Call Your Mother is fighting to stay open in Georgetown

Call Your Mother is fighting for the right to stay open in Georgetown, caught between unhappy neighbors and century-old zoning minutiae.

Why it matters: The beloved bagel shop is part of a retail renaissance in the historic neighborhood that has outsiders wondering, is Georgetown back ? But its popularity (even President Biden stopped by) is driving a handful of next-door neighbors mad.

Driving the news: The Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission last week formally asked the District to yank its permit, arguing that "large crowds" are causing "objectionable conditions" to the neighbors.

• The technicals are all rather bureaucratic. At the heart of the matter is the fact that neighbors have argued for years that a buzzy joint like Call Your Mother doesn't belong at 35th and O Street — a rare corner deli among a sea of rowhouses.

Flashback: The owners opened in 2020, after a first battle with neighbors.

• Overnight, the quiet, pink flower house became an epicenter for foodies and Instagrammers.

When Georgetowner Michael Savage heard the shop would open on his block, he went to see Call Your Mother's original location in Park View. "It was a zoo," he observed.

• He put his house up for sale, saying at a recent ANC meeting that the bagel shop's impending arrival was a "primary driver for me to sell."

Many current residents are now complaining about spillover, like unruly lines and finding sandwich eaters sitting on their front stoops (though, the shop is taking measures; more on that below).

• Then, there's this: Caroline and Neil Emad, who live next door, say they want a "firewall" installed between their property and CYM's. "Only a drywall separates us," Caroline said at the meeting, recalling the shop once accidentally drilled through it when installing IT equipment.

Catch up quick: A neighbor took the business and the city's zoning board to court . As a result, zoning officials earlier this year admitted they erred in the process of allowing Call Your Mother to operate there, as told in a comprehensive history of the property by neighborhood commissioner Topher Mathews.

• In short, corner retail stores have been allowed at the location since the 1850s, but they cannot sell prepared foods without a special exemption.
• The board has instructed the shop to apply for an exemption to continue operating its deli at the site. Its founder, Andrew Dana, is confident they'll succeed.

What they're saying: "We believe the law is on our side," he told neighborhood commissioners at a meeting last week.

• Not all neighbors are mad. One bagel devotee called the shop a "blessing to our block," waving his iPad during the meeting to display a chart showing rising home values.

For his part, Dana says the shop is doing a lot: trash is stored indoors, they have signs that say, "Kindly enjoy your carbs off-site," and have a weekly contract with a pest control company. A velvet pink rope line is meant to keep an orderly queue outside the shop.

• More recently, they hired an employee to shoo patrons from nearby stoops.

"We know we're not perfect," he told residents. "We're trying to get better every single day."

What's next: The Board of Zoning Adjustment will meet on Wednesday to hear the application.