The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

French manicures, Bud Light and fly fishing: How Trump staffers are changing Washington

February 9, 2017 at 7:39 a.m. EST
With a new administration in the White House, some businesses in Washington are seeing more business, including the historic Old Ebbitt Grill. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

In the three weeks since the Trump administration moved into town, business at Bullfeathers, a Capitol Hill watering hole popular among Republican staffers, has climbed 55 percent. Old Ebbitt Grill, across from the White House, has reported an uptick in sales of Fireball whisky shots.

And at Luigi Parasmo Salon and Spa in Georgetown, a steady stream of recently relocated New Yorkers has been calling to schedule weekly blowouts and French manicures. The newcomers are “somewhat trendier” than the salon’s usual lineup of Washingtonians, owner Luigi Parasmo said. (He also has some ideas to jazz up the president’s hairdo, if called upon.)

“Lots of long hair!” he wrote in an email. “In general, big city people tend to be more attentive to their hair, nails and skin care.”

Throughout Washington, business owners say it’s clear that the Trump administration has arrived. The new president and his staffers are settling in, and beginning to venture out to the region’s restaurants, bars, shops and salons.

It’s a tide that turns every four — or eight — years in Washington as one presidential administration gives way to the next, ushering in a new wave of people and preferences from across the country. Eight years ago, the Obama administration brought an influx of younger staffers who helped shore up the city’s drinking and dining scene. This time around, business owners like John Tattersall are readying for their own renaissance.

The Post's John Kelly gets behind the wheel to find out how D.C. residents feel about their soon-to-be neighbor: President-elect Donald Trump. (Video: Claritza Jimenez, Ashleigh Joplin, Dani Player/The Washington Post)

“As soon as there’s a Republican president, I know business is going to pick up,” said Tattersall, owner of Grand Ole Potomac Fly Fishing Guides. “There’s lots of good activity on the books for the spring.”

But, he noted, his clients — most of whom are Republican — seem to be more pressed for time than usual this year. Instead of booking eight-hour fishing trips on the Potomac River, they’re opting for four-hour half-days.

“Usually they have more time, especially when they’re not in power,” Tattersall, 54, said. “But now they’re getting really busy. They don’t have as much time for me.”

Trump’s D.C. hotel is promising government and military discounts, but good luck getting them

New faces have begun popping in to Ashok Bajaj’s restaurants around town, including Rasika, 701 and Bibiana. White House press secretary Sean Spicer recently dined at the Oval Room, while Housing and Urban Development nominee Ben Carson had lunch at the Bombay Club.

“They’re starting to get their footing, diningwise,” Bajaj said. “As with any new administration, there is excitement about the new people coming in. And those who worked in Republican administrations before, they’re coming back and saying, ‘Hey, how are you? I’m back.’ ”

At East City Bookshop on Capitol Hill, owner Laurie Gillman has noticed a revival in book sales since the election. But, she said, it's not necessarily Trump staffers who are stopping by, although a handful did pop in before the holidays. (The president, for his part, has said he does not have time to read.)

"People are buying a lot more dystopian novels — '1984,' 'The Handmaid's Tale,' " she said, adding that a children's book called "A is for Activist" is on back order.

“We’re on Capitol Hill, so it’s a very liberal-leaning, progressive group of people,” Gillman said. “It’s a population that’s very attuned to what’s happening around us, so people are finding books that speak to their worries.”

A few blocks over, at Capitol Lounge, co-owner James Silk says bottled Bud Light and Tito’s vodka have become popular in recent weeks. “A lot of new, young, eager faces” have helped drive sales since the inauguration, he said.

“It’s the same kind of turnover we see every two years with the change in Hill staffers,” Silk said. “It’s just a fact of doing business so close to the Capitol.”

Read more:

What’s selling at the inauguration: Socks, mugs and Trump-scented candles

Even Donald Trump can’t pull Twitter out of a slump

Airbnb bookings in D.C. are nearing an all-time high for Trump’s inauguration