The newsstand in The Shops in 2000 Penn has stacked shelves with newspapers, colorful copies of foreign journals and niche music weeklies for more than two decades. But after failing to pay rent and other fees for the last three years, One Stop News is facing eviction.
The University, which owns the block-long property along Pennsylvania Avenue, is suing the business, claiming it is behind on almost $63,000 in rent, late fees, maintenance, utilities and taxes, according to D.C. Superior Court documents filed Feb. 7.
Jim Kostoff, working behind the counter of the family-run business Saturday, declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said the University has done little to help the struggling newsstand stay afloat.
The owner, Carla Kostoff, whose name was on the lawsuit, could not be reached for comment. She is slated to appear in court for an initial hearing Feb. 14.
Employee Josh Venne said the store has taken a hit from electronic readers and free online content, which have made newsstands obsolete to some readers.
“It’s an awesome little store. It’s buried away here, and it’s like a hidden treasure for a lot of people,” said Venne, who was a frequent customer before the store’s owner offered him a job less than a year ago. “I think there’s enough people that still want to hold a physical publication in their hands and also accidently find something that they weren’t intending to find.
Still, the store, which features copies of the New Yorker alongside British tabloids and cooking magazines, failed to draw in enough of those customers.
Hamid Shah, who works at the apparel store Expressions Boutique, said the arrival of CVS in 2008 seemed to catalyze One Stop News’ business troubles, and said its failure to pay rent was unsurprising.
“They had good business. Everything was good,” Shah said. “So CVS opened, these people, they’re dead – finished. So what do you want? What would you do if you were these people?”
Unlike CVS and other shops in the plaza, One Stop News does not accept GWorld.
The newsstand has been a staple at 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue as many other ground-level restaurants and shops have filtered in and out. Over the last two years, The Shops at 2000 Penn lost Mexican eatery The Burro, Wasabi Sushi and Kinkeads, as PAUL Bakery moved in and Chipotle Mexican Grill signed a lease.
One of the store’s regular customers Michelle Budd said when she walks in, employees have a copy of Bazaar magazine and The Washington Post waiting for her behind the desk.
“This is like a mom-and-pop. Everybody knows them, they know everybody,” Budd, who has shopped at the newsstand for about 10 years, said. “There’s not a lot of traffic coming in anymore. There used to be a whole lot more.”
University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing GW’s policy to not comment on pending litigation.
So…If I stop paying my tuition, will it take GW 3 years to kick me out? (By which time, I’d have already graduated.)
This is a great shop. It’s one of the last places in DC that carries all of the papers/journals one needs. I think it would be terribly sad to see it go. I hope some financier can step in and save it. One Stop provides papers for many of the local embassies and law firms. Hopefully, there is a savior among its customers.
GWU shouldn’t let such a treasure go.
Even local DC policemen love this place. One Stop is really like the show “Cheers” — everyone knows your name.
Maybe if GWU were a serious “research institution” — it would support stores like this instead of suing them. And, maybe it wouldn’t force Gelman to get rid of so many books to make room for kids who just want to sit and stare. Sad — GWU is second rate. God forbid it would want one of its students to read a foreign newspaper.
Amen to the previous comments. GW (like any big university) engages in many, many complex and very financially supportive relationships with businesses it wants to keep around. A little shop that brings this much intellectual value to the school and area shouldn’t be the exception. Find a way to save One Stop.
They’ve been behind on their rent for 3 years. Who cares what type of business they’re in… 3 years is an awfully long leash to get one’s act together. GWU didn’t evict them sooner since most of 2000 Penn is empty… but by not evicting them they set a bad precedent for other small business owners using GW’s facilities.
It’s time that they go or pay-up. Evidently the location is no longer working, so perhaps it’s a good thing for them to move on… and change their business model.
… say… getting a small cart as opposed to a large store.
And… continuing from my last post: One Stop is not a non-profit. While it may be an “intellectual environment”, they’re not a charity. Not to mention – you have Bus Boys and Poets; Kramer’s Bookstore, etc.
We don’t live in the boondocks, we live in DC. There are plenty of other opportunities, not to mention Embassy events, to get your fix-on of intellectualism.
How far behind on their rent, as a percentage? It sounds like it’s probably a pretty small fraction of their total rent – not a definitive sign that their ‘location is no longer working’. Neither Kramer’s nor Busboys carries the things One Stop carries, nor are they nearby. I haven’t been in every embassy in DC, but I’m almost sure none of them will sell me a copy of Q.
Again: This isn’t some wild-and-free capitalist marketplace we’re talking about. The University carefully negotiates complex deals with virtually every business it rents to, and it does so in considerable part in order to have the businesses it wants around the school. I don’t know what kind of deal Paul or CVS gets on its rent, or how the school bookstore or the food vendors in the Marvin Center structure their operations. I’m not sure anyone on the outside does. But I think what One Stop brings, rates as good a deal as anyone, and it’s not obvious that they’re getting that.
Ian, if you don’t pay your rent on time and in full, what do you expect to happen?
And “Law Student”, what do you mean “One Stop has tried dealing with GW on this.” It’s rent, pay it or get out! Not much of a gray area if you ask me.
I agree with Ian. I know from being a customer at One Stop that they’ve tried dealing with GW on this. I guess GW doesn’t favor the “mom + pop” intellectual places…just large,inpersonal soul-less corporations like CVS. And, CVS doesn’t sell the papers that One Stop does. I’m still hoping someone with power will step in to stop this lawsuit nonsense. What does GWU want — another empty hole over there at 2000 Penn?
What needs to happen at 2000 Penn is to put the ups store out of business. If every student took 5 minutes to create an online account and print their own labels, then just drop it off, those jerks behind the counter and the branch would be adios. The 2-300% markups there are ridiculous.
Where am I going to go to look at items like The Guardian? CVS doesn’t sell the specialty magazines One Stop does, and neither does say Barnes and Noble.
I don’t think the GW bookstore does either. 2000 Penn shouldn’t be just eateries convenience shops. With the Georgetown Barnes and Noble closing, it’s getting a lot tougher to find actual magazines. I don’t own an e-reader and am not interested in getting one. I LIKE actual magazines!
Oh please, all of a sudden you guys care? If people actually thought of this as an intellectual “hub” then maybe it wouldn’t be 3 years late in rent.
Also @law friend, it’s not like GW is eradicating books. They are making space available for their student, space which is in huge demand, and digitizing their collections.
You all are so ridiculous.
Completely agree with you GWSB.. I find that Hatchet has become a place for people to come and comment on things they probably could care less about.
Stop wasting your time getting angry at GWU for wanting money they’re fairly owed. Also, you clearly know how to use the internet. So, if you’re really in need of a specialty magazine, go online and order it to your dorm.
Yes, if only I had really cared all along my magazine purchases over the last year and a half would have covered their $60,000 debt. I mean, that’s like four issues of Foreign Affairs, right?
This is a tragedy not just for the GW community but for DC at large. One Stop is not only a great source of hard-to-find publications, but their friendly approach is a rarity here. If GW wanted them to stay, it could very likely work a deal so they could pay off that debt in increments. Instead, GW has never really supported the store, raising rents and making egregious demands (like remaining open on Christmas).