Feature

Arts Focus: The Rosslyn Jazz Festival — A Duet Between Business & Government

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/4

This column is written and sponsored by Arlington Arts / Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

One of Arlington County’s signature events, the 29th annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival draws thousands to hear internationally-renowned musical artists.

The Artists on this year’s roster are all rooted in the unique synthesis of sounds from the Gulf Coast that evoke jazz, blues, soul, funk and Caribbean genres: the Houston-based band The Suffers, Grammy-nominated New Orleans brass band Cha Wa, singer/cellist Leyla McCalla (formerly of the Grammy award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops), and D.C.’s go-go/jazz ensemble JoGo Project.

Presented by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District (BID) and co-sponsored with Arlington’s Cultural Affairs Division/Arlington Arts, the partnership harnesses the respective strengths of the locally-focused non-profit and Arlington County Government to maximum effect.

“Creating a vibrant arts and cultural scene is a core part of our work to make Rosslyn a more attractive place for both businesses and residents,” said Mary-Claire Burick, president of the Rosslyn BID. “The Rosslyn Jazz Fest brings community together to enjoy music and culture in a way (and at a scale) that no other event in Arlington does; it has brought vitality and energy to Rosslyn for 29 years and we look forward to many more.”

Most of the on-the-ground logistics, such as permitting, promotion and vendor area coordination, are led by the BID. Using their formidable network of staff, volunteers and community connections, the BID transforms the three-acre Gateway Park and the surrounding thoroughfares into a safe, smooth-running festival-site, stocked with some of the area’s top food trucks with options to engage the entire family.

While the County had always provided production and marketing support, since 2001 the experienced programming team at Arlington Arts expanded their role to oversee all elements of the on-stage production and curating the musical line-up.

Re-envisioning the festival to highlight more national and international touring artists, attendance quickly rose from 1,200 to an average 7,000 annually.

“Like jazz itself the festival has evolved,” says Josh Stoltzfus, who programs the Festival, as Director of Cultural Development for Arlington Arts. “During the past several years, we’ve been incorporating a more diverse array of music to feature critically acclaimed global music, soul, funk and all manner of jazz-related expression.”

Now drawing upwards of 10,000 attendees when the weather cooperates, it’s not unusual to see audience members who travel from as far away as Philadelphia, Raleigh or Chicago for the event, all of which benefits Arlington’s restaurant and hotel industry as well.

Free and open to the public, this year’s Rosslyn Jazz Festival takes place on Saturday, September 7 from 1-7 p.m. at Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway (2 blocks from Rosslyn Metro, at the foot of Key Bridge).

For information, visit rosslynva.org/do/rosslyn-jazz-fest-2019 or arlingtonarts.org.

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Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by licensed broker Aaron Seekford of Arlington Realty, Inc. GET MORE out of your real estate investment with Aaron and his team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6116 today!

Please note: While Aaron Seekford provides this information for the community, he may not be the listing agent of these homes.

A happy Senior Citizen’s Day to my fellow Arlingtonians.

Okay, so a “senior citizen,” age-wise, is open to debate. But, in honor of today’s holiday, I wanted to share a pretty cool local perk for those 55-plus.

Arlington County’s Parks & Recreation department has a 55+ Pass and 55+ Gold Pass that provide access to local programs and facilities at heavily-discounted rates. With the pass, residents may enjoy swim lessons, nature and history programs and even the periodic group trip organized by the county. Within Arlington, there are also five dedicated senior citizens with activities galore

Sure, our friendly confines are a growing hotspot for young workers, but we’re also a stellar spot (with lots of options) for the older crowd, too.

When you’re ready to call Arlington home and embark on a real estate search of your own, our team is ready to GET MORE out of your transaction.

As of August 19, there are 139 detached homes, 14 townhouses and 85 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 17 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week:

Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Aaron Seekford.

Ask Eli: How to Know if a House Has “Good Bones”

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!

Question: We’re looking for a house that needs to be completely remodeled, but want to make sure it has good bones. Do you have any tips on things to look for?

Answer: When I’m looking for a house with “good bones” I’m looking for a structurally sound house that offers a good canvass for updating to today’s standards. I’m cheating a bit this week and using a recent article written by Stephanie Dickens of BOWA, a local design-build firm that specializes in luxury renovations from kitchens to whole-home remodels.

