We have new list of open houses to browse this weekend, whether you’re looking to rent of buy.
Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place this weekend:
4714 20th Street N., North Arlington — The Clark*
2 BR, 2 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: Fully renovated, move-in-ready, adorable brick cape cod in North Arlington! Listed: $925,000 Open: Saturday, 12-2 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (Theo Daubresse – KW United – Kingstowne)
4620 26th Street N.
7 BR, 6 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: Two car garage, 11 foot ceilings, wine storage Listed: $3,299,900 Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Shahab Nasrin – TTR Sotheby’s International Realty)
4515 Wilson Boulevard
3 BR, 4 BA townhome Noteworthy: All brick, rear entry 2 car garage, balcony Listed: $1,295,000 Open: Sunday, 12-2 p.m. (Francesca Keith – Avery-Hess Realtors)
3131 9th Road N. #11
2 BR, 2 BA condo Noteworthy: Private patio, full laundry room, covered parking space Listed: $869,900 Open: Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Conor Sullivan – KW Metro Center)
3830 9th Street N. PH 3E
2 BR, 3 BA condo Noteworthy: Renovated penthouse, corner unit, gas fireplace Listed: $771,000 Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Lynn Kern – TTR Sotheby’s International Realty)
Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that highlights Arlington-based startups, founders, and local tech news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1515 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn.
Arlington-based CyberVista announced it is providing free cybersecurity training through a new partnership with a D.C. area nonprofit.
The cybersecurity workforce development company located in Rosslyn (1300 17th Street N.) is making available two courses to participants in Black Girls Hack. The Alexandria-based nonprofit provides training and resources to encourage Black girls and women to be engaged in STEM fields, with a focus on cybersecurity and executive suites.
“There is a critical shortage of black women in the cybersecurity industry. BlackGirlsHack’s mission is to bridge this gap by creating a source of shared knowledge and resources that can enable black girls and women to break the barriers,” said BlackGirlsHack Founder and Executive Director Tennisha Martin in a written statement.
For CyberVista, the partnership complements its work to support STEM education.
“Our partnership with Black Girls Hack goes hand-in-hand with CyberVista’s goal to close the skills gap in cybersecurity by measuring and upskilling underrepresented groups of talent,” CyberVista CEO Simone Petrella said. “We support organizations that invest in their communities by elevating STEM education that will enable a better and more diverse cybersecurity workforce.”
Its two courses — Cybersecurity Matters and Security Essentials for IT — are aimed at supplementing the training that BGH provides to current members.
Cybersecurity Matters, which is designed for a non-technical audience, provides foundational knowledge of common cyber attacks and defensive techniques. The company says the course “helps learners understand the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of cybersecurity, and their role in keeping the organization secure.”
Security Essentials for IT, designed for information technology professionals, addresses cybersecurity threats related to protecting business data and maintaining business systems.
“We are excited to partner with CyberVista, an organization recognized for making inroads to eliminate the skills gap,” Martin said. “The resources they are providing our members will help us open the doors for more black female professionals in cybersecurity for today and tomorrow.”
CyberVista, founded in 2016, is the sister company of the 85-year-old tutoring and training platform Kaplan. It recently merged with Maryland-based CyberWire, an audio-based cyber media company to form N2K Networks, or “news to knowledge” network, the Washington Business Journal reports.
The new cyber media and education brand has raised a $5.4 million round of funding.
The company that owns Kaplan and CyberVista, Graham Holdings, previously owned the Washington Post.
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Doran Shemin, Esq., and Laura Lorenzo, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
The pointy-headed boss is just grateful that he can grow a beard.
There’s plenty of immigration news this week, and plenty of business to do, but the point of Thanksgiving is to stop, just for a moment, to take stock and appreciate the blessings we all have.
“To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible.” These were the words of President Lincoln at an extraordinarily difficult Thanksgiving. In our own small way, we want to try not to forget.
We are particularly grateful, this year, for the skills and industry of Mr. Gabino Marquez Cabrera, who helped us to build out our office space. Mr. Marquez Cabrera did his work on time, on budget, and with a level of craftsmanship that even the pointy-headed boss can appreciate. We hear that some people have been having trouble finding contractors. Mr. Marquez Cabrera is the solution to that problem, and can be reached at (571) 575-3528 or [email protected].
