Reader Poll: What Kind of Businesses Do You Want in Borderstan?

See A Borderstan Wish List for 2012 for the Boderstan team’s suggestions.

Happy New Year, Borderstanis! To start the new year, we’d like to get your wish list for the types of new businesses you would like to see open in the Dupont-Logan-U Street area in 2012.

The entire area has changed a great deal in the past few years. This change has been particularly evident in the opening of new businesses and the closing of others. The population of the Borderstan area grew in the last decade, due mostly to residents moving into the new rental and condo buildings in the Logan, U Street and Shaw areas (but not in the Dupont area).

In addition, the 14th and U corridor is now a dining and nightlife destination (and increasingly for certain types of shopping) for people from around the DC metro area. The result is what seems to be an even more rapid turnover of businesses in the neighborhood — driven by rising commercial rents, changing demographics, and an influx of nighttime and weekend visitors.

Even with all these changes, there are still a number of empty storefronts (and lots) along 14th Street NW — even with the frenzy to build more residential buildings and open upscale new businesses.There is still plenty of room for a lot more new enterprises in the area, especially when you consider the number of new buildings under construction — all of which will have first-floor retails space.

But as residents of the neighborhood, we’re interested in finding out what types of new businesses you would like to see open in 2012.

Here’s your chance to make your wish list! Vote for as many choices on the list as you like.