Author: Jennifer Currier

Couture Fashion Show to Return to Crystal City Next Month

By Jennifer Currier

Crystal Couture 2013The annual Crystal Couture fashion show and sale is scheduled to return the first weekend of February for its eighth consecutive event.

This year’s show will be held from Feb. 4-6, taking place from 6-10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 2-10 p.m. on Saturday.

The “360 degree immersive shopping experience” will be held at the Crystal City shops at 1750 Crystal City Drive.

The event is a combined fashion show and fashion pop-up sale, bringing together upwards of 50 boutiques, designers and retailers from throughout the metro area. Shoppers will be able to purchase discounted merchandise from these vendors both off the rack and off the runway.

2012 Crystal Couture fashion showAttendees can also enjoy drinks from the bar, music, complimentary 5-minute makeovers — makeup and hair — and the opportunity to meet local fashion consultants.

While admission is free all three days of the show and sale, shoppers can upgrade to the “VIP Experience” for $20 per person. The experience will last from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6 and will include gift bags, access to three hours of VIP shopping, an open bar and $20 of “Couture Cash” to spend at any retailer.

Applications for interested retailers, models and beauty team members are now being accepted in preparation for the event.

File photo

Stricter Ft. Myer Access Policy Extends to Bowling Center

By Jennifer Currier
1/4

With the new year, some Arlington residents are finding Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall’s recently-updated access policy also extends to the base’s bowling center.

According to an ARLnow.com reader, civilians are no longer allowed to bowl on base, in leagues or otherwise, except in certain circumstance. He said he and his friends have been bowling on base for years without incident.

“I’m told the bowling leagues were decimated since many team members were civilians,” the tipster said.

Civilians who are not escorted by someone with a Department of Defense ID are not being allowed on base to bowl, unless they have a special access pass, Robert Joswiak from the JBMHH public affairs office confirmed.

Joswiak said the security policy has not changed since it was updated nearly a year ago. Last summer, the same policy caused a stir among local cyclists who could no longer ride through base without first applying for and receiving an Automated Installation Entry (AIE) pass.

“Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall takes every precaution to assure the safety and wellbeing of joint base residents, personnel and visitors,” Joswiak said. “Non-affiliated members of the public are being turned away — no matter their intent of entering the base, bowling center or otherwise — because they either do not have an DoD ID, or are not being escorted by someone with a DoD ID, or do not have an AIE.”

Civilians, cyclists and bowlers can apply for an AIE for base access. If they do so with the sponsorship of a family member or friend with a valid Department of Defense ID, the approved AIE could be valid for up to one year. A non-sponsored AIE pass is valid for 60 days with the option to reapply after that time is up.

Joswiak added all non-affiliated individuals — those without a DoD ID who are not being escorted by someone with a DoD ID — must have a valid reason to enter the base and are subject to vetting. It is likely members of the public will be turned away unless they are escorted or have an AIE.

Questions regarding this policy can be directed to 703-696-8968, Joswiak said.

Photos via JBMHH

Fast-Growing Business in Ballston Offers Salesforce-Based Tools for Associations

By Jennifer Currier

Startup Monday header

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

Fonteva Logo (via Fonteva.com)A software company based in Ballston is working to make its flagship association management application as efficient as possible via the cloud.

Fonteva, Inc. was founded in 2010. It focuses on “easy-to-use and innovative” software for associations, universities and governments to help streamline an organization’s management of members, alumni or resident services.

Its flagship customer relationship management (CRM) software is called MemberNation, a service for member-based organizations that create and manage subscriptions and services using online portals.

The application is completely built on the Salesforce platform. Using cloud technology, Salesforce serves as a host for other developers to solve management problems as they see fit, using and integrating the infrastructure into their own product.

MemberNation has been on the market for about three and a half years and targets both trade and professional associations. It can be credited with much of the company’s recent growth, making Forbes’ Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Last year, Fonteva was ranked No. 1527. The company made the top 500 in 2014, making the list — alongside a handful of other Arlington-based businesses — at No. 286.

Arlington proved to be an ideal location to encourage this growth. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. not only put Fonteva among a hub for the types of associations MemberNation primarily targets, but it also allowed them to recruit talent from the greater Metro area.

Most recently, one of Salesforce’s own joined the Fonteva team to help continue building and expanding MemberNation’s capabilities.

Chris Noone is now Fonteva’s Vice President of Business Development after being a Salesforce partner managing the company’s public sector.Fonteva Online Portal (via Fonteva.com)

“The Fonteva founders really saw an opportunity to build on the success of Salesforce and wanted to use it as a platform because of its ability to scale,” Noone said, describing the company’s beginnings. “They saw a niche space and an opportunity to go after this market. I saw what they were doing, I loved the idea, I saw the opportunity for growth, and I decided to jump on board.”

One of Noone’s first tasks is preparing to launch four new product lines based on MemberNation.

“We’re working on four different feature sets for our flagship product so that all the benefits of the cloud can come to realization,” he said.

One of the products, called Spark Framework, is Fonteva’s own platform for building new software and applications. The others are called Engage, Charge and Assemble Events and are applications that will provide additional accessibility, e-commerce, event planning and management services.

