I was hoping I’d never have to write this blog.  But, I’ve known it was true for a few weeks- and now the news is out.  So…

My beloved St. Elmo’s Coffee shop is going to change.  Because the woman who started this magical place- Nora Partlow- has sold it. (You just have to look at the sculpted clouds of foam [there’s a picture down the page] that adorn the ceiling eaves to recognize that it’s magical.)  I understand the reasons why- and to be totally honest, I probably would have done the same thing.

First, let me tell you a little bit about Nora and Del Ray.  Del Ray is a little section of Alexandria, one of the most liberal communities in Virginia.  (Don’t think that doesn’t mean it has its own problems.  Y’all do know that Remember the Titans is strongly based on the facts that existed in this city some 4 decades ago.)

I bought my home in Northern Virginia- in Alexandria- on Thanksgiving Eve 1988.  I moved into it on Rosh Chodesh (the new month) of Adar in 1989.  (That’s the 6^th of February, for those of you who use the normal calendar.   It snowed all day, which made the move just splendiferous.)  I got married on Rosh Chodesh Sivan (see the pattern here) later that year, and began blending two families together.  My two girls and my stepson and step-daughter.

We have always been a family that eats together.  (Come on, we’re Jewish.)  And, we adopted the rule to eat out every Wednesday night in the Summer.   Which meant we needed to find a restaurant that served food (no- not fast or pre-prepared food) and tolerated young kids.  (At that time, the kids ranged in age from 12 down to 6.)  And, we found one in a dilapidated section of Alexandria.  You guessed it- Del Ray.

We went to the Snuggery on the corner of Mount Vernon Avenue and Howell Streets for several years.  The hostess was friendly- and doubled as the bartender.  You guessed it- she was Nora Partlow.  That was my introduction to the Del Ray section of town.

Over the years, Del Ray became the “fixer-upper” section- and then became downright respectable.  My son was born, I moved my office from Old Town to a section contiguous to Del Ray that was then known as Potomac West (and now loves to claim they are part of Del Ray).  Right about the time my marriage was falling apart, Nora and her then business partner took over a corner shop (Del Ray Avenue and Mount Vernon)-  a little sliver (it doubled in size over the years) of a place- to create the St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub.  Perfect timing, since I was leaving the coffee shop I had frequented for more than a decade to my (soon-to-be) ex and needed a new place.

St. Elmo’s provided the vitality that a growing community needs.  It was open at dawn, at lunch, and for after dinner.  Where folks came and schmoozed together.  Where I met my group of (then) 15 to 25 friends who commandeered the biggest table (the large round one still exists in the same place) for our morning arguments (um… discussions) about the world, it’s problems, our lives, our loves….

From St. Elmo’s, other shops and markets grew.  But, it was still the heart and soul of Del Ray. With Will Nichols as the manager (who no longer lives in DC and commutes before dawn to open the doors for us).  And a slew of great folks who provided us our lattes and my WCMWSMWNWC (white chocolate mocha with skim milk with no whipped cream), our bagels and muffins, our burritos and fresh fruit with a smile and a story.

But, because Nora was so (relatively) successful, the ownership of the real estate changed hands.  Houses in Del Ray went from selling for $200K to seeking a bargain less than $900K.  Where rents went from $10 a square foot to levels that would make folks in DC and Manhattan swoon.   And, that’s the problem.

Given the price of everything, a hefty increase in rent makes breakeven operations a wistful dream.  Especially without changing how the place runs, what it is, and what it means.

So, if you are in the Alexandria area, make sure you drop in to say goodbye to Nora.  No, she’s not leaving the area (nor does she live in Del Ray)- she’ll continue her other gig as a real estate broker- and her social activism for sure- but she deserves our thanks.

Kind of like, “To Sir, With Love”…

 

 

By the way, I’m posting this on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz…

 

And, if you live in the area, we’re going to honor Nora tomorrow night (Thursday) at Shirlington Centre, which has live music from 6:30 to 8:30.  Y’all come!