Russell Gravatt
Owner of Dairy Godmother, Del Ray
How long has Dairy Godmother been in Del Ray?
About 18 years.
What did you think when you heard the Amazon news?
I think it’s a good thing. Crystal City has been empty for a while, or emptying out since they moved everybody that was government related. So it’s a good thing. Amazon’s a great company. I figured with Bezos being a D.C. resident and all that it was going to happen. I live in Montgomery County and I thought maybe it was going to happen there, but when you look logistically at what JBG has in ways of empty square footage over there you kind of see that will help things a lot; proximity to the airport, all that. It’s kind of nutty that they’re going to rename it to National Landing.
How do you think it will impact small businesses like yours?
Two fold. If they hire people locally, I don’t see that it’s going to make that big of a difference, but if they’re bringing 25,000 people in—making that kind of money—we may see some influx of it. It will just be kind of an interesting thing to see how they do it. Part of me hopes the majority of the folks are local because it would be a good job for a lot of people. I don’t know if that technology is here. It’s going to be hard on traffic, I know that.
Ashley Kaupe
Manager of Bob & Edith’s Diner Crystal City
How long has Bob & Edith been in the area?
This location, about four years. In general, about 50, since 1969.
What did you think when you heard the Amazon news?
My general reaction was I wasn’t sure, I had questions. What does that mean for me? Is there going to be an increase in population, or just less jobs for businesses? We’re all curious to know.
Are you worried about traffic?
No, not at all. There’s too many ways to commute into the city around here. There’s like three Metros just around us, I think it’s fine. But as for population increasing, I think it would be better for us anyways. Because we’re 24 hours, people who live around are usually regulars of ours. And if they are going to be working here, most people are going to be living in the new buildings that are getting built all around here.
Joel Cohen
Crystal Boutique owner, Crystal City
How long have you owned Crystal Boutique?
48 years.
What did you think when you heard the Amazon news?
I was thrilled. It’s a great shot in the arm. Crystal City has been hanging out here for 48 years and it’s never had a great feeling. I’d say to people ‘I’m in Crystal City,’ and they’d say, ‘oh.’ All of a sudden yesterday, the phones started ringing, ‘wow, you’re in Crystal City, you’re going to be where Amazon is.’ I think it’s going to be a big shot in the arm. JBG Smith is planning a complete remake of the place to make it a place. So it’s pretty exciting.
Are you expecting any immediate changes?
Well, at the moment, we’ll be doing the same thing that we are because nothing has really changed other than the fact that now we have a new cache, Crystal City is a pretty cool place. My customer is a destination customer, so she will still come here and shop. But … now (we can) say that we’re in Crystal City, I think that will have a whole different connotation.
What will Amazon’s arrival mean?
I take it all as a positive. This is progress. People complain about potential traffic or the displacement. You know, it’s a positive thing. You live in an urban area, you’re going to be crowded and there are going to be new people, it’s going to be young and it’s going to be vibrant and it will bring a whole different feeling and activity level here. I’m one of the older guys, but I like being around an age diverse environment, and that’s what we’ll have, I think, at the end of the day.
