While D.C.’s downtown has struggled to bring workers and businesses back after the pandemic, higher-end retailers are having a moment.
Downtown D.C. foot traffic is at 70 percent of the busier pre-pandemic era, according to local officials, with office occupancy hovering near 50 percent, according to data from Kastle Systems, which tracks office card swipes. As of the first quarter of 2023, broader economic activity was only at about 65 percent of levels predating the pandemic, according to a DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) report released last summer. And crime downtown, which has fallen since the beginning of the year, is still higher than many business owners would like.
