ALEXANDRIA, VA — The presence of white nationalist or alt-right figure Richard Spencer, who moved into an upstairs space at 1001A King St. recently, has disrupted the cheery atmosphere of chocolate shop Blüprint Chocolatiers, which occupies the street-level space below, owner Kim Gustafson said Wednesday.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified Spencer's National Policy Institute as a hate group. and he himself described his new space in Alexandria to The Atlantic by calling it a "...kind of office-salon hybrid for the alt-right, a private space where people in the movement can make videos, throw parties (there's an outdoor patio) and work on the nascent website." The loft "is symbolic in that it is a headquarters of sorts," Spencer told the magazine. The new neighbor on King Street attracted a protest by about 100 people on Sunday by people who don't want Spencer in Alexandria.



The chocolate shop is "not as free-spirited as it once was," Gustafson said. "Our aim was to open a chocolate shop and all of a sudden we're dealing with all this." The city has fielded at least 25 complaints from residents, Buzzfeed reported. "We do not have the authority to regulate residential or commercial tenants based on their opinions … ," a city spokesman told Buzzfeed. "If [Spencer] were to violate criminal law or our human rights code, just like with anybody else, we would certainly take appropriate action."

"There is no place for hate or intolerance in Alexandria," the city said in an announcement after receiving phone calls about the situation. "The Mayor and City Council have consistently reaffirmed that diversity and inclusiveness are integral to our community, most recently in fall 2016. "While individuals can form opinions about each other based on who they are and what they believe, governments must enforce the law fairly and uniformly," the city noted. "The City has no authority to regulate residential or commercial property owners or tenants who follow the law while purchasing or leasing space. But while we uphold the First Amendment right to free speech, we will not permit harassment or hate crimes in our city," the city said in a news release.

Meanwhile, it's uncertain whether Great Falls resident Mahwash Wasiq, a World Bank employee who owns the building, according to city property records, knew that an alt-right figure had signed a lease to live in her building. Reportedly, Chantilly-based Samson Properties, which handled the rental, passed over a couple for Spencer because he was willing to pay more for the rental. A phone call to Samson Properties was not answered Wednesday afternoon to clarify.

For now, the chocolate shop is making do, welcoming support from the Alexandria community and soldiering on, under challenging circumstances.