Below are some of the best tips from BOWA as well as some of my own:

Level Floors

A nice, level floor indicates good structural support. If you look up to where the ceiling and the wall meet, the corner crease should be fairly straight. If it looks wavy or dips down in the middle, the floor joists above are sagging and may need reinforcement.

You can also check for sagging or tilting by measuring the ceiling height at various points in the room. Some variation is normal, but it should not be off by more than 1″ at any point.

Jump Around! (Jump Up, Jump Up, And Get Down!)

Now that you have House of Pain stuck in your head… Stand on your tiptoes then drop down hard on your heels. Do this at various points in the house to test the deflection in different areas. All wood framed floors are going to have some deflection, but you don’t want it to feel like your jumping on a trampoline. Too much bounce is an indicator of insufficient structural support.

Know Your Cracks

Sometimes structural issues reveal themselves in unexpected ways. Something as small as a crack in the drywall could be sign of larger structural issues. Straight, hairline cracks above openings or at joints, like the one pictured below to the left, are nothing to be alarmed about.

If you see jagged, diagonal cracks that are wider than 1/8″, like the one below to the right, the house may have settlement issues or insufficient framing.

Water Management

Water is a home’s worst enemy and poor water management can lead to water pooling against a home and getting into the cracks of the foundation, which can lead to structural deterioration over time. A musty smelling basement is a sign of poor water management. Look at where gutters drain — I often find that they’re dropping water right next to the house instead of sending it away.

Look at the grading (slope of the yard) and if water is running towards the house, look for drainage systems. Sump pumps are nice, but they should be connected to a battery back-up in case power goes out.

Young At Heart

A house with newer core systems is not just a sign of good maintenance, but it’s a huge money-saver in renovations. Check on the age of the windows, roof, HVAC, water heater, plumbing, electrical and main sewer/water lines. Any of these systems that are in the first half of their expected useful lifespan add tremendous value.

If you’re looking for a home with good bones that offers an efficient remodeling opportunity, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] to schedule some time to speak with me. Once you’ve found that home, or if you’d like to make updates to your current home, reach out to BOWA’s Caroline Goree at [email protected] if you’re looking for high-end design and remodeling services.

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to set-up an in-person meeting to discuss local real estate, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at www.EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland with Real Living At Home, 2420 Wilson Blvd #101 Arlington, VA 22201, (202) 518-8781.

Arlington Startup for Girls Wins Big at New York City Business Challenge

By Airey

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.

Arlington based-startup Boolean Girl won a contest held in New York City last week judged by Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec.

The Small Biz Challenge, hosted by The UPS Store and Inc. Magazine, tests startup founders like Boolean’s Ingrid Sanden on how quickly they can respond to a range of business-related challenges. As the grand winner, Sanden took home $12,000 and will receive some additional publicity in Inc.

Sanden’s company sells classroom kits that help get girls interested in coding, and she says the prize money will help launch a new add-on kit to teach girls about how to program sensors — like motion sensors. So far, she said the company has received good feedback: “kids are pretending that they’re spies and building all kinds of spy-catchers with their sensor kit.”

Last week’s contest required Sanden to win a game of five questions which she says was “nerve-wracking” but credited her experience as a violinist to helping be comfortable under pressure.

One question that helped her win required her to respond to a good tweet and a bad Yelp review as a business owner in less than 30 seconds. The other was the final question, which required her to make up a pitch in real time about a company and a product she hadn’t seen before — all while following a PowerPoint pitch deck she also had not seen before.

Sanden was given the task of pitching a doughnut company pitching a gluten-free doughnut.

“Then a heart-healthy slide came up,” she laughed. “And I thought, ‘Oh no’.”

She says she was able to sell the gluten-free dessert as a healthy choice.

Boolean won first place after being selected from 1,700 applicants in June to become one of 10 semifinalists headed to the Big Apple.

Sanden said she’s long seen contests like it shared on social media, and thought this one could be a good fit for her.

“This one was really easy to enter and I did it and kind of forgot about it until I was contacted about being in the top 10,” she said. “I’m in a couple more contests like this right now waiting to hear if I’m going to advance.”

