

Original location at 5015 Connecticut Ave, NW

From a press release:

“Politics and Prose (P&P) is pleased to announce the opening of a new bookstore this October at The Wharf, the $2.5 billion, mile-long waterfront neighborhood being built by Hoffman-Madison Waterfront (HMW) in Southwest DC. The move represents a stronger-than-ever commitment by Washington’s leading independent bookstore to serve additional city neighborhoods and bring more books and more literary and cultural events to the District.

“We’re very excited to be expanding into Southwest DC, an increasingly dynamic part of the city that has been woefully lacking in bookstores,” said Bradley Graham, who co-owns P&P with his wife Lissa Muscatine.

The Wharf is an ambitious new development intended to revitalize DC’s historic Southwest waterfront. Stretching along the Washington Channel of the Potomac River, the neighborhood offers great promise as a retail destination integrating stores and restaurants with apartments, hotels, entertainment venues and offices into a community unlike any other in the city. The store’s opening is scheduled for The Wharf’s Grand Opening Kickoff on October 12.

The new P&P store will be located in The Wharf’s District Square alongside an impressive variety of other Wharf tenants including The Anthem, the 6,000-capacity music venue by I.M.P, and various chef-inspired restaurants including Requin by Mike Isabella and Jennifer Carroll, as well as four public piers, a waterfront promenade, a marina, the oldest continuously operating open-air fish market in the country, public parks, and much more.

Occupying more than 2,300 square feet, the store will carry a wide assortment of books and non-book items, and will host regular author events and book signings. Among those already scheduled to appear this fall are:

• MSNBC host Chris Matthews,

• Jordanian Filipina American writer and editor Malu Halasa,

• National Security Affairs Specialist Mark Perry,

• Cat Behaviorist Jackson Galaxy

P&P’s new Wharf location will be easily accessible by Metro via the Green Line’s Waterfront Metro stop and L’Enfant Plaza Metro stop servicing the Blue, Orange, Silver, Green, and Yellow Lines. Come October, The Wharf will also provide a free jitney service to East Potomac Park and a free shuttle bus to the National Mall as well as an innovative water taxi service that will connect DC’s Southwest waterfront to Georgetown, Old Town Alexandria and National Harbor/MGM. Those driving by car or boat will be able to access The Wharf via I-395 and the Washington Channel, respectively with parking options for land or water vessels.

“We welcome Politics and Prose, a true national treasure, to The Wharf,” said Amer Hammour, Chairman of Madison Marquette. “Politics and Prose has established itself as one of the great independent bookstores and literary meeting places in the United States since its founding in 1984 – a center for signings by such giants as Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, J.K. Rowling, Amy Chua, photographer Annie Leibovitz and investigative reporter David Halberstam to name but a few. We are delighted that this newest location for Politics and Prose will extend their culturally-informative offerings and provide residents, tenants, workers, and visitors at The Wharf with a uniquely intellectual and compelling space in which to browse, buy and commune with book-lovers,” Mr. Hammour added.

“Politics and Prose is a visionary DC institution with international cultural credibility – one that has stood the test of time while playing a central role in our city’s renaissance.” said Monty Hoffman, Founder and CEO of PN Hoffman. “We’re thrilled to bring the next iteration of Politics and Prose to The Wharf, where we’re infusing the waterfront with creative thought leaders, artisans and cultural offerings intended to celebrate the roots of DC at its water’s edge.”

P&P also plans to open a new bookstore at Union Market in northeast DC later this fall. Together the expansions highlight a resurgence of local independent bookstores not only in the Washington area but elsewhere in the United States.”