Now, let’s get to the first official category for fall! Do you have a favorite local sushi spot that caters to all your sashimi and nigiri cravings? A go-to place that has your favorite sake and maki? Let us know below or by clicking this link.
Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.
Gavin Andersen and Steve Dierkes (courtesy Lawn Barbers)
Steve Dierkes and Gavin Andersen — co-owners of local lawn care business The Lawn Barbers — have dealt with snakes, poison ivy and swarms of cicadas when caring for the lawns of Arlington residents.
But they say the bugs and weeds were worth the experience of running a company together.
The two dabbled in lawn care in high school, and when their summer internships were canceled due to the pandemic, they decided to turn their high school jobs into a business.
“I was going to work at a big consulting firm in D.C. — so a little different than landscaping,” Andersen said. “We tried to find a silver lining in an otherwise gloomy situation.”
“I was going to work at a think tank and, frankly, I’m not too upset I ended up in landscaping,” said Dierkes.
The two built up their client base on Nextdoor, trading names with other area lawn care businesses. After starting out with tools and equipment Dierkes’ parents kept in a shed, they soon earned enough money to buy their own equipment.
Their diligence paid off. Now in its second year, Lawn Barbers offers all kinds of lawn care services — from general yard maintenance to weed control to landscaping renovations — and their business was voted in the top three lawn care businesses in last week’s Arlies.
They say their bond is the key to their success. The friends, who are both 22, met in preschool at Westover Baptist Church and went through elementary school, high school and college together. They both studied at William and Mary.
“We’ve known each other for pretty much our entire lives,” said Dierkes.
“It’s pretty crazy, Steve,” added Andersen.
Drawing on nearly two decades of friendship, the two joke around while their hands are deep in weeds. They say the customers respond well to their positivity and energy.
“What’s better than having two guys on your lawn in 100-degree weather having a blast?” said Andersen. “I don’t think I’ve ever done anything I enjoy as much as waking up to do this with Steve.”
Their friendship has helped them through tough times: long hours, backbreaking work and the occasional argument. Once, they moved more than 10,000 pounds of rocks in wheelbarrows to create a drainage solution and pulled up 500-1,000 square feet of English Ivy.
“That was pretty brutal,” Andersen said. “I’ve had to mow a lawn with snakes in it and weeds up to my shoulders.”
For one job, the two scaled a steep hill that gave them a view of all the houses in the neighborhood.
“It made for a great picture,” Dierkes said.
The work gave them another view of Arlington: one through the eyes of people who have been here for decades and seen the community grow and change. Completing projects near the schools they attended, Tuckahoe Elementary School and Yorktown High School, reminds them of how they’ve done the same.
Despite now being able to call themselves an award-winning lawn care duo, Dierkes and Andersen are trading their mowers for desks and office jobs as the summer ends. Looking forward, the partners say their experience will make them better employees and people.
“There’s a lot of life lessons in doing what others consider elementary work,” said Andersen.
“I think working in landscaping, and working in the summer, you really learn resilience and persistence,” said Dierkes. “Gavin and I couldn’t just quit after six hours. You had to get the job done.”
Dierkes is now in Pittsburgh, working at a startup, and Andersen is still in the D.C. area as a consultant, but they refuse to say goodbye to the business. They say they will be available for work over holiday breaks and other times they’re both in Arlington.
“I’m not [expletive] leaving,” said Dierkes, adding that he misses Arlington and his lawn care partnership. “It’s like that corny Dr. Seuss line, ‘It’s not goodbye, it’s just see you later.'”
The summer Arlies conclude this week with a new category but first, the results from last week’s voting.
Your favorite urgent care clinic is Immediate Care by PMA Health (Clarendon), followed by Virginia Hospital Center Immediate Care (Aurora Highlands) and Old Dominion Urgent Care (McLean).
Now, let’s vote on this week’s category. Is there a local moving company that can move your belongings quickly? A got-to company that will get your fragile items to your new home safely? Let us know below or by clicking this link.
Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category as part of our fall Arlies slate.
The school was founded back in 1945, making it one of the oldest preschools in Arlington. Overlee offers half-day programs for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds.
If you’re not yet familiar with Overlee, here’s what makes it a standout preschool.
1. Overlee Preschool is Run by Parent Volunteers
Overlee has been a cooperative preschool since its founding more than 75 years ago. That means it’s run by parent volunteers. There are full-time teachers and staff, but the parents help both inside and outside the classroom.
The time commitment from parents varies by class, but there’s flexibility.
Kristen Tyagi is Overlee’s incoming president of the board and a parent. She also has a full-time job but said her responsibilities have been manageable.
“I really enjoy witnessing my child’s growth,” she said. “It’s something as a working parent I didn’t get to see a lot of at her previous preschool.”
On days she volunteers, she reads the kids stories, supervises them on the playground and helps clean up.
Louisa Stetekluh, who has been a teacher at Overlee for more than 22 years, loves building relationships with families.
“We’re building a community in our class,” she said. “I’m not just that lady who’s taking care of their kids. I have a special relationship with them.”
