Early history Kramers, located at 1517
Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Circle neighborhood, opened in August 1976 by Bill Kramer, David Tenney, and Henry Posner. Two months later, the business partners opened Afterwords Cafe, with an entrance on 19th Street, in the same building. Constructed in 1920, the building was originally an automobile showroom. Later tenants included Hudson Air Conditioning Corporation and women's clothing stores Looby and
Peck & Peck. The bookstore was one of four in Washington, D.C., managed by Kramer, who had taken over the business from his parents, Sidney and Miriam Z. Kramer, librarians who opened their first store, Sidney Kramer Books, in 1946. Kramer wanted to open a business that provided customers a place to eat and read, what he described as "two of the three most enjoyable human activities." At the time of its opening, few places in the country provided such a service. The concept became popular, and other businesses, including the Harvard Book Store and
Square Books, followed Kramerbooks & Afterwords' lead and opened their own cafes. In its early history, Kramers was open 24 hours and soon became a popular destination for neighborhood residents, authors, and politicians. In 1993, the first of two branches opened in
Arlington, Virginia. The store was three times the size of the Connecticut Avenue location and also included a restaurant. Both of the Arlington branches were unsuccessful and soon closed. In an interview, Kramer defended his actions, citing the
First Amendment and said, "They are looking for us to hand over information about a specific customer's specific purchases, and that we will not do." After U.S. District Judge
Norma Holloway Johnson ordered Kramer's management to hand over the information to Starr, they declined and said they were ready to take the issue to the
U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. The store's six-figure legal bills were paid in part by the ABA. Kramers is often called a Washington, D.C. institution and has been described as "iconic" and a "staple of the District's cultural scene." Notable people that have visited Kramers include President
Barack Obama and his daughters who shopped at the store in 2011 on
Small Business Saturday.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and
John Slattery filmed a scene from the television series
Veep in Kramers. Other celebrities that have visited include Maya Angelou, Andy Warhol,
Toni Morrison, and
Margaret Cho. The shuttering of large chain bookstores, most notably the nearby
Books-A-Million, proved to benefit Kramers. However, the increased number of trendy restaurants in the city affected the cafe's business. The cafe and bookstore bring in around the same amount of revenue, whereas before the cafe brought in more money. In 2015, the combined sales for the restaurant and cafe were $10 million. That same year Kramer and Tenney began plans to sell the business. Tenney said, "I knew the business was viable, but I also knew the restaurant was beat up and tired. If we could find some way to resurrect and invigorate the restaurant, there would be a wonderful future ahead." They were introduced to
&pizza co-founder
Steve Salis and in 2016, it was announced Salis would purchase Kramer's with Tenney remaining as part-owner. Salis oversaw an expansion and renovation of the business that included purchasing the adjoining building previously occupied by Willie T’s Lobster Shack. With the additional of retail space, the bookstore and cafe measure . In April 2020, Salis set up a pop-up take out and delivery of his BBQ sandwich franchise, the Federalist Pig, in the Afterwords Cafe. Salis announced in May 2020 that he intended to relocate Kramers to an undisclosed location. The local community responded with regret and grief. Salis later clarified he would keep the bookstore at its original location for at least three more years. In August 2020, he changed the name of Afterwords Cafe to All Day by Kramers, with a menu designed by Chef Vincent Griffith. ==References==