“People who see these opportunities, just enter it,” Sanden added. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Boolean Girl is split into two separate entities: the company selling classroom kits as well as a non-profit that’s running summer camps and after-school classes — including in Arlington. Since launching in 2014, Sanden says she and her two co-founders have sold the kits in 30 countries and across the country.

Image 1 courtesy of The UPS Store, image 2 courtesy of Ingrid Sanden

Neighborhood Spotlight: True Food Kitchen — Clean, Healthy Eating in Ballston Quarter

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This content was written and sponsored by The Keri Shull Team, Arlington’s top producing residential real estate team.

In this Neighborhood Spotlight, Libby Bish of The Keri Shull Team takes us to True Food in Ballston Quarter.

True Food Kitchen combines conscious nutrition with delicious dining.

As General Manager Quinn Edgar says, “Eat better, feel better and celebrate a passion for better living.”

All kinds of diets are accommodated here: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free — even keto and paleo. At other restaurants, conversations about your dietary restrictions with servers can be a prolonged hassle, but True Food Kitchen makes it easy.

True Food takes care to get sustainably farmed ingredients from reputable sources. Naturally, the menu rotates with the seasons to serve whatever is abundant and fresh at that time of year. True Food’s summer menu is currently in effect, including delicious craft cocktails full of fruit flavors and organic wines and spirits.

Some of Quinn’s favorite dishes include:

  • Charred Cauliflower with harissa tahini sauce. Served with dill, pistachio and mint.
  • The Poke bowl with wild-caught albacore tuna, avocado and cucumber. The poke bowl’s ponzu sauce has quinoa rice, cucumbers, pickled ginger, a lot of great summer flavors
  • Tomato and watermelon salad with heirloom tomatoes with DNA from before 1950. This one’s also got the same delicious ponzu sauce as the poke bowl above.
  • Ancient grains bowl: Quinoa, sweet potatoes, onions, avocado. This one’s perfect if you’re dairy free.

True Food Kitchen also has a bar and house cocktails. 

Quinn recommends some of True Food Kitchen’s refreshing non-alcoholic beverages, which receive all the care and thought that mixologists usually devote to inventing cocktails:

  • Medicine Man with green tea, pomegranate, black cherry and honey.
  • Pomegranate Chia Limeade, a healthy twist on a summer classic. 
  • Lavender iced tea, with pea flower and lemon. 
  • Hangover Prescription, with pineapple, orange, honey and coconut water. 

If you want a meal that makes you feel better- not worse — stop by True Food Kitchen in Ballston Quarter.

Want to live in Ballston or other incredible Arlington neighborhoods, surrounded by great spots like this? Contact The Keri Shull Team at 703-952-7653 or [email protected] and we’ll help you find your next new home!

Your Beermonger: Catching up with Mad Fox’s Bill Madden

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway). Sign up for Nick’s email newsletter and also receive exclusive discounts and offers.

Just before the closing of Falls Church’s Mad Fox brewpub last month, founder/brewer Bill Madden was kind enough to agree, after wrapping up the closing and taking some time to collect his thoughts, to answering some questions I’d sent him.

Early this week, Madden responded and we’ve had a back-and-forth covering a range of topics, focusing on the challenges facing not only brewpubs like Mad Fox, but for restaurant/retail in our area in general.

In his statement announcing Mad Fox’s closing, Madden cited competition becoming “fierce since our opening in 2010 with… an overwhelming number of choices for the local population,” such that staying open was “no longer sustainable.”

Digging into that a bit more, Madden emphasized the intensity of that competition as we see an increase in “restaurant options that are hot for a few years and then fizzle out,” “(w)ine and beer shops opening restaurants,” and supermarkets “with buffets and bars and more prepared foods to take home or just eat there like a restaurant.”

Factor in meal-prep services like Blue Apron, and you have a lot of businesses trying to cover higher rents on smaller pieces of the pie.

Mad Fox faced unique challenges nearly from the start. “When we opened the only way to sell a pint of beer to a consumer on site was to have a food component in Virginia,” Madden said. “That changed in 2012 with SB 604,” the law allowing brewery taprooms to serve full pours on-site.

604 was instrumental in the proliferation of new breweries in Virginia, but for a large brewpub in a high-rent district like Mad Fox, it made things just that much more difficult. “If we opened with a smaller footprint in a lower rent location and had gone into canning our product we would be in a much different position,” Madden told me.

