Fate and the Market Place Bring Roosters to Georgetown
A Georgetown man's haircut at a barbershop outside of Boston played a critical role in bringing a new business to the neighborhood.
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Roosters, a new mens barbershop and grooming center, is coming to Georgetown thanks to a mix of fate and just the right market forces. The DC location will be at 1815 Wisconsin Avenue, tucked behind JoS A. Bank and Noodles & Co.
John Santanella, the franchise owner, told Patch that he had looked at the space in the new business center on Wisconsin Avenue about a year and a half ago.
"There’s not a a lot of high-end mens' grooming establishments in the market place," in DC he explained.
But at the time he was also opening a franchise closer to home near Boston. Even though he "absolutely loved the location," he passed on the Georgetown shop, not wanting to bite off more than he could chew, he explained.
Then "oddly enough" as Santanella put it, about five months after his Boston area location opened, a man came into store and mentioned that he was from DC. More specifically, he was from Georgetown.
Santanella told this Georgetown man about how he'd looked at the Wisconsin Avenue location. When the man had a positive reaction about having a barbershop like Roosters nearby, Santanella decided to give the broker a call again to learn if the spot was still open.
Not 24 hours before Santanella called, a yogurt shop backed out of plans to come to the space at 1815 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
"I believe that things happen for a reason. It was too much of a coincidence for me...So I began pursuing that space," he said.
DC offers the sort of "core audience" that Roosters appeals to: men in a profession where "essential grooming" is important to day-to-day life.
When Patch spoke with Santanella, he was not ready to give a possible date for opening because he recognizes there are still a few more "hurdles" he needs to clear before anything can be officially set.
For starters, Roosters is on the Old Georgetown Board agenda for March to have a sign scheme reviewed.
As a franchise owner, Santanella has to go through the parent company, Regis Corporation, for approval on the location and signage.
"Without some visibility on Wisconsin Avenue. It is going to be a bit difficult," he said.
While it is possible Roosters will not come to Georgetown if he cannot clear those hurdles, Santanella is hopeful.
He said he plans to localize the shop to have a Georgetown feel and while he was not ready to get into specifics, he said simply, "I have lots of ideas."
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