The D.C.-based business aims to sells wares from a collection of small makers both local and from around the U.S. — everything from home goods to beauty supplies to pet accessories — thus supporting “creative entrepreneurship.”
“Our mission is to contribute to the advancement of the local community and to the creative growth of Washington, D.C. at large by introducing the creative force of emerging independent brands and designers into the D.C. market,” the store’s website said.
Steadfast started as a pop-up in 2016 before expanding to a 3,000 square-foot space in Navy Yard, according to a press release. The store announced plans to open its second location in Arlington last April.
Some of the goods currently in the new Ballston location include handmade leather bags made by the Atlanta-based company Neva Opet, T-shirts for kids made by YOUTHS, and jewelry from Vajzë. In addition to retail, the business is offering space for DIY workshops or other events on its website.
The store’s owner describes the business as something of an incubator for artisans and small producers.
“My goal with Steadfast Supply was to create a cool retail setting where talented creatives can grow their brands,” said owner Virginia Arrisueño in a statement. “As a designer myself, I know how tough and competitive the retail industry is, and I wanted provide a supportive space where brands can ask us questions about line sheets, packaging, etc., receive direct feedback and suggestions on how to improve their products.”
A mall visitor checks out the mobile library in the Ballston Quarter Mall
The Alterspace gives users the opportunity to change the mood with lighting and sound
Henrik Sundqvist and Michelle Fernandez discuss the new pop-up library
Arlington Public Library has opened its new pop-up library in the Ballston Quarter mall.
The library partnered with the Ballston Business Improvement District to create the mini lending library, which opened earlier this month on the mall’s first floor, above the Quarter Market food hall. Located at 4238 Wilson Blvd, the mall is open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and on Fridays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., until Friday, August 2.
The Ballston pop-up features a reading nook called “Alterspace” where users can control lighting, sound effects and color. The technology behind it was developed by Harvard University’s metaLAB and is being shared outside Massachusetts for the first time.
Ballston Quarter’s website says the Alterspace reading nook is “the ideal environment for meditating, reading, collaborating, playing, or whatever activity brings you here!” The space also includes a mobile charging station for phones and tablets.
This is the library system’s second pop-up, following a successful experimental pop-up in Crystal City.
“Although the Ballston Quarter Pop-up Library is only a short walk from Central Library, we are encountering so many people who aren’t aware of the library and its resources,” said library spokesman Henrik Sundqvist.
“Meeting our community where they are — in the mall during their lunch breaks, after school, or during their evening commute — gives us an opportunity to connect new users with library materials, services, and resources, which they may not know are available to them,” he said.
At least one librarian will be on-site in the space during operating hours to help patrons with check outs and new library cards.
A new outdoor concert series will kick off in Ballston later today.
Starting today (July 10) through the end of August, “Ballston Quarter Beats” will bring in a new band every Wednesday for a free concert at the outdoor Plaza at Ballston Quarter (4238 Wilson Blvd).
The events are being held from 5:30-8:30 p.m and attendees can expect happy-hour drink specials and food from Ballston Quarter eateries, including the Local Oyster, Ballston Service Station, and Copa Kitchen and Bar.
The series will kick off with Marvillous Beats, a Bronx-born artist who combines a mixture of jazz, classical, pop and hip-hop for a unique musical experience. Marvill Martin is an Arlington local but began his career in New York as a violinist.
This event is open to the public. No tickets are necessary.
LensCrafters at Ballston Quarter (photo courtesy Ballston Quarter)
A new LensCrafters store is now open in Ballston.
Last week marked the grand opening of LensCrafters in Ballston Quarter (4238 Wilson Blvd). It replaces a former LensCrafters store at the mall that closed prior to its renovations.
Located on the ground floor of an outdoor portion of the mall, LensCrafters offers eye exams and sells prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses.
“Customers can expect to find innovative technology, the newest styles, and unparalleled personalized service,” at the store, a mall PR rep said in an email. “They offer a wide range of prescription lenses for eyeglasses and sunglasses, perfectly tailored to your lifestyle.”
The location is open Monday-Saturday, from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and on Sunday, from 12-6 p.m.
The store is running a 50% discount on complete pair of glasses though Friday, Aug. 2.
The restaurant is known locally for serving up authentic Italian cuisine and prides its on using ingredients from local farmers markets whenever possible. An employee of the new location told ARLnow that business has been good so far and they’re expecting new customers to continue discovering it in the mall’s food hall, near Copa Kitchen and Bar.
