April 28, 2012To: Tom Birch, ANC and Charles Eason, Jr., ANC
My name is Bob Enzel and I’m the primary Trustee for the building that houses P Street Pictures
and 7-11. Permit me to provide a short introduction of myself and some basic facts that may be of assistance in understanding why P Street Pictures was given notice to vacate
I am a native of Georgetown. Our family has lived in this area for 80 years. I went to Corcoran PublicSchool, Gordon Jr. High and Western Sr. High. I can show you where every little store was located and in manycases identify who owned them. The block that housed P Street Pictures and 7-11 had a barber shop, shoe shineparlor
and Reed’s Electric Company
before Reed’s
moved to Wisconsin Avenue. Around the corner on Twenty-Seventh Street, The Diamond Cab Company operated its taxi cabs. In days past, Georgetown housed the Ledo andDumbarton movie houses, Murphy
’s Five &
Dime, Galliher & Huguely Lumber Yard, Ladd Mills Esso and the original
Georgetown Boys Club…
I’ve
mentioned only a few of the more well-known businesses that
moved or goneout of business to show that
change is normal
. Not one business situated on either side of P Street between 26
th
and 27
th
was there in the sixties, except the 7-11.
The corner of 27
th
& P Street was a vacant lot that housed a mulberry tree and was used as aparking lot until the lower half of the building was erected in 1949. The upper half of the structure wasadded by Russell Eldridge in 1965. The first stores that opened were Russ P
harmacy and Kay’s Food
Mart. Doc Russ passed away and the business was sold to Doc Schreibstein, who emptied the store onenight and walked out on the note and the rent, never to be heard from again. With the advent of thechain groceries
Kay’s Food Mart
went bankrupt in the early sixties. Both stores sat vacant for months,partially over-lapping.The Junior League opened The Thrift Shop in the former drug store in May, 1968 and the 7-11became a tenant in September, 1964. The Thrift Shop bought and eventually moved into the buildingacross the street (currently vacant). The store was then rented as an office to Potomac DevelopmentCompany who had an inexpensive long-term lease. They subsequently sub-leased it to P Street Picturesat a much higher r
ent and pocketed the difference. As the saying, goes, that’
s business. When Potomac
Development’
s lease expired the Trust leased it to P Street Pictures for 3-years, with a 3-year option.When the option expired in 1998, P Street Pictures was offered a new lease, refused and opted to stayon as a month-to-month tenant. Several times between 1998 and 2010, P Street Pictures was offered apermanent long term lease. Judy Schlosser, their president opted not to sign a new lease, but preferredto keep her options open and we were able to accommodate her. A month-to-month lease permittedher to give a 60-day notice to vacate at any time and she preferred this option. The 7-11 remained as aviable tenant, a good neighbor and continues to serve the community as the only grocery store within 4blocks in any direction.This building is in a Trust and a
Trustee’s
duty is to administer the Trust and protect the Trust
’
sassets
. The Trust accommodated Mrs. Schlosser’s financial situation for a
number of years, but as PStreet Pictures became a financial burden the Trustees felt it incumbent upon them to make a change.
This is what brought about the
Trust’s
decision to terminate the month-to-month situation.