On D.C.’s H Street, Some Black Businesses Strive, Others Struggle

Amidst the new expensive condominiums, busy upscale bars and restaurants, and the city’s only streetcar, Black entrepreneurs on the once riot-torn H Street in northeast D.C., are working hard to cash in on the community’s new prosperity and dramatically changing landscape. For some, business is booming, but, others are struggling to stay afloat.

Halftime Sports Bar, open for a year, is doing very well, said owner Kim Falwell. The restaurant and bar stays full, she said. “We show all sports games all year round,” she said. “Right now it is busy with March Madness. When it’s cold, we are busy with football.”