Since this is a smaller Cucina Al Volo than the company’s other stand-alone restaurants, it’s not able to serve an expanded menu. The location’s offerings include pasta dishes, with a range of pasta and sauce options, plus appetizers and sandwiches.
“Cucina Al Volo has opened its fifth outpost at Quarter Market, serving up scratch-made pasta and sauces to dine in or take home,” said a spokeswoman for the mall. “Specials change daily, from Lamb Ragu to Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli to Lobster and Shrimp to Chicken Marsala. They also sell packages of pasta and sauce that can be prepared at home.”
Sandwiches are priced at $10 while pastas range from $11-15 depending on the sauce selection. As of lunchtime Friday, however, employees said the sandwiches were not yet available.
The restaurant was founded by Matteo Catalani and his business partner and uncle, Daniele Catalani. Other Cucina Al Volo locations can be found near Adams Morgan, Cleveland Park and Union Market in D.C., and in downtown Baltimore.
This is the first location to open in Arlington.
Cucina Al Volo is open Monday through Sunday, from 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
According to an Arlington County Board agenda item, the owner of Ballston Quarter mall and the Ballston Business Improvement District invited Arlington Public Library to create a temporary pop-up library in unoccupied retail space on the street level of the mall.
“The use of the newly renovated mall space is being offered to the County for one month at no cost,” the agenda item noted. “The county will be permitted to open a new pop-up library location within the mall for a period beginning on July 1 through August 2, 2019.”
Library services could include a small collection of books and audio-visual materials along with technology access. The library would be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The space will be provided by mall management at no cost to the county, while the operation of the library will be paid from the library’s general operating funds.
This would not be the first pop-up library in retail space. In 2016, Arlington County opened a pop-up library in Crystal City Shops that has since been extended through 2019.
Ted’s Bulletin is the sixth location in the regional chain offering diner-style meals and nostalgic desserts. Sidekick is a “new concept” from the same parent company and adjoins Ted’s Bulletin, but operates as more of a quick-stop, street bakery-type location.
Sidekick offers cereal or candy flavors for standard bakery items, in addition to drinks like coffee, tea and milkshakes — including non-dairy milkshakes.
Staff at Sidekick said the store is offering $1 coffee during the opening week. Meanwhile, Ted’s Bulletin next door offers $3 draft beers for happy hour from 3-7 p.m.
The location is currently only accessible from the main street, but staff at the location said the plan is to eventually turn the mall-facing side into an additional entrance. The eateries were also open at times last week as part of a soft opening.
Slapfish — a seafood restaurant featuring locally-sourced fish tacos and lobster rolls — is planning to open next week in Ballston Quarter.
“We plan to open Ballston end of next week,” Andrew Gruel, Slapfish owner and occasional Food Network judge, wrote to ARLnow. “We very well may open a few days before next Friday, but nothing guaranteed as we are still awaiting a few products, etc.”
According to the Slapfish website, the goal of the restaurant is to make eating seafood “fun and sexy again.”
The menu offers a variety of seafood dishes, from starters like “chowder fries” — french fries smothered in clam chowder and bacon — to Hawaiian shrimp and pineapple bowls.
The restaurant door notes that Slapfish will be open daily from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Slapfish isn’t the only eatery planned to open in Ballston Quarter over the next few weeks. Ted’s Bulletin and Sidekick Bakery — a bakery and pastry shop that also serves milkshakes, coffee and tea — are also planning June openings.
Ted’s Bulletin and Sidekick Bakery in Ballston Quarter
Ted’s Bulletin in Ballston Quarter
Brunch options at Ted’s Bulletin (photo via Facebook)
Two new Ballston eateries are reportedly opening over the next two weeks.
Sidekick — a new bakery and “confectionary concept” — is scheduled to open on Monday, June 10 at Ballston Quarter (4238 Wilson Blvd), according to a press release.
A spokeswoman described the bakery as the “hybrid intersection of the whimsical and playful with the familiar,” like offering cereal or candy flavors for standard bakery items.
The restaurant is also planned to offer frozen drinks, like milkshakes.
Sidekick owner Salis Holdings is also opening a new location of its Ted’s Bulletin restaurant chain next door. While both restaurants are separate concepts, they do share a head pastry chef.