Overlee focuses on play-based learning, which is grounded in research. Rebecca Morrissey, the school’s director, explains the benefits simply: “Things that can’t be taught are learned in play.”
“We often think of education as something an adult has to give to the child,” she said. “But the reality is children learn countless things when we’re not looking. In fact, I think some of the most important things children learn in their early years can’t be observed, measured or quantified.”
In this child-centered approach, the teacher acts as the guide and provides support, but the child leads. There’s still structure to the day and the kids are learning skills, but it’s more organic.
Morrissey’s kids — now in fifth and seventh grades — are Overlee alums, so she has the perspective of both an educator and a parent.
“When they entered kindergarten, they knew how to self-advocate, speak their truth, negotiate, communicate with other children, express their feelings,” she said. “When you treat a kid like a normal kid, you really just get great things.”
3. Overlee Preschool is Rooted in Nature
Overlee has been operating entirely outdoors, a shift made last year at the onset of COVID. This is something that’s worked well for the students and the preschool.
Overlee operates out of the Church of the Covenant in Donaldson Run, though it’s a secular school, unaffiliated with the church. It offers the perfect setting for an outdoor preschool with a huge wooden play structure, shade trees for circle time and plenty of trails for adventures.
The outdoor model gives the children the opportunity to have a more normal preschool experience during this time.
“The kids are able to play together, share together and have a normal — and even better — experience than your typical preschool program,” Tyagi said.
Her daughter, who was once afraid to get mud on her hands, is now thrilled to be covered head to toe after an adventure through the woods.
Stetekluh says she’s always enjoyed using nature as the kids’ classroom.
“We’re not doing worksheets, drilling them on letters, any of those traditional academic activities, so we have the opportunity to develop all those other skills in nature,” she said.
The Arlies are back again with a new category. First, the results from last week’s voting.
Arlington’s favorite lawn care service is Andy’s Lawn and Landscape, followed by Better Lawn Service, Inc. and The Lawn Barbers.
Now, let’s vote on this week’s category. When you’re feeling sick do you have a go-to urgent care? A favorite clinic that will see you quickly and diagnose you accurately? Let us know below or by clicking this link.
Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.
A new week, a new category to vote on in the summer Arlies but first, the results from last week’s voting.
Your favorite sports bar is Crystal City Sports Pub, followed by First Down Sports Bar & Grill and Ireland’s Four Courts.
Now, let’s vote on this week’s category. Do you have a favorite lawn care service that keeps your yard weed free and pristine? A mower maestro that also keeps your grass green? Let us know below or by clicking this link.
Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.
A new week of voting in the summer Arlies is here. First, the results from last week’s voting.
Arlington’s favorite gym/fitness studio is Gold’s Gym, followed by Arlington Jazzercise and a three-way tie among MADabolic, Earth Treks and Vida Fitness.
Now, let’s vote on this week’s category. Do you have a favorite sports bar where you go to watch the big game? A go-to happy hour spot with plenty of TVs tuned to live sports? Let us know below or by clicking this link.
Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.
The summer Arlies continue this week with two categories. First, the result’s from last week’s voting.
Your favorite real estate agent for sellers is Liz Lord, followed by Kristin Francis Team and Paul Cachion.
Arlington’s favorite home renovation company is… undecided. No one company received enough valid votes in order to declare a winner.
Now, let’s vote on this week’s categories. Do you have a go-to gym or fitness studio at which you work out? A favorite for lifting weights or taking spin or yoga classes?
Also, do you have an OB/GYN that you favor?
Let us know below or by clicking this link. Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.
The Arlies continue today with a two new categories, but first, the results of last week’s voting.
Your favorite preschool/daycare is Trinity School of Early Learning on Columbia Pike, followed by Overlee Preschool on Military Road and Maria Teresa’s Babies Early Enrichment Center on 23rd Street S.
Now, let’s vote on this week’s categories.
Is there a real estate agent you’d recommend to sellers or a favorite real estate agent you’ve worked with when selling? Do you have a favorite home renovation company that turned your unfinished basement into a movie theater?
Let us know below or by clicking this link. Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.
If you thought “favorite dentist” was a boring Arlies category, you apparently thought wrong.
We received more votes this past week than for any other individual Arlies category so far. It turns out there are a lot of dentists in Arlington — and also a lot of people who like their dentist enough to vote for them.
Well, without further ado, your favorite dentist (for adults) is Dr. Richard Gruntz in Crystal City, followed by Dr. Tamara Garrett of Arlington Dental Solutions in Virginia Square and Roca Dental in Clarendon.
Now, let’s vote on this week’s category. Do you have a favorite preschool or daycare you take your children to? Let us know below or by clicking this link.
Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.
Before we get to the latest Arlies category this week, let’s cut right to the results for last week’s voting.
Arlington’s favorite hair salon is Casal’s De Spa & Salon in Clarendon, followed by Smitten and Urban Halo.
Your favorite barbershop is Bearded Goat Barber in Ballston, followed by Willy & Babib’s Barber Shop and Westover Barber Shop.
Now, let’s sink our teeth into this week’s category. Do you have a favorite dentist — for adults — that makes you look forward to routine cleanings? Let us know below or by clicking this link.
Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.
