Navy Yard’s Newest Cafe Sells Matcha Lattes and Fashion-Forward Sneakers

Will Sharp, the D.C.-based designer who co-founded Southeast Asian cafe/streetwear boutique Maketto, just opened a new place in Navy Yard that sells coffee in the front and men’s clothing in the back. Maketto chef-owner Erik Bruner-Yang, who’s keeping plenty busy running a pop-up and collaborating on cooking demonstrations at the REACH festival, is not involved in the project.

The 2,200-square-foot setup, dubbed Somewhere, is in the ground floor of the F1RST Residences at 1239 First Street SE. In addition to coffee from Hyattsville-based Vigilante Coffee Company, Somewhere slings pastries from Baked and Wired from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The coffee bar has cappuccinos, lattes, and trendier concoctions like chai or matcha lattes and potent Vietnamese iced coffee.

H Street staple Maketto served Vigilante upon opening in 2015, but later switched to Northeast D.C. roastery Small Planes. Navy Yard is already home to a flurry of corporate coffee shops, like Bluestone Lane and Philz.

High-end streetwear and shoes at Somewhere show love for brands like Salomon, Marni, and Rick Owens. Sharp founded the DURKL fashion line in 2005, using Maketto as its retail hub. Dominick Adams, the lead fashion buyer at Maketto, is also a partner at Somewhere.

Bruner-Yang will soon compete with Sharp in the neighborhood when he opens ABC Pony, an all-day cafe inside a luxury apartment building that will have an ’80s and ’90s theme and sell food that mixes ingredients from Asian and Italian dishes.

• A Maketto Partner Is Bringing Navy Yard a Shop For Streetwear and Coffee [EDC]
• Erik Bruner-Yang’s Incoming Navy Yard Cafe Will Mix Italian and Asian Flavors [EDC]
• The Kennedy Center’s Huge New Campus Hosts an All-Star Lineup of Chefs For 2 Weeks [EDC]