Marcus Goodwin left a career in real estate to open a coffee shop. On Monday, Aug. 17, he'll find out if the bet pays off.
Proper Café begins its soft opening that morning at 1545 New Jersey Ave. NW, on the corner of New Jersey Avenue and Q Street in Truxton Circle. The café will serve from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Wednesday, Sept. 2, then shift to regular hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Thursday, Sept. 3, according to PoPville.
Goodwin, a D.C. native who holds a master's degree from Harvard's Graduate School of Design and active real estate licenses in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, called the venture the biggest leap of faith he's ever taken in a July 22 social media post announcing the café.
"I've invested every ounce of belief (and capital) I have into a vision for what DC needs," Goodwin wrote.
The inspiration, Goodwin wrote in the same post, traces to his childhood. His parents ran a restaurant in the District, and the experience taught him that a neighborhood gathering spot can turn strangers into friends. Proper Café bills itself around three pillars: coffee, cuisine and community.
History of the space
The corner at 1545 New Jersey Ave. NW has churned through operators in recent years. The Great American Bistro opened there after the Board of Zoning Adjustment granted a use variance in November 2017 to allow a full-service restaurant in the RF-1 residential zone. That concept gave way to Oasis Coffee DC around August 2024, operating under the same liquor license. By January 2026, Oasis was reported as "temporarily closed" with a note that it was taking "a moment to refresh." The space appears to have sat vacant since.
Goodwin brings a different profile than a typical restaurateur. Beyond his real estate work, he ran for the D.C. Council at-large seat in 2020 as an independent, according to The Washington Post, and has served on civic boards including the Afterschool Alliance and HEROES Inc., a nonprofit supporting families of fallen law enforcement officers.
What's still unknown
No menu or pricing has been published. It's also unclear whether Goodwin has applied for a new alcoholic beverage license or plans to operate as a coffee-and-food-only establishment; the existing ABCA license at the address is held by the prior operator.
Proper Café's full schedule begins Sept. 3. The soft opening runs seven days a week starting Monday at 8 a.m.
