Let’s close the week out on a Fun Fair note. On my way back from the DC courthouse this afternoon, I passed by what remains of the former store, alleged by neighbors to attract drugs and prostitution, known as Fun Fair Video-Movie. This most reviled neighborhood institution was protested by local residents back in September. Since then, the Coalition to Shut Down Fun Fair Video has vigorously pursued their goal of closing the place once and for all. (And provided a press release play-by-play of their bureaucratic journey.)

Just last week, Coalition president Cary Silverman sent me an e-mail about his latest efforts in the fight, writing “we had to file a letter in opposition to a requested delay in the effectiveness of its order yesterday with the BZA and are now in the process of gathering affidavits to file with the court.”

But, if I had to judge by the front entrance alone, I’d guess the Coalition’s pretty satisfied right now. On the door, there’s a paper stating “We are closed.” Friday business hours are 9 a.m. to 24 hours, according to a nearby sign. In addition, Fun Fair’s two overhead plastic signs with the business’s name both have gaping holes in them. Whether this was done by a triumphant local or an angry crackhead wondering where he was going to get his fix, I have no idea.

The brouhaha over Fun Fair Video continues. Last month, Mount Vernon Square residents staged a protest outside the porn shop complete with color-coordinated signs, cute photo-ops of local protesting children, and a crowd with a noticeable proportion of media people. But apparently that wasn’t enough to close the place, which is operating without the proper permit (and attracts a lot of crime, neighbors say).

Last Thursday, the publicity-happy Coalition to Shut Down Fun Fair Video issued yet another press release about its thus-far futile efforts. On October 1, the group announced that it was starting a countdown to the closing of Fun Fair, after the Board of Zoning Adjustment issued an order revoking the Certificate of Occupancy, which was supposed to be effective in 10 days, according to the press release. On Thursday, several locals marched down to the video store to check out if the order had been enforced. It hadn’t.

For a second there, it seemed like the group was losing steam. The canned publicity quotes sounded a bit sour, certainly less empowered: “We are optimistic” turned into “we hope.”

But yesterday, the coalition was back! Oh boy, was it back. Cary Silverman, the organization’s president, sent out an e-mail trumpeting a press release from the District of Columbia Attorney General’s Office.

“Fun Fair Video has been operating outside of the law for too long,” D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer states in the release. Her office has requested the D.C. Superior Court to order Fun Fair Video to immediately stop operating.

“The hearing on the request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) will be heard Wednesday October 17, 2007, at 10 a.m. in Judge in Chambers,” the press release states.

The drama is unrelenting.

The Warehouse considers itself a home for Washington’s artists. When Metro Cafe on 14th Street closed its doors in 2002, Warehouse created a space for live music. When Visions Cinema Bistro Lounge in Dupont Circle folded in 2004, the Warehouse opened a screening room. And just yesterday, when artist J.T. Kirkland thought he was going to have to cancel Supple, a show featuring 11 visual artists, due to conflicts with the owners of The Space at 903 N St. NW, the Warehouse offered him two galleries for his show. “This will be more than enough to hang Supple and I am excited about the opportunity,” Kirkland wrote in an e-mail release.

“A lot of it is being connected to the Washington art scene and finding out what the need is,” says co-owner Paul Ruppert. But like so many of the artists it has hosted over the years, the Warehouse itself might soon be hunting for a home.

In an e-mail distributed to “friends and supporters” yesterday, Ruppert and his mother Molly, who co-owns the 7th Street arts complex, wrote:

Bad news in the mail last month - Warehouse property taxes for next year are increasing over 500%.

Needless to say, this is a huge blow to our precarious business model.

What does this mean for the Warehouse? We’re not sure.
- We have begun the appeal process.
- We are committed to maintaining our current operations through the Fringe Festival in July.
- It is possible that we will be able to operate into the fall and beyond.
- We are considering a move of all or part of the Warehouse to another location.

According to Ruppert, the property tax hike has to with “a number of high-priced sales in the neighborhood,” which is wedged between Gallery Place and Shaw. He says “the taxes are just part of all the pressures we face.” For a while now, mother and son have been wondering whether the Mount Vernon Square location, nestled in the shadow of the “shiny” Convention Center, is the best place for the arts complex, which includes two black box theaters, a gallery devoted to presenting emerging artists, a music venue, a screening room, and a cafe. The neighborhood may not be “ideal for the edgy art we specialize in,” Ruppert says, adding that “all options are open.”

One option is to relocate the complex, Ruppert says, either as a whole or in pieces, and rent out the space on 7th Street. For example, it might make more sense for the Warehouse’s music venue to move to 14th or U streets, which already host a vibrant live music scene, he says. Or they might leave the area altogether. “The sale of the building is a real possibility,” Ruppert says.

But leaving the stretch of 7th Street would be a significant shift for the family, who has owned the property since the 1880s. Ruppert Hardware operated there until 1987, Ruppert says, when Metro construction and competition diminished foot traffic in the area and slashed profits. In 1992, the mother-son duo opened Rupperts Restaurant. In 1994, they started hosting art shows. Plays premiered in a small black box theater 11 years ago, and the cafe opened four years ago. And yet, despite all the artsy activity, or perhaps because of it, Ruppert says, the Warehouse loses money every year. For that reason, he says, the tax increase isn’t “a sudden blow. It’s been this gradual challenge since we started the Warehouse,” adding that the taxes might just be a “tipping point to move on to whatever is next.”