I brought up my hunch that most taprooms will become brewpubs of sorts over the next few years; Madden responded that “the food component needs to be addressed, consumers need food with their beer, period,” and that he could see brewpubs in “high rent, suburban, urban locations,” albeit “in a much smaller space.”

Even those smaller spaces might be hard to find, however. Madden sounds downright prophetic.

“Rents either need to go down or there will be blight… I see plenty of shuttered spaces and I would ask anyone in Real Estate the question ‘where is the hot area to be in like a Reston Town Center or Arlington used to be?’ They all say they have not a clue.”

Reflecting on the legacy of Mad Fox, Madden says he’s most proud of how they supported the area’s beer scene, “promoting what were then new breweries with our festivals and events when many were just starting out.”

He recently attended the opening of Old Ox’s new Middleburg location and visited Quattro Goombas Brewery in Aldie, and while his future plans aren’t yet known, he says he plans to stay in the beer business in some capacity. Hopefully he’s not out of it for long; we’re missing something without him.

Upcoming Tasting Events at Arrowine: 

Friday, August 16 (hey, that’s today!), 5-7 p.m. — Rafael Mendoza of Hardywood Brewing Company
Friday, August 23, 5-7 p.m. — David Hartogs of Rocket Frog Brewing Company
Saturday, August 24, 3-6 p.m. — Frankie Quinton of Atlas Brewing Company
Friday, August 30, 5-7 p.m. — Stephanie Boles from Old Ox Brewing
Friday, September 13, 5-7 p.m. — Tom Blanch of Sierra Nevada
Saturday, September 14, 1-4 p.m. — Joe Kasper of 3 Stars
Saturday, September 21, 1-4 p.m. — Devon Callan of Reason Beer Company
Friday, Novermber 8, 5-7 p.m. — Jesse Ploeg of Potter’s Craft Cider

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Looking for a home? There are plenty of houses and condos open for viewing this weekend.

Check out the Arlington Realty website for a full list of homes for sale and open houses in Arlington. Here are a few highlights:

2408 16th Street N.
5 BD/5 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Ttr Sotheby’s International Realty
Listed: $2,135,000
Open: Saturday 2-4 p.m.

 

2011 N. Pollard Street
4 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $1,100,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

749 S. Granada Street
4 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: Fairfax Realty Select
Listed: $850,000
Open: Sunday 12-6 p.m.

 

510 S. Kensington Street
3 BD/2 BA single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $699,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

4823 29th Street S.
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Kw Metro Center
Listed: $515,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

4500 S. Four Mile Run Drive #1115
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Fairfax Realty of Tysons
Listed: $369,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

The wild and crazy economic news this week didn’t discourage home buyers and sellers from conducting business.

Buyers ratified 47 contracts and sellers put 59 homes on the market this week. Some 20 of those new listings were sold in seven days or less. Who said the real estate market slows in August? They need to wake up and smell the coffee. One property over the Arlington border in Del Ray, Alexandria, attracted 44 offers and escalated nearly 40% above the list price.

You’ve already started to hear the big “R” word in the news, and you’ll hear plenty more in the weeks and months ahead. Is a recession really looming over the horizon? Economists say it’s inevitable that our economy is due for a normal cyclical cooling down after a historic nine years of uninterrupted growth. Remember, a “recession” is just two quarters (6 months) of negative growth.

The U.S. economy is slowing, but not nearly as much as other major economies like China, Germany, the UK, Argentina and Russia. Sustaining the stronger U.S. economy is consumer confidence and spending. But that could change. Events like the Dow Jones index dropping 800 points on Wednesday could begin to influence consumer confidence.

Don’t let the hype of left and right media scare you into thinking our economy is about to tank like it did in 2008. That is highly unlikely. A slowdown in U.S. gross domestic product, yes. But a meltdown? Not likely.

Actually, the bad economic news brings short term good housing news, temporarily. The fear of a global economic recession prompts investors to seek safe havens for their capital, like U.S. Treasury bonds. That flood of capital into T-bills drives down the yield, which influences our mortgage rates. So we are likely to see a drop in rates. And this week already, in the last few days, the rate on the 30-yr fixed mortgage dropped from 3.75% to 3.625%.

