H Street Country Club

is a new establishment launched by Joe Englert et al. for the H Street "entertainment" district. The Prince of Petworth has a blog entry about it, "PoP Preview - H Street Country Club," with a couple of interesting photos. The upstairs has a 9 hole putt-putt golf course ($7 to play), each hole with a DC theme such as U Street, The Awakening sculpture, etc.

A commenter to the entry asked what is it about H Street that gets people to go there without good subway access. Here's my take:

What draws people is Joe Englert's realization that he could create a multiplicity of interesting attractions, that there was a hole in the market, and he could buy properties cheap.

He has also developed a "system" for identifying interesting concepts, talented people and connecting them to available properties and financing. And the management behind his establishments is strong. He has two people on staff, one of whom solely deals with DC Office of Tax and Revenue, and the other with the Dept. of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for permitting. He's leveraged his ability to open businesses "independently" over 12+ establishments, so the fixed costs of dealing with government are spread out. And he has a great track record, so people are willing to lend him money, he can get vendor financing (because over the years he has bought so much product), to reduce the risk of opening as well as the necessary cash outlays.

Plus, he is ADD, so he ends up having a particular kind of creativity that most people don't have within themselves. I think of myself as creative, and I am not in his league--at least with restaurants and taverns. (See "Joe Englert's Office Is a Shrine to Stunted Adolescence" from the City Paper and "Plans to Set The Bar High On H Street NE" from the Post.)

By creating a set of places to go rather than one place, he created critical mass for an entertainment district (a/k/a agglomeration). He created a district. A destination.

As a friend who goes out more than I ever did once said, "when you go out, you aren't really going to a specific establishment as much as an area where there are a bunch of other places to go. If the place you start out at isn't happening, you aren't stuck, you can go somewhere else." (paraphrased)

This is why one great place in a revitalizing district usually isn't enough in and of itself to spur revitalization.

Also see "Richard's Rules for Restaurant-Based Revitalization" although note that they are about restaurants--places to eat--rather than taverns.