The owners of a now-closed Northeast D.C. brewpub have sold the Rhode Island Avenue property to the proprietors of an Arlington cafe, who plan to open a coffee shop there and possibly redevelop the site in the long term.
The Public Option, a go-to pub in the Langdon neighborhood since 2015, shuttered in December as its owners, William Perry and Cathy Huben, weighed their future and the future of the business. Ultimately, they decided to leave the area and retained Ian Ruel, Josh Feldman and LaMarr Datcher of Feldman Ruel to sell 1601 Rhode Island Ave. NE, which combines a commercial property and an adjacent single-family home.
The property, which went under contract in less than a month, sold Oct. 22 for $1.4 million to the owners of Idido’s Coffee and Social House, Feldman Ruel announced. Idido’s, which operates a flagship cafe on South Walter Reed Drive in Arlington and, soon, a second location slated to open on Kennedy Street NW in Petworth, plans to convert The Public House into a “vibrant coffee shop and social gathering space,” per a release. The home next door will be renovated and rented out.
In the longer term, Feldman Ruel said, the new owners, Sofonias Gebretsadick and Mesfin Demise, according to D.C. corporate records, may take advantage of unused density on the site “by redeveloping the property into ground-floor retail and multifamily units above.”
Their affiliate, S&M Real Estate LLC, obtained a $1.12 million loan from First National Bank for the acquisition, according to public records.
With its imminent arrival on Kennedy Street and its entrée into Langdon, Idido’s, which serves light sandwiches and pastries in addition to coffee, appears to be targeting neighborhoods that aren’t already blanketed by corporate coffee shops. Ruel said that’s part of the plan, and he expects the business to continue expanding in that way.
The name Idido comes from the Gedeo area of Yirgacheffee in Ethiopia, according to the cafe's website. The region "is known form producing clean bright washed coffees dominated by citrus flavor."
As for The Public Option, Perry and Huben announced on Dec. 14 that they would be "exploring potential directions for the future, including the possibility of evolving into a community-based cooperative or a nonprofit arts venture." They wrote on Instagram:
This decision-making process will take time, filled with reflection and valuable input from trusted friends like you. Although we can’t pinpoint the duration, we’re optimistic about the prospect of reopening in the future, welcoming you back to The Public Option. The last eight years have been nothing short of a miracle, thanks to the relationships we’ve forged and the experiences we’ve shared.