ask that they distribute the prepared content twice in the coming weeks? This toolkit includes text and images that you can use in social media or newsletters.
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Experience the Visionary Network online by visiting our
Better Bus Experience LAB
!, an online space for you to explore maps and routes, play with a new trip planner and share your input in interactive ways.
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And attend one of WMATA's 50 events in 50 days between April 17 and June 5. There are numerous types of in-person or virtual events to choose from – view the complete listing
here
.
For a complete listing of events or to discover the draft Visionary Network and share your feedback online, visit
wmata.com/betterbus
.
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Bike to Work Day is on May 19 -- Registration is Open!
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The
Adams Morgan pit stop will be at Unity Park
again this year. Adams Morgan regularly has one of the highest registration rates in the city and we plan on having refreshments and other goodies available to riders in addition to the free t-shirt. We'll be updating you with more information as the event gets closer.
Click here
to register.
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The Adams Morgan Farmers Market in Unity Park will be opening early this year! Look for them on Saturdays from 8:30am - 1pm starting May 6.
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2023 CSA/Licking Creek Bend Farm Membership Now Open
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From our friends at Licking Creek Bend Farm (from the Adams Morgan Farmers Market):
All pesticide-free vegetables and pesticide-free and IPM fruit are picked the day before. Pick ups on Tuesdays at the evening Brookland Farmers Market and in Takoma Park; Saturdays in Adams Morgan and Takoma Park
Membership fee:
May's fee is $100
$360.00 (9 week session); $320 (8 week session)
Click here
for more information and to sign up.
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💸 Commercial Property Acquisition Fund (DMPED)
The Commercial Property Acquisition Fund will provide eligible businesses with down payment assistance of up to $750,000 or 25% of the sale price, whichever is less, for the acquisition of commercial property in the District. This year, businesses will need to complete three mandatory sessions in order to apply for the Fund. OPEN now on a rolling basis until funds are expended.
Learn more here
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💸 Amazon Black Business Accelerator
The Amazon Black Business Accelerator is dedicated to helping build sustainable equity and growth for Black entrepreneurs by enabling their success as sellers.
More information
.
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💸 Wish Local Empowerment Program
Wish is dedicating a $2M dollar fund to give roughly 4,000 Wish Local small business grants for black-owned biz. The selected recipients will receive between $500 - $2000. This program will only be open to Black-owned stores to help promote equality and diversity.
More information
.
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New funding announced. Apply for grants.
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Take free courses. Apply for grants.
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is built for small businesses, by small businesses. Take courses, sharpen your business skills and become grant eligible. The best part is—it’s all free.
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Register for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready.
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Complete two Digital Ready courses or events in 2023 to become eligible.
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Apply for grants before May 12, 2023
.
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All applicants will be notified if they’ve been chosen to receive funding.
Click here
to register.
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Sponsor one of our community events! Partner with our community while reaching some of the city's most desirable demographics. For details, contact
Kristen Barden
at
202-997-0783.
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BOARD MEETINGS
The Board of Directors of the Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District meets on the second Tuesday of every month (except August). Meetings are currently being held online and begin at 5pm.
Our Annual Meeting is held in March. Contact
Brian Barrie
for information about attending board meetings.
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©
Adams Morgan Partnership
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