Washington, D.C., April 2, 2008… Pound, a specialty coffee shop, is now serving office workers, commuters, and neighborhood residents in the burgeoning NoMa neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Owner Khalil Ghannam opened the door to his coffee shop on April 1, 2008. Pound is located near the intersection of 2nd Street and Florida Avenue, N.E., just outside the New York Avenue Metro station and next door to the new headquarters of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).“This is a premier coffee shop that focuses on delivering a great customer experience,” says Ghannam. “We serve unbelievably good coffee and superior baked goods, all of which are baked fresh daily, either on premises or delivered from standout local bakeries. We also provide great customer service, so NoMa can count on us to be a part of the community for years to come.”

Ghannam, a Washington native, fell in love with the coffee shop culture of Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco while living on the West Coast in the ’90’s. He hopes his new store will help bring that culture to the NoMa neighborhood.

“For all of its great qualities, D.C. has had a shortage of independent premium coffee shops,” says Ghannam “Those of us who are opening such establishments are just trying to fill that niche.”

Pound is the first glimmer of the upscale retail that planners envision for NoMa’s growing white-collar workforce. It was the first retail lease in the former industrial neighborhood in years, according to the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID).

“Pound is a neighborhood pioneer,” says Elizabeth Price, president of the NoMa BID. “We encourage area residents and workers to support Pound because it is bringing an important service to the neighborhood and will be a role model for the other small, independently-owned businesses that will be encouraged to follow.”

The shop is located at 200 Florida Avenue, N.E., Unit B (entrance is on 2nd Street). In addition to coffee and baked goods, Pound offers some grab-‘n’-go breakfast and lunch items focusing on healthy fare. Business hours are 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Weekend hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., beginning in May.

About Pound:
Pound is an independently owned coffee shop located in the NoMa–North of Massachusetts Avenue – neighborhood of the District of Columbia. A fun and lively coffee bar, Pound has these core values: respect for the products it sells; respect for the customers it serves; and respect for the community it is in. For more information, visit http://www.poundcoffee.com or call 202-408-5282 (JAVA).

About the NoMa BID:
NoMa is an emerging mixed-use neighborhood north of the U.S. Capitol and Union Station in Washington DC. Private developers have invested approximately $1.5 billion to date with plans to develop over 20 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space in the area covered by the NoMa BID over the next 10 years. The BID provides daily street and sidewalk cleaning, safety ambassadors, marketing, events, and other services to make NoMa a clean, safe, and vibrant neighborhood for businesses, residents, and visitors. For more information about the BID, including an interactive development map, see the BID Website at http://nomabid.wpengine.com.