Save Scheele’s Market

Image reproduced courtesy of The Georgetowner

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Georgetown has a new chance to save a piece of 130 year old history

Scheele’s Market is Georgetown’s and possibly Washington D.C.’s oldest continuously operated market, serving our neighborhood since 1895. The market had been due to close at the end of July, but current proprietor Daniel Hong has now secured a temporary reprieve allowing it to remain open through the end of November 2026. In 130 years, Scheele’s has become far more than just a store. It’s a community hub, a lifeline for elderly residents, and an essential part of what makes Georgetown special. The immediate threat of closure has been postponed, but the market still needs a permanent home and a sustainable future.

Daniel doesn’t just run the market. He takes in parcels for local neighbors. He orders special items you can’t find elsewhere. He’s the first to clear the sidewalk after it’s snowed. He knows all his customers – and their dogs – by name. In 2024, the Georgetowner honored him with a community award for being a pillar of our neighborhood. Anyone who shops at Scheele’s knows why.

The reprieve has not eliminated the immediate financial pressures facing the market. The store’s air-conditioning system recently failed and had to be replaced at a cost of approximately $6,000, an enormous unexpected expense for a small independent neighborhood business. Continuing to shop at Scheele’s during the coming months is one direct way residents can support Daniel while efforts toward a permanent solution continue.

A reprieve, but not yet a permanent solution

In 2011, when the building last changed hands, Georgetown residents came together to secure a 15-year agreement with the new owner to preserve the market. That agreement runs through November 2026. Although Daniel had initially been expected to vacate the premises when his lease ended in July, he has now been given permission to remain through the end of November. We welcome this extension, but it does not by itself secure Scheele’s future beyond November. We continue to believe the community should have a say in what happens to a 130-year institution that generations of Georgetowners have fought to protect.

A possible path forward

Several interested buyers are now considering whether they could join together as a consortium to purchase the building and preserve Scheele’s as a neighborhood market. These discussions offer real hope, but they remain preliminary: no consortium has yet been formally established and no purchase has been agreed. The extension through November gives those interested parties more time to explore the financial and practical arrangements that would be required.

We’re fighting for two outcomes:

First, we want to help turn the current buyer interest into a viable purchase that keeps Scheele’s Market operating. The prospective buyers need time to determine whether they can form a consortium and establish a sustainable arrangement for the market. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to preserve an irreplaceable piece of D.C. history, and to maintain a community center that provides essential services for all of our neighbors.

If the market cannot be saved, we need to ensure this historic building remains in appropriate use for our quiet residential neighborhood. Georgetown’s character depends on protecting its residential streets from the commercial creep that’s already diluting M Street and threatening peaceful blocks with inappropriate development. A 130-year old market belongs here. A restaurant or entertainment venue does not.

This is where you come in. Sign the form below to show your support for saving Scheele’s Market and receive updates on our campaign. Most importantly, please continue shopping at Scheele’s during the coming months. Strong customer support will help Daniel meet the store’s immediate expenses and show prospective buyers that Scheele’s has a committed and dependable community behind it.

If you know potential buyers, investors, lenders, historic preservation organizations, elected officials, business advisers or anyone else who may be able to assist the prospective buyer consortium, please reach out. If you have pictures of Scheele’s or stories you’d like to share, let us know. The more voices and practical support we can bring together, the stronger our message: Georgetown is worth preserving, and Scheele’s Market is worth saving.

The reprieve lasts only through the end of November 2026. We now have more time, but no time to waste.

I’d like to add my support to the campaign to #SaveScheeles