Clarendon and Courthouse have changed — a lot — over the past couple of decades.
The arrival of Metro in the late 1970s and early 1980s heralded the demise of many small mom-and-pop retailers and ethnic restaurants that once gave the area its unique character. It also helped speed along the end of large department and five & dime stores.
Among the categories and names of businesses that have disappeared from the Clarendon-Courthouse area are:
- General Retailers — Sears, Woolworth’s, J.C. Penney, and Murphy’s five & dime
- Brewpubs — Bardo Rodeo, Blue-and-Gold Brewing Co.
- Hardware Stores — Virginia Hardware Co.
- Specialty Ethnic Restaurants — La Cantinita’s Havana Cafe, Aegean Taverna
Which of those businesses would you most like to see come back to the area?
It’s worth noting that while there are still a few ethnic restaurants in the Clarendon area — Nam Viet and Taste of Morocco come to mind — there were once many more. Ethnic restaurants might not be gone, but certain specialty cuisines, like Cuban, are.