As Fonteva continues to expand and build on MemberNation’s capabilities, Noone said they’ve recently chosen to do so with product extensions available on the company’s own application marketplace to preserve the integrity of their original product.

“We want to initiate our own marketplace so if we want to keep innovating, we don’t have to make our base product slower or larger,” Noone said. “It’ll also allow us to provide our customers with options for the features they want.”

In his first week officially on the job, Noone shared his excitement for MemberNation’s success, but even more for pursuing new opportunities for Fonteva’s services.

“We’ve barely tapped the market, so we’ve got a long way to go to gain leadership in that space,” he said. “We’re constantly looking for new challenges, so it’s much more about messaging and focusing on a new customer base, but it’s not changing our delivery.”

“We don’t ever want to lose focus on what our true calling is,” he added.

Photos via Fonteva.com

Annual Martin Luther King Tribute Scheduled for This Sunday

By Jennifer Currier

MLK Tribute Event 2016 (via DPR)

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Event will return to Arlington this weekend in preparation for the federal holiday next Monday.

The 47th annual tribute is scheduled for this Sunday from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Wakefield High School Auditorium at 1325 S. Dinwiddie Street.

Hosted by the Department of Parks and Recreation, this year’s tribute is called Freedom: America’s Goal, Our Destiny. It will be a celebration with a variety of live music, spoken word and dance performances.

The performances were produced and directed by inspirational arts programmer Nolan Williams, Jr. The featured work will be performed by BET Sunday Best Allstars finalist Clifton Ross, the NEWorks Freedom Dancers and students from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Jacquie Gales Webb from WHUR Sunday Afternoon will emcee.

The tribute also includes a food drive for the Arlington Food Assistance Center. Guests who’d like to contribute can bring nonperishable food items to the event. Community groups can also register in advance to organize a collection of their own that will end on Sunday night. The group that collects the most donations will be recognized for their contribution during the performances.

The tribute is free, open to the public and does not require any registration in advance.

Photo via Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation

Crystal City Sports Pub to Host Unconventional Yoga Night

By Jennifer Currier

Crystal City Sports Pub (photo via Facebook)Avid sports fans probably think of their go-to watering hole as the last place they would go to practice yoga, but one Crystal City hangout is hosting an event that might change that.

Crystal City Sports Pub at 529 23rd Street S. is holding a yoga night followed by a round of drinks on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m.

The event — dubbed “Detox & Retox” — will give guests a chance to unwind during a fitness class before reverting back to what people normally go to bars for.

The class will be vinyasa for all levels. Vinyasa is a type of yoga that focuses on connecting movements and breathing as class members transition from one pose to the next. After the class is over, participants can sip on a draft pint or glass of house wine, their choice.

The event is B.Y.O.M. — bring your own mat.

Space for the class is limited, so interested participants can register online to reserve their spot. The cost of the class is $15 and will be accepted at the door, cash only. The fee includes class participation and one after-exercise drink.

Photo via Facebook

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By Jennifer Currier

Construction on Central Place tower in Rosslyn

Happy New Year, Arlington!

The first full week of 2016 proved to be a busy one, from robberies — of both banks and pizzas — to the story of a good Samaritan helping an Arlingtonian in need get home, and everything in between.

Looking back at the stories from this week, one common theme seemed to arise — change.

So far, this change has come to the county in a few different forms.

First, the County Board unanimously chose Libby Garvey as its new chair. There is the long-standing tradition that the Board member up for reelection serve as chair — and Garvey announced her reelection campaign yesterday — so the selection wasn’t much of a surprise. Still, she promised reform in areas including county government customer service and civic participation in government.

There’s also been quite a bit of action with Arlington businesses.

District Taco is now open in Rosslyn, Ballston is getting a Total Wine & More and New District Brewing Co. is opening near Shirlington this weekend. At the same time, long-time Arlington business CD Cellar is moving from Clarendon to Falls Church and the beloved Knightsbridge Trading Co. is also closing its doors in Clarendon.

With a new year often comes a new sense of opportunity, whether its for individuals, organizations, neighborhoods, businesses or families to inspire change, for better or for worse. While it’s obviously way too soon to tell what 2016 will bring for the county, one constant in Arlington is change.

What changes would you like to see in 2016? What opportunities do you hope to capitalize on this year, or hope local or state government will?

As always, feel free to discuss these or any other topic of local interest in the comments.

Park Lane Tavern to Open in Clarendon Next Month

By Jennifer Currier
1/5

After originally planning to open last summer, European-style bar and restaurant Park Lane Tavern is set to open in Clarendon early next month.

The tavern — located at 1200 N. Irving Street in the Beacon at Clarendon apartment building — will open at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, according to general manager Jim Simmons.

Simmons described the menu as “chef-driven comfort food,” or higher quality versions of the dishes people crave on a regular basis.

“We’re creating an elegant environment to complement the food, but not in a stuffy way,” he said. “We want people to come in casually for a welcoming, glorious atmosphere with comfortable furniture to socialize and enjoy themselves.”

