Ryan Seelbach was too late to secure retail space in the first phase of The Wharf, the mixed-use development along D.C.’s Southwest waterfront — or so he thought.
The D.C. bar owner was holding out hope of opening a new outpost of his boardwalk-themed arcade bar in the mixed-use development’s second phase when Covid-19 hit. Two adjacent retailers in the existing Wharf shuttered, and instead of being the hunter, he became the hunted.
A representative for Hoffman-Madison Waterfront, the team developing the multibillion-dollar development whose first phase was completed in 2017, reached out about a year ago to Seelbach, CEO and founder of D.C.-based Better Hospitality Group Inc., to see if he was still interested in a location at The Wharf’s first phase. He jumped at the opportunity to lease both spaces, a former yoga studio and a marine-themed retail store, and aims to open his second Boardwalk Bar & Arcade at 715 Wharf St. SW by the end of the year.
“I always wanted to be down at…
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