SOST, which means “three” in Amharic, is the new three-story cultural hub serving food and music, in the heart of Little Ethiopia on 9th Street NW. First-time restaurateurs Siem, Izzy, and Mariam Abebe opened the doors of SOST at the end of last year with the vision of creating a bridge between African Americans and the African diaspora.
The siblings’ varied expertise—Siem headed a real estate development company, Izzy spent years working at their father’s glass store in Ethiopia, and Mariam previously worked as a financial analyst—along with their shared objective for the space to serve as a pillar for the community, drives the business forward. They describe SOST as three floors that feel separate yet cohesive.
For Mariam, who handles strategic partnerships, particularly with artists, DJs, and talent, SOST needed to pay tribute to Black jazz musicians, both in D.C. and beyond. “SOST represents the past, the present, and where Shaw is going,” Mariam says. “I started researching and then realized … Duke Ellington and several other notable Black jazz artists were born and raised in this neighborhood [we] wanted to honor [them] this with the space.”
Mariam continues, “I became aware of the culture of jazz kissas (meaning cafe) in Japan—they started in the ’50s, and Black American jazz artists inspired them.” These kissas, Mariam explains, play jazz records during the day, and transform into bars at night. “When I saw that, I thought, oh wow, that’s so cool.”
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