Arts & Entertainment

‘Essentials’ for design

Long-time U Street shop owner offers eclectic furniture, accents

Published

13 years ago

April 19, 2012

Juliette Ebner

David Schaefer, gay owner of Urban Essentials on U Street NW. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

David Schaefer’s first foray into selling furniture came completely by accident while running a men’s clothing store in Rehoboth Beach.

To save money when moving storefronts, instead of buying the usual store fixtures that need to be attached to the wall, he’d use furniture as displays, hanging shirts in an armoire and laying pants on a dining table.

“People started coming and wanting to buy the armoires and dressers and tables … originally I thought we’d sell some of the furniture, but I didn’t think every week all the furniture would be gone and the clothing would be on the floor,” Schaefer says. “So, I had to learn the words special order.”

Schaefer, after working in Congress for 13 years, is now the sole owner Urban Essentials (1330 U St., N.W.), a furniture store with a bit of everything.

The store opened 12 years ago when it was the only shop of its kind on the street.

“When we came in … you could park anywhere on the whole block … it was like a ghost town,” Schaefer says. “It’s amazing, its wonderful, its a fantastic change … When we opened, people thought we were nuts.”

Now it’s surrounded by businesses, banks and apartment buildings.

The store itself is small but filled with items of all sizes. Items aren’t just put out for people to see like some of the bigger, box stores, but arranged into spaces that are fully designed.

The bedroom areas don’t just have a bed and dresser, but art work, lamps, rugs and other accessories, all for sale.

“We change out merchandise every week … we have a huge warehouse we pull from,” Schaefer says. “Changing it up in here … helps move things along.”

Sometimes items stay in the store for a while, but occasionally items will sell within a day or two.

Schaefer finds the products they sell by traveling to furniture and home shows, going as far as Montreal and San Francisco, looking for products that are different from what everyone else sells. He goes to about four a year.

“I’d like to go to Milan next year,” Schaefer says.

The store is not geared to just one style, selling a little bit of everything from candles and picture frames to beds and sofas. There’s no defined style in its showroom.

That variety makes it harder to detect seasonal trends though Schaefer sees more overall trends.

“People are moving to designs that reflect what they want in their lifestyle. They want softer. They want quieter. They want less outside influence,” he says. “They feel it’s their place away from all the reds and the oranges and the craziness out there.”

Schaefer has noticed a few newer, more specific trends in recent weeks.

“There’s a lot of people coming in ready for spring cleaning, ready to make a change,” Schaefer says. “I think the spring you hear that a lot more than any other time of the year.”

He’s also seen a lot of people come in to buy new mattresses, specifically Temper-Pedic mattresses.

Urban Essentials isn’t just about selling furniture. There are also two interior designers on staff who will help design an entire room, going to a client’s house and helping assess what can be done with the available space.

“It’s just as easy to walk someone around here as it is to walk around their apartment to tell them what they need a block away,” Schaefer says of the design aspect. “Why not go out there and help them? Make sure it’ll fit through the door.”

Nearby apartment buildings are actually what brought the store’s interior design aspect to a whole new level. The staff would go to the apartments and stage the model rooms prospective renters would look at.

“We wound up getting a lot of business from that,” Schaefer says. “It was like we got to have three or four show rooms at one time.”

He still has people asking and sometimes insisting to buy furniture that normally wouldn’t be for sale. Just now, it’s the furniture in his own home.

“I sold both of the sofas in my house, out of my house, because somebody had to have them, which is not the first time,” Schaefer says, chuckling.

For more information on the store and services they offer, visit urban-essentials.com.

Related Topics:David Schaefer Urban Essentials

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FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

Published

13 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer)

You’ve done your share of marching.

You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.

You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.

Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.

You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.

Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.

If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.

Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.

Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.

Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

The Indigo Girls are back in the area next week. (Photo courtesy of Vanguard Records)

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall.

The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts.

Calendar

Calendar: June 13-19

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, June 13

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. at Wundergarten. An update will be posted the night of the event on where to find WiTT’s table. There’ll be a Pride flag to help people find the group. For more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group.

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, June 14

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Month Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Rainbow History Project will host “Behind the Scenes With the Senior Curator of ‘Pickets, Protests and Parades’” at 7:30p.m. at Freedom Plaza. This behind-the-scenes experience offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind this groundbreaking showcase of DC’s LGBTQ+ history. Learn about the bold design decisions that shaped the Quote Wall and Hero Cubes and the powerful stories that almost made the cut. Tickets cost $82 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Monday, June 16

“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit their website at www.genderqueerdc.org or check us out on Facebook.

Tuesday, June 17

Bi+ Roundtable and Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Check out Facebook or Meetup for more information.

Wednesday, June 18

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

“Legends Live Loud: A Queer Karaoke Experience” will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a dynamic, Center-wide karaoke event celebrating the brilliance and cultural impact of some of our most colorful queer icons. The Center will honor legends through music, pop culture, dance, and inextinguishable liberation. For more details and to sign up, visit the DC Center’s website.

Thursday, June 19

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Book Club” at 7:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. This book club is co-hosted by EQUALITY NoVa and is another opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding activity. The group doesn’t discriminate when it comes to genres it reads – from classic literature to best selling novels to biographies to histories to gay fiction. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Cultivating Change Foundation will host “Cultivating Pride Happy Hour” at 5:30 p.m. at Dacha Beer Garden. This Pride month, the organization is inviting LGBTQ+ people and allies in food and agriculture to come together in communities nationwide. These informal gatherings are a chance to connect, celebrate, and build community, whether it’s over coffee, a cocktail, or a conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.