Neighborhood Spotlight:Friendship Heights

Friendship Heights is a metropolitan area that has changed drastically within the past three years, now offering more convenience to surrounding suburbs and neighborhoods like Somerset, The Village of Drum, and The Village of Chevy Chase. With high-end stores such as Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, MAC, Saks Fifth Avenue, Ann Taylor, and J.Crew, the neighborhood shopping center lures the luxury-seeking client.

Pei Lu, a 24-year-old graduate student at George Washington University, works in Friendship Heights, which allows her to occasionally shop after work.  

"Oh, yeah I am looking at flats for work," said Lu nodding with a big smile. Lu agrees the shopping is high-end but also says there are affordable items.

In the area known as Friendship Heights/Chevy Chase, Md., consumers know the stores tend to cater to more conservative styles. Stores like Bloomingdale's often carry fewer items that are bold, with neutral, ivory and black colors as the most popular. With this conservative style often comes workers, residents, and visitors asking for a little more.

Christopher Coward, a 21-year-old T-Mobile sales associate and Howard University student, would like to see stores other than Foot Locker catering to the African-American population. The benefit is that American University and Georgetown University students are likely to spend money at this shopping center.

"If more Howard students would come out, I don't doubt that they would spend just as much," said Coward. Coward said he does not see many Howard students coming to the area because of student's lack of knowledge about the D.C. area.

Resident Andrea Hamzaoui, 29, believes the area should add more options as well. She admitted the newly established business called Tasting Room, ducked off to the side in the Wisconsin Place, has added something for people to do besides eating and watching movies at the AMC Theater.

The Tasting Room produces live performances in its small darkly-lit room on Wednesday and Friday nights. Hamzaoui said, as a young newlywed and mother of one, more entertainment would be nice.

"There is no night life and most things close early," said Hamzaoui.

As a mother, Hamzaoui said it may be hard to find toys and clothes for children. Most kids seen in the area looked as if they were featured in a Gap commercial, Hamzaoui expressed out of frustration.

"I have almost the entire kid's Gap line for my 4-year-old," said Hamzaoui.

Those who have never been to Friendship Heights or the Chevy Chase area can benefit from advice from Ann Taylor, 30.

"Those shopping should depend on a budget and the occasion they are shopping for," said Taylor. She does admit that they offer more selections than in Prince George County, but are more pricey.

Law school student Aurelia Hepburn, 23, said her budget only allows her to shop once a month.

"Being a student, I am only allowed to shop once a month, but I normally come out to this area or Pentagon," said Hepburn.

Friendship Heights in D.C. and Chevy Chase, Md. have produced an area for working class, new money, professional, and multicultural individuals. There are not too many ethnic restaurants, as compared to U Street and Adams Morgan. Most of the department stores close at 7 p.m. and the latest restaurants may stay open until 10:30 p.m.