WASHINGTON, DC-The Custom Shop reopens its doors at its Connecticut Avenue location. Ohio entrepreneur Michael Smith is on a mission to restore the custom-made clothing company to its former glory following its March bankruptcy.

ARLINGTON, VA-Pentagon Row--with its 300,000 sf of retail and residential space--officially opens with a dedication ceremony and all-out neighborhood celebration. Three of the four buildings of this $100-million project are up and operational, and the fourth structure is to be completed in the spring.

WASHINGTON, DC-Real Estate Firms and REITs prove to be head-and-shoulders above the rest as a NAREIT study reports third quarter increases in funds for the groups. The numbers exclude lodging firms, which are suffering the heaviest hits among the real estate companies from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

WASHINGTON, DC-Amstar closes the Doubletree Park Terrace Hotel for its $12 renovation project after obtaining a $23 million loan from The Bank of Nova Scotia. The remaining $11 million will cover a portion of the company's original investment in the property.

WASHINGTON, DC-Real Estate Firms and REITs prove to be head-and-shoulders above the rest as a NAREIT study reports third quarter increases in funds for the groups. The numbers exclude lodging firms, which are suffering the heaviest hits among the real estate companies from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

ANNAPOLIS, MD-Construction starts for the assisted living sector hit the lowest point since the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries (NIC) first began tracking the activity in 1999. The second quarter numbers are the most current figures culled.

NEWINGTON, VA-Strayer Education Inc. plans to expand its presence with the opening of new campuses in North Carolina and other unspecified states. The educational company currently operates 17 Strayer University campuses throughout the Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland regions.

WASHINGTON, DC-Robert J. Reid, executive director of the National Housing Conference, will retire from the organization at the end of next year. NHC official and current executive director of the US Millennial Housing Commission Conrad E. Egan will succeed him.