Washington, DC — Est. 2015

We shaped DC's
retail landscape.

If you live in or visit Washington DC, you've likely walked into something we touched — a restaurant, a cinema, a brewery, a coffee shop that became part of your life. That was the work. That was always the point.

See the Work Where We Are Now
Philosophy

Place-making, not deal-making.

There are two kinds of retail brokers. One fills square footage. The other asks: what should this corner become? What tenant turns a corridor into a destination? What brand tells the story of this neighborhood?

District Equities was always the second kind. From day one, we believed that the right retail creates culture — not just foot traffic. That a coffee shop can anchor a community. That a brewery can turn an underutilized waterfront into somewhere people want to be on a Saturday afternoon.

We didn't chase strip malls. We chased meaning. And Washington DC gave us the canvas to prove it.

“I left JBG as the youngest VP in the company's history. I liquidated my 401k to start District Equities. I had one bet to make — on DC retail and on the brands that would define it. It paid off.”
— Steve Gaudio, Founder
Before District Equities

North End Shaw

JBG Companies — Shaw, Washington DC

Before founding District Equities, Steve led the retail curation for North End Shaw at JBG Companies — and it became the project that defined everything that followed. A mixed-use development in one of DC's most dynamic neighborhoods, North End Shaw wasn't assembled from a national brand checklist. It was curated.

The results: Warby Parker's first DC location. Aesop. Landmark Cinemas. Authentic, design-forward brands that set the tone for the entire block. The project was featured in The New York Times and became a benchmark for what thoughtful retail curation in DC could look like.

It was also Steve's proof of concept. If you could do this once, you could build a firm around doing it again and again.

Modern urban retail corridor
Warby Parker
First DC location
Aesop
Shaw flagship
Landmark Cinemas
Neighborhood anchor
New York Times
Featured coverage
Notable Work

The deals that defined a decade.

District Equities represented landlords, tenants, and joint ventures across DC's most competitive retail corridors. Here's a selection of the work.

Outdoor adventure gear retail store
Retail / Mixed-Use

Collection 14

Madison Investments — Washington, DC

Represented landlord Madison Investments on Collection 14, a premier mixed-use development in DC. The defining deal: signing Backcountry.com as anchor tenant — their first east coast brick-and-mortar location. An outdoor adventure brand making its physical debut in the mid-Atlantic, in a space that could hold it.

Landlord Rep First East Coast Brick-and-Mortar Anchor Tenant
Craft brewery beer taps taproom
Food & Beverage

Atlas Brew Works

Half Street — Near Nationals Park

Helped Atlas Brew Works open their Half Street location in the shadow of Nationals Park — at the time, a bold bet on a corridor still finding its identity. Atlas went on to grow to four locations, culminating in their 24,000 sq ft Bridge District flagship (opened November 2025), the first full-scale brewery east of the Anacostia River. Solar-powered. A DC success story from the ground up.

Tenant Rep Emerging Brands
Neon bowling alley entertainment venue
Entertainment / Pandemic Deal

Bowlero at National Landing

National Landing, Arlington VA

The biggest deal you've never heard of. 50,000 sq ft of entertainment space — closed, built out, and opened during pandemic lockdowns when the entire hospitality industry had effectively stopped. Bowlero at National Landing went on to become one of the most successful locations in Bowlero's national portfolio. A testament to what it takes to execute a complex deal when conditions are impossible.

Complex Execution Entertainment Pandemic Opening
Grocery store fresh produce
Grocery / 14th Street NW

Trader Joe's

14th Street NW — Washington, DC

A landmark grocery deal on one of DC's most competitive and coveted retail corridors. 14th Street NW had been transforming for years; landing Trader Joe's was the kind of anchor commitment that signals a neighborhood has fully arrived.

Grocery Anchor 14th Street Corridor
Coffee shop roasted beans
Coffee / Early Bets

Compass Coffee

Washington, DC — Multiple Locations

Compass Coffee was an early client — District Equities represented them on retail locations and Steve was at their launches. What started as a scrappy DC-native roaster grew into a beloved institution with dozens of locations across the region. Getting in early on brands like Compass is what place-making is about.

Tenant Rep Emerging Brands Early Bets
Cinema theater red velvet seats
Cinema / Shaw Neighborhood

Atlantic Plumbing Cinema

Shaw / U Street, Washington, DC

Part of the ongoing work shaping the Shaw and U Street corridors. Atlantic Plumbing Cinema is the kind of tenant that makes a neighborhood — an independent cinema bringing culture and foot traffic that enriches everything around it.

Entertainment Shaw / U Street
Wine glasses toast
Grocery / Arlington VA

Total Wine

Ballston — Arlington, VA

Major retail deal in Arlington's Ballston corridor, bringing Total Wine into one of Northern Virginia's most active retail environments. Ballston had been a consistent focus for premium retail, and this deal reinforced it.

