Alban Odoulamy has been selling puppets out of his shop in the Crystal City Underground for 28 years.
Opening as “La Marionette” in April 1996, that shop — now Puppet Heaven at 1750 Crystal Drive — has shifted locations over decades, but it’s always stayed in the subterranean mall. However, following last month’s announcement that all shops must vacate the shopping area, what Odoulamy says is the D.C. area’s only dedicated puppet store is one of many businesses in need of a new home.
“I’m still enjoying [working here], so it’s a hard time to close,” Odoulamy told ARLnow. “But we will see what happens. I’m working on it.”
These days, people wandering through Crystal City’s underground shopping center pass a growing number of shuttering storefronts. The puppet maker said he has until Oct. 31 to relocate, but businesses including The Perfect Pita and Atia Kabob Place are already in the process of removing signage and materials.
Before JBG Smith officially announced the mall’s closure, leases for longtime businesses including San Antonio Bar & Grill and Ship’s Hatch had already expired.
“Seems like everybody is leaving,” Ship’s Hatch owner Becky Shagdarsuren told ARLnow in February.
Still, Odoulamy said learning about the shopping center’s fate “was shocking for somewhere you’ve been for 28 years.”
Odoulamy opened his shop after emigrating from the West African country of Benin, where he had worked in production and set design for a television station. A puppeteer by trade, he was attracted to the Crystal City Underground partly because of its location.
He lived upstairs from the mall in the ’90s and still lives in the area.
“I did good for all those years here, partly because I did something unusual,” said Odoulamy.
His puppets take a wide range of forms, including animals, mermaids, superheroes, marionettes and characters like Mrs. Piggy, Elmo and Micky Mouse. He said many of his customers are parents shopping for their children.
The puppeteer plans to remain in business, but he’s still deciding on a location. He is considering going to another Arlington mall like Ballston Quarter or the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.
The exact fate of the Crystal City Underground itself is still unclear right now. JBG Smith said last month that it is working with tenants to relocate and continuing “to assess the long-term plan for the space.” The corridor will remain open even after all businesses have closed, which is expected to happen by the fall.
Wherever Odoulamy ends up, he said he will miss the underground mall’s unique location for his unique shop.
“My home is like my place here,” he said. “It’s shocking to have to leave and go somewhere else.”