As if Borders wasn’t enough, discount clothier Filene’s Basement is going kaput, and will close its 21 stores nationwide—-leaving massive vacancies on Connecticut Avenue and 14th Street downtown as well as in Friendship Heights. It sounds like bad news, but that may also open up opportunities for big retailers that haven’t hit the District yet (Uniqlo has long been kicking the tires of various spaces, for example). In the Golden Triangle specifically, the Business Improvement District has been angling for higher-end retailers, and should be bringing on a staff person to recruit then this month. You might even call this one a natural evolution.