This door wasn’t here before Mr. Marquez Cabrera installed it perfectly.
We are also very grateful for the work of Jack Lenehan, who developed and maintained our new website. Jack is a fancy front-end dev, and (I believe) is well, well beyond making websites for college buddies, so this isn’t a business plug for him. We’re just grateful he was able to help us out. If you’re a fancy Silicon Valley person not named Sam Bankman-Fried, check out Jack’s work here.
Jack Lenehan knows what’s up.
Finally, the pointy-headed boss wants to express his thanks to Doran Shemin and Laura Lorenzo, the other lawyers at our happy little operation. Doran and Laura put in long hours to help hundreds of families every year. I’m grateful, on their behalf, for them.
Yes, we’ve used this picture before. So sue me.
Don’t ask any questions about immigration this week. We’re busy eating leftover turkey sandwiches, and you should be, too. We’ll be back in a fortnight for more honest coverage of immigration law in our area.
Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that highlights Arlington-based startups, founders, and local tech news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1515 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn.
New federal security requirements continue to boost a local Arlington-based IT company.
C3 Integrated Solutions announced last week it is merging with Massachusetts-based Steel Root to provide defense contractors, including its 70 clients headquartered in Arlington, an “end-to-end solution” for reaching and maintaining compliance with new standards from the Department of Defense.
In a statement, C3 complimented Steel Root, saying the compliance product it launched in 2021 “frankly, fills key gaps in our offering,” which includes IT services such as software, email and cybersecurity.
For its part, C3 says it will “bring a breadth of experience and close relationship with Microsoft that will only accelerate their already impressive growth.”
The new company will continue operating under C3’s name and its headquarters will be in Arlington, C3 Marketing Director Karen M. Vasquez tells ARLnow. As a result of the merger, the new C3 will keep its current staffing levels of about 60 people and plot an expansion.
“Both teams feel very strongly about the white glove, boutique service we’re able to apply to clients,” she said. “In order for us to maintain that approach, we need to bring in more people.”
It will also get a new CEO, Marc Pantoni.
“He’s done this before,” C3 cofounder Bill Wootton, who will now be the Chief Revenue Officer, said in a video discussing the merger. “He knows how to build to the scale I think we’re going to need as we try to meet this market demand.”
This is the latest sign of growth for C3, which this year placed No. 25 in the Washington Business Journal’s recent ranking of the region’s fastest-growing companies and on the Inc. 5000 list, ranks 1,544th in the U.S, 63rd in Virginia and 88th among IT Management companies.
Both C3, founded in 2008, and Steel Root, founded in 2016, attribute their individual growth to the new regulations, announced in late 2020. Among other things, they require companies to have access entirely U.S.-based help desks and introduces auditors to ensure compliance, where before companies could self-report this.
“This merger opportunity was really a situation where one plus one equals three,” co-founder Ryan Heidorn, who will be the new Chief Technology Officer, said in the video.
Funding from the merger, provided by private equity company M/C Partners, will cover the cost of the merger as well as new hiring. That could go toward standing up a U.S.-based call center, Vasquez said.
Regarding staffing, which won’t change in the short term, Wootton said in the same video that the company’s leaders did not want to “mess with” the company’s culture.
“Your employees, your team, are your most important people,” he said. “If you take care of them, they’ll take care of your customers.”
The companies declined to disclose the finances of the merger to the Washington Business Journal, which first reported the news.
The executive team of C3 and Steel Root (courtesy of C3)
Hello Arlington and happy Friday! It looks to be a cold weekend ahead so be sure to bundle up.
According to Homesnap, there are currently 548 homes for sale. Those homes for sale include, 35 townhomes, 185 detached homes and 328 condos.
Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place this weekend:
1020 N. Highland Street Unit 510*
2 BR, 2 BA condo Noteworthy: A premier 2 BR/2 BA condominium complex located in downtown Clarendon Listed: $629,000 Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Cristina Sison – Sison Homes & Associates of Compass)
1300 Army Navy Drive #104
1 BR, 1 BA condo Noteworthy: Freshly painted, balcony, assigned covered parking space Listed: $344,000 Open: Friday, 4-6 p.m. (April Hessenius Myers – RLAH Properties)
Here are some other options to consider if you’re in the market to rent or buy:
5741 4th Street N., Bon Air*
5 BR, 5 BA (+1 half) single-family detached Noteworthy: 4-Level Single-Family Home in North Arlington with Private Rooftop Deck! Listed: $1,699,000 (Michelle Lynch – Classic Cottages Realty, LLC)
For Rent: 1300 S.Arlington Ridge Road Unit #202, Crystal City*
2 BR, 1 BA condo Noteworthy: Utilities included, 2 free parking, <1mile from The Pentagon City Mall and Metro Rent: $2,200/mo (Helen Bekele)
905 Patrick Henry Drive
5 BR, 4 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: Renovated, hardwood floors, finished basement Listed: $1,167,000 (Stacy Futterer – Samson Properties)
6332 22nd Street N.
4 BR, 3 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: All brick, fenced backyard, walk-up attic Listed: $938,000 (Bo Bloomer – Century 21 Redwood Realty)
For Rent: 35 N. Trenton Street
4 BR, 3.5 BA townhome Noteworthy: Available fully furnished, four levels, rooftop terrace Listed: $5,500/mo (David Moya – KW Metro Center)
For Rent: 1021 Arlington Boulevard #427
1 BR, 1 BA condo Noteworthy: Junior 1 bedroom, furnished and updated, hardwood floors Listed: $1,595/mo (Divya Reddy – Golston Real Estate, Inc)
Want your listing to appear here or as the Listing of the Day? You can now submit sponsored listings.
Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that highlights Arlington-based startups, founders, and local tech news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1515 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn.
A local health foods truck opened a brick-and-mortar location this year with help from a small business resource offered by Arlington County.
Health Pub, which offers organic, vegan açai bowls and smoothies, was launched as a food truck in April 2022 by Jan Moyo and Kewan Masoud.
They applied for and were accepted into ReLaunch, a small business grant program managed by Arlington Economic Development that helps entrepreneurs with financial and strategic planning, record keeping, improving branding and increasing their digital presence.
Through the program, the founders got connected with mentor companies and received a new website and consulting services for free. Eligible companies must be located in Arlington, have an up to date Arlington business license and operate in the county within the last month, according to AED’s website. They must also have fewer than 50 employees.
“With BizLaunch, we were looking to get assistance on things we couldn’t do ourselves. Things like setting up your website can set your marketing back and BizLaunch helps with that,” Moyo tells ARLnow. “We always want to utilize all the resources the county offers and BizLaunch was a blessing in that regard.”
Since then, Health Pub has added its first physical location in the food court at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (1100 S. Hayes Street), and has gone from two to seven employees. Moyo says Arlingtonians love Health Pub’s açai bowls, smoothies and juices.
“In Arlington — being a healthy county — people have really embraced our product and our brand,” Moyo said. “Even our popularity in terms of the calls we get for events, the lines we have whenever we are at an event, has just been amazing and mind-blowing.”
HealthPub’s brick-and-mortar location in Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (via HealthPub/Facebook)
Over the next five years, Health Pub says it plans to open more storefronts and food trucks throughout the D.C. area, and is considering franchising the brand nationally.
Initially, the plan was to franchise just food trucks, but Moyo said he and his business partner found the trucks needed support from brick-and-mortar locations, such as during the winter months, when the food truck does not operate.
“For us to properly franchise, we’re working on our model store and model truck,” Moyo said. “Once we draw the proper plans, that’s when we’ll offer the brand as a franchise to other people.”
While Health Pub is not the only local purveyor of açai bowls, smoothies and juices, Moyo says the food truck distinguishes Health Pub from competitors like South Block.
“We’re are going to be around you in some way,” he said. “We are always a popular option because we’re the healthiest food truck in the DMV area. Any event we go to, we always get long lines and we always are booked throughout the week.”
Once spring arrives next year, folks will be able to find the food truck every Sunday at the Columbia Pike farmers market, every Wednesday at the Rosslyn farmers market, and other locations in Arlington and D.C.
The line to order from local food truck Health Pub when it stopped at the Catholic University of America in D.C. in October (via Health Pub/Facebook)
Currently, there are 548 homes for sale. Of those homes for sale, 328 are condos, 185 are detached homes and 35 are townhomes according to Homesnap. In the last 4 weeks there have been 164 new listings and 197 sales.
Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place this weekend:
3206 N. Kensington Street
7 BR, 7.5 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: 10,000 sq. ft. lot, ventless gas fireplace, two car garage Listed: $2,599,000 Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Tom Francis – Keller Williams Realty)
2607 S. June Street
6 BR, 4 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: Fireplace, attic, private backyard Listed: $1,369,900 Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Tonya Finlay – KW Metro Center)
5920 35th Street N.
3 BR, 2 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: Finished basement, two gas fireplaces, updated bathrooms Listed: $1,100,000 Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Liz Kirby – Iron Valley Real Estate of Northern Virginia)
2614 John Marshall Drive
3 BR, 3 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: All brick, patio, wood burning fireplace Listed: $925,000 Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Sarah Rayl – Keller Williams Realty)
6258 15th Place N.
4 BR, 3.5 BA townhome Noteworthy: Hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace Listed: $825,000 Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Susan Mertz – Keller Williams Capital Properties)
Here are some other options to consider if you’re in the market to rent or buy:
1300 S. Arlington Ridge Road, Unit 202*
2 BR, 1 BA condo Noteworthy: All utilities included. 2 free parking spaces. 1 mile from Pentagon city mall and restaurants. Listed: $2,200/mo (Helen Bekele, 202-549-9404)
1411 Key Boulevard #308
1 BR, 1 BA condo Noteworthy: Bath with double vanities, quartz countertops, washer/dryer in unit Listed: $3,000/mo Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Patty Couto – Compass)
2502 D Arlington Boulevard
2 BR, 2.5 BA townhome Noteworthy: New hardwoods, wood burning fireplace, private patio Listed: $2,995/mo (Erin Jones – KW Metro Center)
1300 Army Navy Drive #104
1 BR, 1 BA condo Noteworthy: Balcony, updated kitchen, one assigned parking space Listed: $344,000 Open: Saturday, 2-4 p.m. (April Hessenius Myers – RLAH Properties)
Want your listing to appear here or as the Listing of the Day? You can now submit sponsored listings.
Liz Lord, founder of Cold Capital Fund, wearing a cold cap on her last day of chemotherapy in 2017 (photo courtesy of Liz Lord)
When Donaldson Run resident Liz Lord learned that she had breast cancer in late 2016 and needed to receive chemotherapy, she had lots to worry about.
One thing that might not be a matter of life and death, but is a common concern: her hair.
“At the time, because I had a seven and a nine-year-old, I was really concerned about how [losing my hair] would affect their state of minds, knowing that I was now seriously ill,” Lord told ARLnow.
She reached out to one of her son’s teachers, who had gone through a similar experience and had managed to retain a lot of their hair. That teacher told her about cold caps.
Cold caps are freezing-cold, helmet-like gel caps worn on the head. They narrow blood vessels in the scalp, which helps reduce the amount of chemotherapy medicine that can reach the hair follicles.
While it’s proven to work and is FDA-approved, there are logistical challenges associated with the treatment. This includes needing help to put it on the patient’s head and the relatively high cost. If worn for every round of chemo, prices can soar to thousands of dollars.
While Lord was able to afford the treatment and her husband (communications professional and ARLnow cartoonist Mike Mount) was able to assist, not everyone has those privileges. Plus, cold caps are often not covered by health insurance.
That’s why, in 2018, Lord help start Cold Capital Fund, a local non-profit that helps patients secure and afford cold caps.
Losing one’s hair from chemo can be a traumatic experience, not just physically but mentally as well.
“The primary driver for most patients… is privacy, normalcy, and dignity,” said Lord.”There’s some research… that when you look like yourself and feel like yourself, you have better outcomes relative to treatment.”
The way Cold Capital Fund works is that patients apply for either $500 or $1,000 of assistance. Lord encourages everyone in need to apply. Cancer and treatments are very expensive, she said, plus adding in a number of ancillary costs can make patients think they can’t afford cold cap treatment.
While $500 or $1,000 doesn’t always cover the entire cost of the treatment, it can put a significant dent in it. Plus, Cold Capital Fund has a relationship with two cold cap manufacturers and notifies the companies when a patient is approved for assistance. In turn, the companies apply a 25% discount.
