Eat ★ Shop ★ Live : Anacostia

Today was reSPIN Public Relations, ARCH Development, and DHCD's Big Reveal of Historic Anacostia's new "Eat ★ Shop ★ Live : ANACOSTIA" marketing campaign. Meant to bring new legitimacy, branding, and connectivity to Anacostia's somewhat scattered but very lively group of main street businesses, the campaign has been heralded as "the biggest thing to happen in Anacostia since the Big Chair". And that's big.



The brainchild of Nikki Peele, a Ward 8 entrepreneur who also runs the blog Congress Heights on the Rise and has been a force in recent years towards a renewed image and perception of communities east of the Anacostia River, ESL:A is is the first major event for Peele's firm reSPIN PR, a company she began earlier this year to help outside companies and agencies market their visions, plans, and wares in the typically misunderstood River East half of DC.



ESL:A is similar to a Business Improvement District in that local businesses pay to participate, but is free rather than there being any sort of levied tax on the owners. Businesses are given marketing and inclusion into the membership program designed to build their customer base. Window decals and flags mark the participating local shops and eateries, and customers are able to flash keytags to receive discounts.



I think this is a great idea. It has a clean brand, it brings a fresh life and unity to Anacostia businesses, and it enables increased patronage from people who might typically pass these places by.



On a somewhat unrelated note - two of Anacostia's newest spots were advertised at the event: The Hive, a shared office & creative work space (post coming soon); and Blank Space, a new "permanent pop-up gallery" that will be rentable for privately sponsored shows.

Come on out and Eat ★ Shop ★ Live : ANACOSTIA. Seriously.
www.eatshopliveanacostia.com

For more, check out TBD's article on the Big Reveal - with some more background and interviews.