Atelier Verre
A design and build firm in Georgetown led by Jessica and Ezra Glass.
Earlier this week I had a chance to chat and enjoy a cup of coffee with Jessica Glass, at Grace Street Coffee Roasters. True to her company’s tagline, “Creatively modernizing the way people use spaces,” we meandered our way through the building up to the very chic offices of Atelier Verre.
After moving to Georgetown in 2013, Jessica and her husband Ezra started looking for ways to attend to the community through their combined experiences. The real estate was inflated at the time, and they turned their attention into acquiring underutilized spaces, bringing in new tenants and adding vitality to every corner.
Working with passionate operators who were up-and-coming and could picture their vision, was how Grace Street Collective was born. They transformed the 16,000 square feet space with a coffee shop and encouraged celebrated names like Johnny Spero (Reverie) and Amir Mostafavi (South Block) to come to Georgetown.
The building that houses Elli Benchimol’s Apéro and La Bohème was beautiful, but made it impossible for an operator to make profits without an outdoor patio or an upstairs space. Jessica and Ezra realized the need to give Elli the infrastructure and create a space to make the business work. While being submerged in that construction and working with talented trades people, the idea of starting their own construction company was born. They acquired their knack to find right skill set, bring people together and get things done from conception to fruition.
Jessica says, rightfully so, “The most attractive opportunity we can offer a restaurant, a bar or any business is pathway through the red tape and a platform to grow their concepts."
Atelier Verre was started to fill the need for construction projects in their owned properties, and with an army of skilled team members, they are expanding to offer their services to others - residential or commercial development projects in historic buildings.
After seeing Jessica’s and Ezra’s work, I wasn’t in the least surprised to hear that the company signed 25,000 square feet of combined leases in the last 12 months. Be on the lookout for an amazing collection of businesses launching in 2025!