Major Retail Ballston Corridor
Upscale restaurant fine dining
Restaurant / James Beard-Nominated

Thip Khao

Washington, DC

Represented Thip Khao — the acclaimed Laotian restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chef Seng Luangrath. The kind of client that reminds you why retail brokerage matters: getting exceptional food and culture into spaces where people will find them.

Restaurant James Beard-Nominated Tenant Rep
Busy food hall with diners
Pizza / First Location

Andy's Pizza

Urbanspace Food Hall — Washington, DC

Andy's Pizza opened their first brick-and-mortar as part of the Urbanspace Food Hall launch — and has since become a DC staple with a devoted following. Getting Andy's their first real home is one of those deals that looks obvious in retrospect.

First Location Food Hall
Market hall food stalls
Board Member / CPG Accelerator

Union Kitchen

Washington, DC

Served on the board of Union Kitchen, DC's premier CPG food accelerator, working directly with emerging consumer brands to grow their businesses. Recruited members, negotiated deals, and helped connect founders with the capital, shelf space, and real estate they needed to scale. If it was made in DC and ended up on a shelf, there's a good chance we had something to do with it.

Board Member CPG Accelerator
Modern commercial building exterior
Developer Representation

The Signet — JBG Companies

McLean, Virginia

Retail leasing for The Signet, a landmark mixed-use development in McLean by JBG Companies — one of the DC region's most respected institutional developers. Brought the same place-making discipline to Northern Virginia's most competitive submarkets.

Retail Leasing JBG Companies McLean VA
Urban neighborhood streetscape
Developer Representation

Ivy City — Douglas Development

Washington, DC

Retail leasing in Ivy City for Douglas Development, one of DC's most prolific and storied developers. Ivy City had long been overlooked — we helped bring the right tenants to an emerging neighborhood before it became one of the city's most talked-about corridors.

Retail Leasing Douglas Development Emerging Corridors
Industrial chic food and retail corridor
Developer Representation

Level2 at The Highline — Union Market

Washington, DC

Retail work at The Highline in the Union Market district, one of DC's most dynamic food and retail corridors. The Union Market neighborhood transformed from an industrial backwater into one of the most visited retail destinations in the city — we were part of that story.

Retail Leasing Union Market Mixed-Use
Brick residential tower
Developer Representation

The Woodner — Woodner Companies

Washington, DC

Retail leasing for The Woodner, an iconic DC residential tower with a storied history. Working with The Woodner Companies to activate the ground-floor retail of one of the city's most recognizable addresses.

Retail Leasing The Woodner Companies Iconic DC
Collection 14 DC retail
Operations / Joint Venture

Urbanspace Food Hall

Washington, DC

When Isabella Eatery collapsed and left a prime DC food hall space vacant, District Equities partnered with Urbanspace to launch a replacement in 90 days. Thip Khao, Andy's Pizza, and others opened in a hall that went from concept to operating in three months. An exercise in operational excellence under pressure. The hall ran its course; the brands it launched are still thriving.

Joint Venture 90-Day Launch Operational Excellence
Clients & Partners

Names you know.

A partial list of the brands, landlords, and partners we've worked with across Washington DC and the surrounding region.

Trader Joe's
Bowlero
Total Wine & More
Backcountry.com
Atlas Brew Works
Compass Coffee
Thip Khao
Andy's Pizza
Warby Parker
Aesop
Landmark Cinemas
Madison Investments
Urbanspace
JBG Companies
Douglas Development
The Woodner Companies
Union Kitchen
By the Numbers

A decade of deals.

2015
Year Founded
Bootstrapped from Steve's 401k
100+
Notable Transactions
Across DC, Arlington & Northern Virginia
5+
DC Neighborhoods Shaped
Shaw, U Street, 14th St, National Landing, Ballston & more
50,000sf
Pandemic Deal Closed
Bowlero — a 50,000 sf entertainment venue, now one of their top national locations
90
Days to Launch a Food Hall
Urbanspace DC — from vacant to open
1M+sf
Mixed-Use Space Leased
Retail, F&B, entertainment & fitness across the DMV
Where We Are Now

The next chapter.

Steve Gaudio — Founder Steve Gaudio — Founder

District Equities is no longer taking general brokerage assignments. The firm now operates as the real estate engine behind Molly's Dog Care's national franchise expansion — applying the same discipline that shaped DC's retail landscape to a new challenge: building a national network of premium dog care locations, one market at a time.

The work is the same. Find the right space. In the right corridor. For the right brand. At the right moment. It just happens to involve a lot of very happy dogs.

Molly's Dog Care National franchise expansion → Steve Gaudio Personal site & current ventures → Puppy Playground Dog play equipment, B2B →
🐾
Molly's Dog Care
National franchise expansion underway. District Equities handles real estate strategy and site selection — the same rigor, applied to a new mission.
Visit Molly's Dog Care