Interview with Frank Asher, Owner of OLD CITY green

As a Real Estate Agent with a website, twitter account, and Blog dedicated to Shaw Real Estate, I feel it is my responsibility to connect to the area in which I specialize:  Shaw DC, 20001.  In this interview, I speak with Frank Asher, Owner of OLD CITY green, currently located on 902 N Street NW.


Kevin:  If you don’t mind, Frank, how about speaking on how you got to where you are?

Frank:  Well, I started to become a gardener as I was outside in Dupont Circle one day, cleaning out tree boxes.  This was the late 1990s.  I was so tired of seeing weeds, trash, people who weren’t picking up after their pets, that I was driven to act on my frustration.  I asked a merchant if they would let me redo all of their tree-boxes; that is, if they paid for all of the supplies.

Kevin:  And they agreed…

Frank:  Yes.  They agreed and off I was on my first project.  So I was outside all day, talking with people in the neighborhood, getting to know them better, and simultaneously they were getting to know me better.  People started asking for a business card which I didn’t have, so I made one, entitling the business Fairies’ Crossing.  

Kevin:  A thus a business was born.

Frank:  Yes.  And at the time I didn’t have a car.  I would walk around with a cart, a five gallon bucket, rake, and tools, going from job to job.   From there the business grew and still exists today.  I moved to Shaw in 2003 and two years later I bought the house where I still currently live (Frank lives very close to the current location of OLD CITY green).  


Kevin:  So when did OLD CITY green become available as an idea for you?

Frank:  Well, in 2008 Alex Padro (the ANC2C Commissioner) approached me and asked if I would cultivate a green-space for Shaw.  It was too coincidental and serendipitous; I agreed immediately.  I live very close to this space so everyday I would think:  “Wow, wouldn’t it be great to do something with all the weeds, and prophylactics, and waste in this space!  What potential!”  It’s still funny to think about how coincidental and amazing it was for that to be made a reality.  And thus the idea for OLD CITY green was born.

Kevin:  So when did OLD CITY green establish itself?

Frank:  November 1st 2008.  Alex directed me to Douglas Development, who owns the 5,000 square feet where our roots have been sewn.  The lease we signed was year-to-year, because Douglas Development knew they wanted to develop here eventually.  This space was temporary from the beginning.  Our lease is up for this space December 31st of this year!  I’m keeping mum about where we are moving, so don’t even ask.

Kevin:  (laughs)…I’ll cross that question off the list then…but what about opening up in November?  You couldn’t have had your garden in the winter…

Frank:  Yeah, that took some re-thinking.  I knew this was going to be a multifaceted space eventually, but we needed something specific at least through the winter.  So, we were given the first temporary permit to sell Christmas trees in D.C.

Kevin:  Now you have OLD CITY green as well as your own landscaping business?

Frank:  Correct.  OLD CITY green is a retail space, as well as a space for events, and a space for people to pick up their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share.  Fairies’ Crossing is a design and landscape company which designs and installs landscaping for gardens around the city.

Kevin:  And in the four years you have been here as OLD CITY green, is it what you had envisioned from the start?

Frank:  It’s more.  It’s 5000 square feet.  Big chunk of land.  When I reopened in the Spring of 2009, I had about seven, eight investors help get everything rolling.  The first year was a real challenge, and after a year people started feeling out the space and getting an understanding of what it was.
 
Kevin:  So is the public welcome to come and just relax here, or is it strictly retail?
 
Frank:  Oh of course they can come, sit, relax.  We want to form relationship with the community.  Shaw is a community of great “bio-diversity,” if you will, and we want this space to—literally—accommodate that diversity.  Come on over and relax, breath in some fresh air.  We’ve had the space rented out for BBQ parties, wedding showers, going-away parties, etc. 

 
Kevin:  When OLD CITY green is not being used for parties, what does it offer?
 
Frank:  A bit of everything.  It offers native plants, fruiting shrubs, edible plants, and a wide variety of vegetables (all year long).  We have herbs, lots of pottery and planters for rooftops and balconies.  We have our own organic soil mix.  We have mulch, and just recently bees!  Most importantly we have a crew of workers who are master gardeners and professional landscape designers.  

 
Kevin:  What has catapulted OLD CITY green into its current success?
 
Frank:  I think we work with people really well.  Every individual employed here works with people in a sincere way.  Shaw understands that; it’s been our saving grace.  Our tag line is:  “Where people and plants come together.”  That’s our mission.  We want to help people learn about plants and make decisions easily on what types of plants would be best for their garden.  
 
Kevin:  And do you see the OLD CITY green at its next location offering more of the same?

 
Frank:  I think with any transition there is going to be some sort of evolution and change.  I have one space that I can really visualize.  If that space happens it will change the focus of what OLD CITY green is.  It will expand on the social aspects and educational aspects of how we are connected to the community. 
 
Kevin:  So, in the four years that you have been here, what has your relationship with the space become?
 
Frank:  Hm…sometimes it’s hard to separate the space from myself.  I’ve become very attached.  It’s been a learning process on how to let go and understand—deeply—that the space is not “mine.”   Originally my business  model had been nomadic, but even still it’s hard.  I’ve become accustomed to it and I love this space.  It’s an extension of me in many ways.  

 
Kevin:  I’m sure Shaw respects the work you have done with the space.
 
Frank:  You know, the beautiful thing about Shaw is its thoughtfulness and diversity—not only in race, but in class and culture.  I hope it never loses that.  My fear is that with development occurring at such a quick pace the neighborhood connections may be strained and tested.  There are people who have been here for a long time and their kids live here and development is never easy; change is hard.  I simply ask for mindfulness in times of transition.  Transitions are delicate and demand attuning to a situation in a mindful way.  I was very fortunate to receive the Shaw Main Streets Community Partnership Award recently, and I gave a short speech where I asked:  “What is our identity as a neighborhood, as Shaw?  Are we something more than just a momentum?”  I feel we need to be strong in what we are.  And we should start asking this question in a serious way:  “What is Shaw?”

 
Kevin:  I think that is a great way to conclude this interview.  I truly appreciate your time, Frank.
 
Frank:  Thanks Kevin, it’s been a pleasure.