Kramers Celebrates 50 Years!

There is a legendary bookstore in D.C. that you probably have heard of because it's Kramer's. And, well, as of now, it's been around for 50 years, 5-0, half a century. So we'll look back at all of the great memories, the food, the books, everything else. This is owner Steve Salas. Steve, welcome to Fox 5. Appreciate you coming in today. You've been a part of this for a while, but most importantly, you saved this legendary store in DuPont. Well, thank you for having me on, Steve. It's very nice to be here today. And yeah, look, I mean, 10 years ago, the business was facing a really critical component where they were determined to sort of figure out whether they were going to keep the business open or not. And I was introduced through a mutual friend. And I remember walking into this place, the energy, even 10 years later, I can't even explain it. When I walked in, the place was bustling and it was just really unbelievable as it pertained to what was going on there. I'm like, you can't close this business down. There's no way you can do that. And so I looked at it very carefully and I said, this thing has to be here. The legacy, the memories that are so steeped into the space. And I'm just thinking, like, this thing is so important to Washington, D.C. It's a cultural hub. And, you know, sometimes a little bit of heart and business is okay, you know, when you're thinking about making a business deal. And I have to tell you, I'm very proud of what we've been able to do over the last 10 years. And the hope is to continue to keep it going for a long time. So I know that part of that pride is the everyday, seeing the people that have just been coming in through those doors for years, and in this case for decades at Kramer's. But let's be honest, there's the celebrity factor as well. Talk about some of the people who have been inside the shop over the years. We've had so many, and I want to be careful because I might not name everybody, but we've had presidents, we've had dignitaries, we've had artists, Andy Warhol, Toni Morrison. I found out actually recently that Jewel allegedly got her performing start at Kramer's. She was brought in to just do some performances. This is pre the Jewel that we know that went on to be obviously very successful. But we've had Boris Johnson in there. We've had just so many different people in there. But maybe more importantly, we've had so many citizens just from all over the world that have come in. And right now, we just did a campaign called Humans of Kramer's. And the whole idea around that is for people to share their stories over the last 50 years and the ones that they've had as a result of being at Kramer's. And Steve, the stories have been just like remarkable. You can't make them up. You know, memories, you can only take them with you. There's nothing else you can take with you. And so to see the memories that we've been able to get from all these various people who have spent time at Kramer's, first dates, who end up getting married, you know, things that they were able to do there that they'll never forget um it's just is it just shows and signifies and personifies the the power of the brand and its positioning in the Washington DC market but also in the region in the country and in the world makes a business special when you can have that type of everybody feels like they have that personal relationship with the with the business itself which has evolved over the years and obviously books front and center but we have the cafe we have everything else that has been going on there uh it hasn't been an easy decade for bookstores to be honest so what do you look at moving forward now as you begin the next chapter well we look at the space first and foremost as a cultural hub and you kind of laid out all the components of it i think that's what's made it really great you know it's funny historically if you look at restaurants and retail businesses like bookstores the failure rate is immensely high but for some reason when you put the two together um it just works i think as far as the next 50 years and hopefully god willing we're around for another 50 years it's about doing a lot of the things we've already done but continue to protect and preserve the legacy and the origins of the brand when we bought it one of the things we had to really make sure is not to screw it up and that's to really understand how did it get there why did it get there you know i mean to be around at that time for 40 years before i bought the business there's a lot of things that they did and there's a lot of things they made decisions not to do that allowed it to stay around and so you have to study it you have to learn it you have to really steep yourself into understanding what's going on so that you can try to, you know, build a formidable future. And I think right now it's about continuing the legacy and the heritage while thoughtfully adding, you know, things that are, I think, required to support the modern consumer's needs. This could be a whole TED talk on its own, Steve, but since you're here, let me ask you this because other businesses can maybe learn from this as well. If you're trying to forge that personal relationship with every customer that walks in the door, is it customer services that does that? Is it consistency? What do you use to make sure that you have that relationship so that you can thrive for half a century? Well, being that I've been in the hospitality industry for a while, I think hospitality principles need to be pushed in virtually anything that you're doing. And I think it includes retail and it includes bookstores. And so I think it's creating an environment where people feel safe, creating an environment where you can connect with people and then use that space in a way where people can engage however they choose so that they have the best experience they possibly can. And so I think it's delivering great hospitality and being able to connect with people and meet them where they need to be based on what they're seeking for out of that experience. Well, listen, we wish you the best. Congratulations on 50 years. I know you have an event coming up for customers this weekend. We do. On Saturday? Saturday, yes. So we're throwing a cheers to 50 years this Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight. We're going to have a lot of artisans and a lot of other small businesses there to support the evening. There'll be all kinds of fun goodies and activities and surprises. And so I'd love to have everybody that would like to show up. We welcome you in. Well, I hate to feel even older than I am, but I've been coming for half of the time that you've been in existence for my time here in D.C. But congrats on 50 years. Customers, of course, right in the heart of the state There's the information if you'd like to learn a little bit more. Thanks, Steve. Congrats to you and your team over there. Back with the social scene up next. We'll see you in just a minute.