The entrée menu features a variety of dishes, from shepherd’s pie to jägerschnitzel to pizza. The restaurant also has a “Beverage Bible,” which Simmons said includes high-end scotches, bourbons and imported draft beers.

Simmons said work on the space is almost complete as his team is making final adjustments to the dining room, which will feature décor imported from Europe. The establishment is also in the hiring process — as advertised on its Facebook page — with training scheduled to begin on Monday.

The Clarendon Park Lane Tavern is on the same block as Jimmy John’s and O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub. It’s also the restaurant’s third location — all three are in Virginia.

Park Lane Tavern will be initially open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. with slightly adjusted hours on the weekend, to be determined.

Arlington Drafthouse Starts 2016 with Big-Name Comedy Lineup

By Jennifer Currier

2014 Tom Arnold Headshot by Gremly MediaThe Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse is starting off 2016 with a series of big-name comics scheduled to perform there live.

From the new “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah to actor and writer Michael Ian Black — who both performed last year — well-known comedic talent is not new for the Drafthouse.

However, the lineup for early 2016 is looking similarly impressive.

It includes writer, producer and actor Tom Arnold, who’s scheduled to perform four shows during the second weekend of April. He’s most recently known for hosting CMT’s “My Big Redneck” show franchise. Arnold as also appeared alongside Robin Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dustin Hoffman in films including “Nine Months,” “True Lies” and “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”

Other notable comedians — all of whom have appeared on Comedy Central — coming to the Drafthouse over the news few months are:

  • Greg Fitzsimmons from “The Howard Stern Show” and “Louie” — Feb. 5-6
  • Sarah Tiana from “Reno 911!” — Feb. 19-20
  • Tone Bell from “Bad Judge” and “Whitney” — March 11-12
  • Carlos Mencia from “The Heartbreak Kid” and “Mind of Mencia” — March 31-April 2
  • Nick Di Paolo from “The Chris Rock Show” (writer) and “The Sopranos” — April 29-30

Tickets for all the comedy shows are now available online.

SNL cast member Pete Davidson is performing at the Drafthouse this weekend, but tickets are sold out.

Plans for Shirlington Crescent Revitalization Could Solidify in 2016

By Jennifer Currier

Shirlington Crescent- Four Mile Run Study area (Via Arlington County)

Arlington County has pledged to start an extensive community planning effort in 2016 for the area known as Shirlington Crescent, a process with the goal of bringing major economic, environmental and cultural changes to the area.

Plans for revitalizing and possibly redeveloping parts of Nauck and the Four Mile Run corridor began with a study conducted in 2014. This study outlined approximately 95 acres along Four Mile Run Drive and Shirlington Road for the community planning process to focus on.

The goal for this planning effort is to “develop a vision and area plan which could re-evaluate land use goals and objectives.” To do this, the County will consider various aspects of the existing Crescent and how to improve or change them, including:

  • economic development
  • environmental sustainability
  • relationships to neighboring areas
  • open space
  • transportation
  • affordable housing
  • connectivity
  • urban design
  • previous planning work
  • cultural resources
  • historic preservation

In a letter sent to ARLnow over the summer — which also appeared on InsideNoVa — Nauck resident Robin Stombler shared her thoughts on the need for change.

“A swath of South Four Mile Run and Shirlington Road has been neglected for too long,” she wrote. “Our Nauck neighborhood is often the location for industrial activities and unused vehicle storage. While much of the industry is welcomed, the Shirlington Crescent could be so much more.”

Stombler and her fellow Crescent residents will be a part of the planning process this year, starting with a gathering on the subject this weekend.

This neighborhood revitalization meeting starts this Sunday, Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. According to a public notice, members of the Arlington County Board will also be in attendance.

During the meeting, small groups will depart from the children’s playground at Jennie Dean Park at 3630 27th Street S. for a walking tour of the Crescent, lead by neighborhood guides.

Tours will end at the Arlington Food Assistance Center at 2708 S. Nelson Street around 1:45 p.m. Hot chocolate will be served as some residents and community members — and possibly County Board members, who will be attending the meeting — will give remarks about the neighborhood and their thoughts on which issues should be a priority.

Stombler is also responsible for organizing the walking meeting. In her letter, she expressed her neighborhood’s excitement and dedication to the start of the planning process.

“Shirlington Crescent is uniquely positioned to become an industry and arts cluster for Arlington,” she said. “[My neighbors and I] recognize that there is a long process of deliberation ahead, but we want to jumpstart the conversation. Input to our plan from the public is welcomed and encouraged.”

Total Wine Store Coming to Ballston

By Jennifer Currier
1/3

A Total Wine store is coming to Ballston.

The chain booze outlet, to be located at 800 N. Glebe Road near Mussel Bar, has applied for a Virginia ABC license to offer wine and beer for sale along with beer keg sales and delivery.

Though the Bethesda-based national retailer has locations in surrounding Alexandria, McLean, Fairfax and Springfield, this will be the first Total Wine location to open in Arlington.

A representative from the company — known as “America’s Wine Superstore” — confirmed the Glebe storefront is in the early stages of opening.

There appears to be no activity yet inside the space, and the representative could not provide an approximate date of when they hope to open the store.

Hat tip to ARLnow commenter Dean

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