In June 2020, the City of Takoma Park closed one lane of Laurel Avenue so the shops and restaurants could serve people outdoors during the pandemic. Six years later, that lane is where many Old Town customers sit. Takoma Beverage Co. has about 40 seats inside and more than 50 on the street. So when Washington Gas needed to dig up the Streetery side of the block this fall, the City didn't take the seating away. It moved the seating across the street and closed the whole road to cars.
That decision explains what the block looks like now and through the end of the year.
What's happening on Laurel Avenue, and when
The City of Takoma Park's October 9 alert lays out the timeline. The gas main sits under the side of Laurel Avenue the Streetery uses. To reach it, the City and Washington Gas are running the project in stages:
- October 19: Laurel Avenue closed to traffic in both directions, and crews began moving the Streetery pavilions and furniture to the other side of the street.
- By November 2: the move is expected to be finished.
- November 2: Washington Gas is expected to start the gas main work itself.
- Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: working hours for the whole project.
- End of December 2026: projected finish. After that, the pavilions go back to their permanent spots and the traffic side of the street reopens.
The City says Washington Gas will put up barricades and other protections so people can still walk safely to the businesses and the Post Office on the block. The street stays closed to cars until the project is done.
By the time this post goes up on Thursday, October 29, the seating move should be close to its November 2 finish. The gas work is set to start the same day, Monday, November 2. For questions about the project, the City lists Public Works Director Daryl Braithwaite at 301-891-7615.
A pandemic lane that never went back
The first closure was meant as short-term help. A 2021 Takoma Park City Council agenda says the City authorized closing the northbound lane for outdoor seating, sales and pickup starting June 12, 2020, as a response to the pandemic's effect on small businesses. That approval was set to run out on September 30, 2021.
The same agenda proposed something more lasting: keep the lane closed and renew it automatically each year unless the City gave notice to end it. The agenda already called the Streetery a public gathering space with public seating and programmed uses. It also notes that the City worked with the Old Takoma Business Association on seating in the median and an artistic traffic barrier.
Today the business association describes that side of Laurel Avenue as permanently closed to traffic. Through its Laurel Avenue community event program, it handles event-related street closures and expects about 12 approved closures in 2026. The program is open to cultural, recreational, educational and community events, and the groups that apply produce their own events.
That history explains why moving the seating took planning. A temporary measure from 2020 now holds pavilions, a business's seating plan, and a calendar of community events.
What it means for the businesses on the block
Takoma Beverage Co. owner Chris Brown put numbers on it in a WUSA9 report filmed on a crowded evening under his pergola:
"The streetery is most of the seating. We have about 40 seats inside and over 50 seats outside."
WUSA9 reported that he schedules extra staff on each shift for the outdoor crowd. He estimated that taking down his pergola and putting it back up after construction could cost about $25,000. He also told the station that keeping the seating "would totally change our fall versus if we have to take it down and store it somewhere."
Other businesses rely on the same traffic. Elizabeth Brinkama, manager at Tabletop a few doors down, told WUSA9 the Streetery "draws so many people." The station also reported that some neighbors raised concerns about moving the seating to the opposite side of the street.
The plan the City announced on October 9 closes both lanes, moves the seating to the opposite side, and keeps people walking past the storefronts. The MoCo Show reported the same: pedestrian access stays protected, and the pavilions and furniture come back to their permanent location once construction ends.
Walking the block this fall
With no cars on the street, Laurel Avenue works like a pedestrian block for the next two months. Here's who's along it:
- Takoma Beverage Co., 6917 Laurel Ave. Coffee, beer, cocktails, wine and small plates, with online ordering on its website.
- Kin Da Thai Sushi, 6923 Laurel Ave. Thai food and a sushi bar, with hours and ordering on Kin Da's site.
- Tabletop, 6927 Laurel Ave. Home goods, jewelry, stationery and children's items. Tabletop's site posts current hours.
- Park Florist, 6921 Laurel Ave. Takes flower orders through its website.
- Laurel Leaf, 6919 Laurel Ave. Opened in March 2025 in the former Takoma Park Vision Center, selling vintage furnishings, used books and plants.
- Pizza Movers. The block's pizzeria, with online ordering on its website.
- The Post Office. The City named it specifically when it promised pedestrian access during the work.
Since construction runs only on weekdays from 8 to 5, evenings and weekends on the block should feel quieter than a weekday lunch hour. Check with any business directly before you head over, especially if you're planning a group visit and want to know about seating.
Sundays behind the shops
The Takoma Park Farmers Market runs Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. all year. It sets up in the parking lot behind the Laurel Avenue shops, and the entrance is next to Truist at 6931 Laurel Ave. The market lists free parking at the SDA Church lot.
Gas work happens Monday through Friday, so it doesn't overlap with market hours. The market hasn't posted anything about the closure, though, so check its site before you go if you usually drive up Laurel Avenue to get there.
If a weekday market fits your week better, the Crossroads Farmers Market runs Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., rain or shine, at Anne Street and University Boulevard East. Its 2026 season ends November 25, so four market days are left after this week: November 4, 11, 18 and 25.
Other places to gather while Laurel Avenue is under construction
This Saturday, October 31, the City's free Monster Bash runs from 1 to 4 p.m. It starts in the Takoma Park Middle School parking lot at 7611 Piney Branch Road, the address listed on the City's community events calendar, with a costume parade and contest, Trunk-or-Treat, entertainment and a band.
Over on Flower Avenue, Source of the Spring reported in mid-October that MilePost 7 Pub was hiring ahead of an opening "in the coming weeks" at 8000 Flower Avenue. According to Source of the Spring's earlier report, the pub plans Americana food, a daily $5 happy hour, weekend brunch, and an ice cream and candy shop. It is taking over the former Mansa Kunda space. Mansa Kunda closed there and plans to relocate to Takoma, D.C., with no reopening date announced. The same September report said chef Brad Feickert's Phia Restaurant, in the former La Mano Coffee Bar space, was taking longer than expected and was still under construction.
On Laurel Avenue, the City expects the pavilions back on their usual side and cars back on the street at the end of December 2026, when Washington Gas finishes the main replacement.
Katie and Piers have lived in Takoma Park for years and walk this block like everyone else. If the Laurel Avenue work has you wondering how construction near Old Town might affect timing for showings or a listing this winter, The Katie Bocock Team is happy to talk it through over coffee, on whichever side of the street the seating is that week. Contact us whenever it's useful.