When all is said and done, many patients end up getting about half of their cold cap treatments paid for.
Over the last four years, Cold Capital Fund has provided approximately $105,000 of financial assistance to about 125 patients across the region. Mostly, they are breast cancer patients like Lord was.
Recently, the organization has seen a marked rise in applications.
Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that highlights Arlington-based startups, founders, and local tech news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1515 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn.
Arlington County held its first-ever awards ceremony last week to honor fast-growing startups headquartered in the county.
The ceremony recognized companies that have experienced substantial growth in revenue, employment and venture capital — “REV Awards” for short.
“The REV Awards were created to celebrate the innovation and perseverance in Arlington’s business community,” said Michael Stiefvater, the Acting Director of Arlington Economic Development Business Investment Group, in a statement.
Companies were categorized based on their revenue, staff size and fundraising rounds completed to ensure fair matches.
“The eight winning companies exemplify these traits as leaders in their respective industries and we are proud that they call Arlington home,” Stiefvater said.
Awards are handed out at Arlington County’s inaugural REV Awards (courtesy photo)
The winning companies, most of which ARLnow have previously featured, include a number of companies that orbit the Department of Defense and national politics, providing everything from cybersecurity to data analysis to consulting work.
But there are some newer companies that break that mold, founded after the defense department closed dozens of government offices after the 2005 Base Realignment and Closing Act.
Ballston-based consulting firm Franklin IQ (901 N. Glebe Road)– a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business founded by a former Marine — mostly works with defense industry and federal healthcare clients. During the pandemic, it leaned into its veteran roots and helped about 600 veteran health clinics move their in-person visits online, and provided expertise to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs on PTSD treatment, sexual assault response and prevention and suicide prevention.
For the third consecutive year, Clarendon-based IT company C3 Integrated Solutions (3033 Wilson Blvd) landed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies, ranking 1,544th in the U.S, 63rd in Virginia and 88th among IT Management companies. It reports a 414% growth over three years, during which time it pivoted temporarily to helping defense contractors comply with new government-issued cybersecurity regulations.
Ballston-based, veteran-owned data intelligence company Black Cape (4075 Wilson Blvd) landed a spot this spring on a five-year, $241.6 million contract to improve how the Department of Defense uses its vast data resources for missions. The company emerged from “stealth mode” in 2019 and, based on its revenue growth since then, is the sixth fastest-growing company in the D.C. area, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Ballston-based, minority-owned PGLS (1010 N. Glebe Road) provides multilingual translation, interpretation and language training solutions in over 200 languages and dialects. Nine years after its founding in 2013, the company ranked No. 461 on the Inc. 5000 list, as well as No. 40 in the business products and services industry and No. 14 in Virginia.
Shift5 in Rosslyn (1100 Wilson Blvd) has rapidlyamassed $70 million in funding over the last 12 months to hire staff, expand its headquarters and develop its products. The company appointed its first Chief Financial Officer, Robert Sison, in October, and in June, it was recognized for its high sales rate and commitment to the public sector. The company has been sounding the alarm on rising cybersecurity threats to the nation’s planes and trains.
It’s the first weekend of November and we have a new round of open houses to visit, whether you’re looking to buy or rent. According to Homesnap, there are currently 548 homes for sale. Of those homes for sale, 35 are townhomes, 185 are detached homes and 328 are condos.
Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place this weekend:
1413 N Lancaster Street, Westover*
6 BR, 5.5 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: New Construction Amelia Model with attached 2 car garage and deck Listed: $2,249,000 Open: Sunday, 12-2 p.m. (Michelle Lynch — Classic Cottages Realty, LLC)
2641 N. Beechwood Place
5 BR, 5.5 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: Solar panels, double wall ovens, wrap-around deck Listed: $1,750,000 Open: Sunday, 12-2 p.m. (Sue Rasoul – Real Broker, LLC)
1567 21st Court N.
3 BR, 2.5 (+1 half) townhome Noteworthy: All brick, new refrigerator, rear garden Listed: $1,300,000 Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Camille Gemayel – Coldwell Banker Realty)
1101 S. Arlington Ridge Road #402
3 BR, 3.5 BA condo Noteworthy: Corner unit, 2 parking spaces, wrap-around balcony Listed: $998,000 Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Bradley Boland – Keller Williams Realty Dulles)
4423 7th Street N.
