The Alexandria Democratic Committee (ADC) is moving after spending over twenty years at 617 N. Washington Street.
Sandy Marks, who chairs the committee, enthusiastically shared the news in a letter emailed to subscribers and supporters on Tuesday (April 15).
ADC’s new office will be at 2101A Mount Vernon Avenue.
“Our new office is a first-floor retail space, below our new landlord, Joi Dreams Salon, and we expect to see a high volume of walk-ins—so look forward to opportunities to staff it and greet volunteers,” Marks writes in the letter.
The committee is excited about the perks: it’s easy to walk to, close to public transport, and has improved parking options.
Before they hand over the keys to their current office on April 30, a farewell party is planned for the evening of April 29.
“We’re planning a “Farewell, 618 N. Washington” gathering on the evening of Tuesday, April 29th, when the place is cleared out, before we hand over the keys the following morning. Check your email and Facebook/Instagram for details to come, and please reach out and invite anyone you think might like to pay their respects to our longtime home”, Marks writes.
The full letter is below;
Good evening, AlexDEMS!
We made a huge announcement at our April meeting last week: the Alexandria Democratic Committee is moving!
We’ve found a new space that meets so many of our needs: it’s in a high-foot traffic, walkable neighborhood, at street level, with plenty of ventilation, healthy air quality and life and safety upgrades, opportunities for street signage, easy access to several forms of public transportation, with better parking options, in the most dependable Democratic precinct in the Commonwealth, with far safer and better accessibility—and at a substantially lower cost to us!
Our new address is:
Alexandria Democratic Committee
2101A Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301Our new office is a first floor retail space, below our new landlord, Joi Dreams Salon, and we expect to see a high volume of walk-ins—so look forward to opportunities to staff it and greet volunteers!
This move has been decades in the making; the debates on this issue are legendary; the real estate search has been nothing short of epic. And here we are, 21 years after the last time we signed the lease on N. Washington Street—19 years since our lease became month-to-month—roughly two years since our longtime landlord sold the building and the daycare above started its loud migration downward—ready to make the leap!
There are too many people to thank in this email, including those who’ve served in leadership roles making the slow, forward progress on this issue that got us to where we are today—the Executive Committee elected in 2022, who took responsibility and made the decision to commit to the office search with the intention of moving, and today’s Executive Committee who are executing the actual move.
Can you see the space? Of course you can! Let our leadership team get the complicated move-out and move-in complete, and then count on a housewarming party to celebrate!
What will happen to everything in the current office? It’s hard to think about, but a lot of the items in the office have been stored for a long time, through all kinds of weather and have experienced a lot of good campaign-related wear and tear! We’re of course, putting our Democratic values into practice, and so what can be recycled will be recycled, and much of what is healthy and safe to donate will live its next life through ALIVE! We’ll also host an afternoon where ADC folks can come take a look at what’s left and take home items of their choice.
Last, 618 N. Washington Street served Alexandria Democrats well for generations, and we want to give everyone a chance to take one last lap through the space with their Democratic family to say goodbye:
We’re planning a “Farewell, 618 N. Washington” gathering on the evening of Tuesday, April 29th, when the place is cleared out, before we hand over the keys the following morning. Check your email and Facebook/Instagram for details to come, and please reach out and invite anyone you think might like to pay their respects to our longtime home!
Congratulations, everyone! We did it!
With great optimism for the future,
Sandy Marks, Chair