For home buyers, there is a narrow window of opportunity to ratify a contract between now as rates drop and Labor Day weekend. After that, there will be much more buyer competition as the market heads into the active Fall season. So go for it!

Click to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.

Boring Title: Play Ping Pong for $100 Off Your Closing Costs

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Title insurance is boring, but Allied Title & Escrow is here to decode the jargon and make it (somewhat) more interesting. This biweekly feature will explore the mundane (but very necessary!) world of title insurance while sharing interesting stories of two friends’ entrepreneurial careers.

For this week’s edition of Boring Title we wanted to let all of our clients know about our new ping pong challenge!

If any of our clients have a closing in our ARLINGTON OFFICE they have the chance to play an employee from Allied Title & Escrow for $100 off their title fees.

Watch out though… we’re pretty good!

Have questions related to title insurance? Email Latane and Matt at [email protected]. Want to use Allied Title & Escrow when you buy a home? Tell your agent when you buy a house to write in Allied Title & Escrow as your settlement company!

Arlington Pet of the Week: Ferda

By ARLnow.com
1/4

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Ferda, a sweet rescue pup who recently found her forever home.

Here is what Ferda’s owner says about life here in Arlington.

Ferda was adopted from Pet Rescue Alliance in mid summer. My husband saw her online and fell in love, so when we heard she was still available we jumped at the chance to meet her. When we brought her home she explored for a minute, then claimed a cushy spot on the couch and promptly fell asleep. I guess she decided she was home.

Ferda is probably a mix of a Boxer and a Boston Terrier, though since she was found abandoned as a puppy we don’t really know for sure. Our research into that mix revealed that they are known to be smart, affectionate and very loyal. Considering how she’s basically velcroed to us when we’re home I’d say it’s an accurate description.

Ferda loves looking for squirrels along Four Mile Run and joining us for happy hour at the many dog-friendly patios in Arlington.  She’s a goofball who makes us laugh everyday. She mastered ‘shake” really quickly,  which is a super cute trick. We’ve put in some effort at expanding her repertoire, with a little ‘roll over’ and ‘spin’, but so far her response to each has been to wave at the air until we shake her little paw.  Oh well, she’s definitely enjoying tons of treats no matter the results of her training.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos, they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care is the winner of eight consecutive Angie’s List Super Service Awards, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year and a proud supporter of the Arlington County Pawsitively Prepared Campaign.

Becky’s Pet Care provides professional dog walking and pet sitting in Arlington and all of Northern Virginia, as well as PetPrep training courses for Pet Care, CPR and emergency preparedness.

Biz Talk: Acquisitions in Arlington’s Cybersecurity Space

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This article was written by Sindy Yeh, Senior Business Ambassador for Arlington Economic Development.

In the past few months, we’ve noticed a trend among Arlington’s security technology companies.

Several innovative, fast-growing Arlington companies in the cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data analytics fields are being acquired by larger companies. In March, BluVector, a network security company applying artificial intelligence to detect cyber threats, became part of Comcast.

In the same month, Deep Learning Analytics, a data analytics company and winner of Arlington’s Fast Four competition three years in a row, was acquired by General Dynamics Mission Systems.

In May, eGlobalTech, a cybersecurity consulting and cloud security company, was acquired by Tetra Tech. In June, the pattern continued as Distil Networks, a leader in bot traffic detection and mitigation, became Imperva. And finally, Endgame, an endpoint security protection company, entered into an agreement with Elastic N.V., a data management firm from the Netherlands.

It comes as no surprise that so many of Arlington’s top cybersecurity firms were targeted for acquisition. These Arlington firms have developed niche products and services that are utilized by both government and commercial customers. Many of these companies are globally recognized leaders in their respective sectors.

By acquiring these firms, it allows the larger companies to further enhance their existing platforms by offering even more comprehensive and specialized solutions to their clients.

They also absorb the companies’ existing customers, often including government agencies whose mission it is to defend the nation from cyber threats, like the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.

Arlington is home to about 200 cybersecurity companies employing more than 5,000 people. These cyber-based acquisitions will most likely continue as more of Arlington’s cyber companies develop specialized products and solutions targeting industry needs.

It is a testament to Arlington that so many technology companies have not only chosen to locate in Arlington but have thrived and developed a rich ecosystem of innovative companies leveraging federal funding to create and develop new products and services with applications in the private sector.

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