Ted’s Bulletin, known for its nostalgic desserts, was one of the restaurants that won approval for patio dining last year from the Arlington County Board.
Staff at another Ted’s Bulletin location said the Ballston location is planning to open late next week.
The press release about Sidekick is below, after the jump.
The Quarter Market food hall in the Ballston Quarter mall
The Quarter Market food hall in the Ballston Quarter mall
Amid difficulties for American shopping malls, Arlington’s two malls are betting on new eateries to turn more diners into shoppers.
Management at the newly-renovated Ballston Quarter and the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City say elevated dining options — from Ballston Quarter’s trendy local eateries to newer, healthier options at Pentagon City mall — are becoming an increasingly important part of mall design.
Commercial real estate experts say food options are now the key driver of mall traffic.
A new study released by the International Council of Shopping Centers shows that 40 percent of customers choose which mall they go to based solely on the food there, and nearly 38 percent of those surveyed said healthy options were a priority, according to CNBC.
“People increasingly value experience-based shopping and place higher expectations on how they spend their time,” said Will Voegele, senior vice president of mixed-use development for Brookfield Properties, in an email to ARLnow. “We designed the revitalized Ballston Quarter with the community in mind and our vision reflects a strong focus on experiential retail, innovative food and beverage concepts, and diverse entertainment offerings to create a new all-season neighborhood experience with the density of an urban center that is purposeful, thoughtful and unique.”
Voegele said part of the redesign for Ballston Quarter was to maintain a focus on local vendors for the 25,000 square-foot food hall.
“The uniform array of national names that we associate with the traditional food court does not provide the richness and authenticity that is so important to our mission at Ballston Quarter,” Voegele said. “Families and young professionals still want grab-and-go, but they are also looking for better quality and healthy dining options. Food halls offer the perfect solution in this case.”
Voegele said the new food hall design has gradually supplanted the traditional fast food-oriented food court of the archetypical ’80s and ’90s malls.
“The fundamental design of the traditional mall no longer supports the way people like to shop and dine as consumers are craving visually stimulating and creative experiences,” Voegele said. “The boxy retail behemoths of yesterday are just not practical for today’s landscape.”
“Fashion Centre at Pentagon City has introduced enhanced dining options over the recent years, including Matchbox American Kitchen + Spirit, honeygrow, Sugar Factory and Shake Shack,” management at the mall said in an email. “In addition, the center added modern furniture, finishes and additional seating during the renovation in 2016 to offer an even better experience for shoppers visiting the dining pavilion.”
But does this translate into sales at other retail options in the mall? Voegele said the Ballston Quarter’s food hall, Quarter Market, has seen consistent traffic across all age groups — and events like Quarterfest last weekend boosted its local profile. The study said transactions increase as much as 25 percent at malls with quality food and beverage options, with shoppers who eat at the mall spending 15 percent more per trip.
Shoppers inside Ballston Quarter weren’t so sure. While several said they came for the food hall and loved the dining options, many also said this wouldn’t necessarily translate into going into the upstairs part of the mall to shop.
Ballston Quarterfest — a new Ballston-centric music, drinks and food festival replacing Taste of Arlington — is being held weekend.
The festival is scheduled to run from 12-6 p.m. this coming Saturday (May 18) and Sunday (May 19). Admission to the festival is free, but tickets are required for the restaurant crawl or street pub.
Free live music from local performers is planned at a stage next to the street pub for both days.
Other activities around the festival include a “Kids Zone” on Saturday, with face painting and balloon artist, and the Arlington Art Truck, with an interactive art display on Sunday.
The event will take place mainly along Wilson Blvd — like Taste of Arlington — but will be more focused around the new Ballston Quarter mall and Ballston businesses, whereas “Taste” featured restaurants from around the county.
Like Taste of Arlington, the event will come with a series of road closures. Per Arlington County Police:
Wilson Blvd will be closed between N. Randolph Street and Glebe Road in both directions the entire weekend (use Fairfax Drive as an alternate route)
N. Taylor Street will be closed at Wilson Blvd
N. Stuart Street, from 9th Street N. to Wilson Blvd, will be closed
7th Street N., between Glebe Road and Wilson Blvd, will be closed
Temporary “no parking” signs are also planned throughout the area, and illegally parked vehicles could be ticketed or towed. Police encourage attendees to use the Metro or other means to get to the festival.