3 BR, 2.5 BA townhome Noteworthy: Three levels, wood burning fireplace, fenced patio Listed: $899,000 Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Brian Klotz – TTR Sotheby’s International Realty)
“Sunshine and Moonlight” in Ashton Heights (photo courtesy of Jim Roberts)
“Sunshine and Moonlight” in Ashton Heights (photo courtesy of Jim Roberts)
Andrew Mallon working on “Sunshine and Moonlight” in Ashton Heights (photo courtesy of Jim Roberts)
Arlington’s own chainsaw art competitor has completed his latest carving.
Local chainsaw artist Andrew Mallon recently unveiled his newest work of art on the front lawn of a home in the Ashton Heights neighborhood.
The work, near the intersection of Pershing Drive and N. Monroe Street, is entitled “Sunshine and Moonlight — The Oak at Pershing and Monroe.” It depicts a rising sun and moon with an Art Deco motif.
“It came out to be sort of a stately, subdued representation,” Jim Roberts, who commissioned Mallon to do the piece for his home that he’s lived in for 44 years, told ARLnow. “It’s just a beautiful piece of artwork.”
Mallon can currently be seen on the Discovery reality TV competition show “A Cut Above,” going against some of the world’s best chainsaw artists. He has made it through the first five weeks and even won a wood bug carving event that aired earlier in October. The next episode airs on Sunday. The entire competition series is 12 weeks, so more than half of the episodes remain.
While Mallon is chainsawing wood every week for a national audience, this particular project was extra special for him. That’s because he grew up in the Ashton Heights neighborhood and has known the Roberts family for decades.
“We knew him when he was a seven or eight-year-old and on the [Fort Myer] swim team with our girls. At the time, he sorta viewed Andrew as family,” said Roberts. “This was our opportunity to give him a chance to show off his artwork.”
The idea came when Roberts and his wife, Marilyn, had a 12-foot oak tree in the front yard of their house that needed to be taken down due to safety reasons. While they regretted needing to take the tree down, they also saw it as an opportunity.
They contacted Mallon and collaborated with him to come up with the concept of “Sunshine and Moonlight.” For the artist, as well, this project held additional meaning.
“It’s always a pleasure doing for people I know. Any time, I get to be back in my hometown neighborhood, it’s just a blessing,” Mallon told ARLnow. “To be able to fill that neighborhood with my work where I grew up and used to run around and play, it really means a lot to me.”
“Sunshine and Moonlight” in Ashton Heights (photo courtesy of Jim Roberts)
It took him about five days of work to complete the carving and, for a lot of it, he had an audience. People came “dozens at a time,” said Roberts, to watch the artist work. Both Mallon and Roberts didn’t mind it, though. It gave the homeowner a chance to meet and catch up with neighbors, while Mallon says he’s used to it and “really enjoys” a crowd.
“It brought the neighborhood together,” said Roberts.
Roberts loved watching the artist work as well, particularly when he got into carving the sun’s and moon’s details. But he did worry about the noise and mess.
“It was extremely loud and I had to apologize to my neighbors,” he said. “But they understood and appreciated [the artwork].”
There was also a lot of sawdust and the couple had to hire a landscaper to remove “hundreds of pounds” of sawdust and wood.
But the final product came out great, according to everyone. Roberts calls the work a “masterpiece” and a “tribute to the neighborhood.” Mallon said he thought it turned out “spectacular.”
As for Mallon’s run on “A Cut Above,” he can’t share much due to the show still being in the middle of the competition series. He did say that one of the biggest challenges was quickly coming up with something unique and creative for each competition. When he’s working on an individual project, there’s often more time to work through a design and not the added pressure of needing to finish in a set period of time.
Also, being away from home was tough. He has young children and most of his work is in the region, so it’s rare he has to be away from home for long. Mallon does recommend to keep watching the show because it “has some twists to it.”
Roberts hopes that “Sunshine and Moonlight” become an Ashton Heights landmark and part of his legacy — as well as Mallon’s.
Said Roberts, “We wanted it to be something that he could be proud of and something that he would want all of his neighbors, former neighbors, and everybody to see.”
