Fabled Georgetown Neam's Market Sold To New York Real Estate Developer

THE NEAM'S BUILDING ON SATURDAY MARCH 7 2015

The family-owned Neam's building at Wisconsin and P Street has been sold to a New York real estate developer, Sivan Properties, Inc., which reportedly is growing a portfolio of DC properties. It took some digging to find the name of the buyer -- not quite FOIA, but close -- and it is confirmed. There had been an earlier deal with another company, but that deal fell through, which led to the sale to Sivan.

The news of Sivan as the buyer comes as we learned the property almost sold to the Fuchs family, owners of Wagshal's Market, who hoped to revive it as a market, possibly even a version of the famous and much loved Neam's Market, which for years was a staple of Georgetown, a truly marvelous market, run by a caring family, and dedicated to service and the community. When Neam's closed the location was leased to the deli chain Marvelous Market, and while inconsistent in quality and scope it was occasionally useful. 

But Neam's was a one of a kind. With the exception of Wagshals, they don't make them like that anymore.

Sadly, the timing for the negotiations between the Neam family and the Fuchs family was off because it was the height of the holiday season and the Fuchs were focused on getting through the season rather than negotiating a real estate deal.

Here's a message I received from George Neam:

After much thought the Neam family decided to sell the property at Wisconsin and P in Georgetown. This was not a decision that was taken lightly or without emotion. My grandfather and his brother started Neam's in 1909 so that corner has been in the family for well over 100 years. There were many considerations in this decision, however selling out just to "cash in" was not one of them. Georgetown has been very good to my family and we investigated various offers for tenants. The goal was to find something that would benefit the family as owners and the community in Georgetown. When legitimate offers for the sale of the property came in we made a decision to sell based on all the generations of the family that were still involved.

I am hopeful that the new owners will take the history of the location to heart and put something in that will please the residents, however that will be their choice. So for now Neam's is just another part of Georgetown history. Life always seems to be about timing, this just happens to be the way this timed out for us.

Of course, you want to know about Sivan and their plans. I don't know a lot in that regard, only what I found this evening on Washington Business Journal:

-Sivan is based in Port Washington, NY

--Their other DC properties, as of last August, include 1901 14th Street (Matchbox bar and restaurant), 1329 Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown (a shoe store); 433 Massachusetts Avenue NW (a Pain Quotidien), and 3707-3711 14th Street NW (a proposed condos complex above a 7-11 store). 

Nothing to draw from any of that, except they are developers, and developers look for profitable tenants. Anything could happen. Georgetowners are understandably skeptical of developers and new commercial arrivals, which too often turn out to be ex-mall stores or banks.  Its probably up to the community to prevail upon Sivan to put something in that fills the food market void.

Neam's was a full service grocery store that catered to personal tastes and delivered groceries in in bags to your doorstep (and would gladly unpack them, too), including occasionally a perfectly roasted beef tenderloin. They had the exclusive account with Prince Bandar to import caviar for the Saudi Embassy -- and it was the best caviar, back when caviar was almost affordable. They had a wonderful butcher, fresh fish, beautiful produce -- and always the best peaches -- and household products, and birthday cakes, too. It remains a sentimental part of my life, of my marriage, and of raising my son in Georgetown. But there's nothing I can say that improves on the telling provided by George Neam. Thank you, George, and thank you to your family. 

Note: If you watch the entertaining Mike Nichols film "Heartburn," there's a scene with Meryl Streep in a grocery store. That was shot at Neam's.