On Thursday, November 12, the block of New Hampshire Avenue NW between Q Street and the circle closes to cars. A row of holiday stalls goes up and stays through December 23. One block west, the same stretch of Connecticut Avenue has new concrete over the underpass, a 50-foot ventilation opening inside a barrier rail, and pedestrian detours in the 1600 block. Three blocks east, a hardware store that has been on 17th Street since 1983 closes for good on December 31.
So this year's holiday errands in Dupont point in an unusual direction. The part of the neighborhood built to last six weeks will be the easiest to walk through. The shops that have been here for decades are either working around crews or nearing their last day.
The market moved toward the shops, one block at a time
The DC Holiday Market is in its third Dupont season, according to Dupont Circle BID chair Patrick Kain in a release PoPville published. Its first year here, 2024, it set up on the 1500 block of 19th Street. In 2025 it moved one block east to New Hampshire Avenue, as PoPville reported last November. It returns to New Hampshire for 2026.
The market's own site gives these hours:
- Weekdays: noon to 8 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Closed Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, and Monday, November 30, for exhibitor turnover.
Diverse Markets Management produces the market with support from the BID. The organizers count more than 35 small businesses. The exhibitor roster includes Salgu, Marcella Kriebel Art & Illustration, New York Puzzle Company, Kerri Henry Pottery, Migue's Mini Donuts and The Capital Candy Jar. New World Glass joins for December 1 through 23 only.
The market's site names its neighbors as the Dupont Circle Hotel, Kramers Books & Café, Rokuya and The Pembroke. Of those, Kramers has the hardest season ahead.
One block west, Connecticut Avenue is still a work zone
DDOT's Connecticut Avenue Streetscape and Deckover project passed its biggest milestone in October. The fifth and final concrete pour over the underpass was finished on a Friday evening, per the agency's October 14 update. The concrete is the base of the future public plaza. Pavers go on top next, then the service lane and sidewalk in the 1500 block.
That remaining work is what holiday shoppers will walk past. As of DDOT's October 21 update:
- Crews are working on the sidewalk and service road on the west side of the new deckover in the 1500 block.
- In the 1600 block, crews on the east side have moved north toward R Street and into the intersection, where new traffic signals and sidewalk improvements are coming.
- The October 14 update estimated another four to five weeks for this phase. That runs to about Thanksgiving.
DDOT says every business stays open and reachable during construction. In the 1600 block, foot traffic has been moved to a protected walkway in the outer part of the street, with ramps up to storefronts. The agency has also been plain about holiday shopping. Its October 7 update counted down the days to Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa and suggested shopping at businesses surrounded by construction as a good place to start. The project is scheduled to finish in early summer 2027, depending on weather and unforeseen circumstances. That makes this the last holiday season Connecticut Avenue will spend under construction, if the schedule holds.
The Geneva Project, a residential conversion in the 1800 block of Connecticut, has its own work underway and its own detours for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Kramers turns 50 inside the fence line
Kramers opened as Kramerbooks in 1976. WTOP dates the official opening to July 4 of that year. WTOP also reported that Mayor Muriel Bowser proclaimed October 22 "Kramer's Day" in D.C. The Washington Blade described two events: an October 22 gathering for community leaders and patrons, and a public community day on October 24. That day included book stamping by Relume, an Aslin Beer Company tasting, a DuPont Little Flea vintage pop-up, and 20 percent of bookstore sales pledged to Everybody Wins DC.
DDOT's October 21 construction update paused to congratulate Kramers on its 50 years and called it "a true staple in the Dupont Circle community." The same update covered work in the 1500 block.
Kramers' November and December calendar is its regular one: author talks, book clubs, a writing workshop and weekly trivia, with trivia nights listed through December 28. The market on New Hampshire Avenue is a short walk from the store's door. The new sidewalk is not finished yet.
17th Street's December has an end date
Three blocks east, True Value on 17th Street at 1623–1627 17th Street NW has been open since 1983. It confirmed to PoPville that it will close on December 31, 2026. WTOP reported that the current owner has worked at the store for 51 years and plans to retire. It also reported that the store dates back further than the first High Heel Race on 17th Street. A later TheStreet report, republished by Yahoo Finance, said the owner had been unable to find a buyer.
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Vincent Slatt told WTOP:
"I'd like to make sure the two things happen: we keep our hardware store, and that our owner has a wonderful retirement."
Slatt has suggested that neighbors or the store's employees could buy the business and run it as a collective. The store's own description lists Benjamin Moore paint, major appliances, patio furniture, plants, tools and household goods. In practice, the replacement light strings, extension cords, paint touch-ups and odd parts for this holiday season can still come from 17th Street, through New Year's Eve.
The season, in order
Here are the dates that matter in the neighborhood between now and New Year's:
- Thursday, November 12: The DC Holiday Market opens on New Hampshire Avenue NW.
- Sunday, November 22: FRESHFARM holds its Dupont Fresh Food Drive at the Sunday market, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The goal is $10,000, with DC Central Kitchen and DC Food Rescue as partners.
- Thursday, November 26, and Monday, November 30: The holiday market is closed.
- Tuesday, December 1: New World Glass joins the market.
- Wednesday, December 23: The holiday market's last day.
- Sunday, December 27: The last FRESHFARM Dupont Circle market of the listed season, at 1600 20th Street NW, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The market runs year-round.
- Monday, December 28: The last trivia night currently on Kramers' calendar.
- Thursday, December 31: True Value on 17th Street closes.
Around the work zone, the storefronts keep turning over
Some of this fall's openings sit right at the edge of the construction. Pure Green moved from 1630 Connecticut Avenue to 1605 Connecticut, the former Zeleno space, and PoPville confirmed in October that it is open. Most of the other new arrivals are on side streets west of the circle. Eater DC reported that La Merna opened at 2153 P Street NW in early August with Chicago tavern-style pizza. Eater also reported that First Round Bar & Social opened in mid-September in the former Childe Harold space at 1610 20th Street NW, with upstairs food from Ko Japanese Dining and Sabai Thai Lao. Yafa Kabob took over the former Sol Mexican Grill space at 1200 19th Street NW. A Tropical Smoothie Cafe has also arrived at P and 22nd Streets.
Two more are on the way. Washingtonian reported that Astro Zombie, at 1509 17th Street NW, is planned as a tiki bar and Chinese-American restaurant that owner Devin Gong describes as a "spaceship diner." Little Engine has signed a lease for the former Pupatella space near 18th and S Streets, and the owner has said he aims to open before the end of the year, per PoPville.
Kramers stays on Connecticut while the plaza is built in front of it. True Value closes its doors on 17th Street at year's end. The market comes down on New Hampshire Avenue the day before Christmas Eve.
If the changes on Connecticut Avenue and 17th Street have you wondering what next summer's finished plaza could mean for your block, Thomas Kolker is glad to talk it through with no pressure. Request a complimentary consultation & home valuation.
