business closing

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Eleventh Street Lounge to Close — An employee says Eleventh Street Lounge in Clarendon is planning to close by the end of the month. Like its neighbor, Potomac Crossfit, Eleventh is closing to make way for a new office development. [Clarendon Culture]

County Board Candidates Tepid About Streetcar — The five remaining Democratic candidates for County Board spoke at a forum organized by the Arlington County Democratic Committee on Wednesday. On the topic of the Columbia Pike streetcar, most candidates expressed reservations about the pricy project. Only one candidate, Melissa Bondi, expressed full support for the streetcar. [Sun Gazette]

APS an Example of How to Reduce Achievement Gap — Arlington Public Schools’ highly successful efforts to reduce the achievement gap between low income students, Black and Hispanic students and affluent, white and Asian students is the subject of a new book. The book, Gaining on the Gap: Changing Hearts, Minds and Practice, was written by several APS administrators. Its suggested approach to reducing the achievement gap is being called “stunningly reasonable” by one Washington Post columnist. [Washington Post]

APS Adds State Honors — Ten Arlington County schools have earned state honors for learning and achievement this year, a gain from the seven that won awards last year. Arlington was actually one of the few school systems making gains in state recognition — both neighboring Alexandria and Fairfax County won significantly fewer awards this year. [Washington Examiner]

Big Restaurant Shakeup at Pentagon Row

By ARLnow.com

There’s a big restaurant shakeup underway at Pentagon Row. Baja Fresh and PR Grill have closed their doors at the shopping center, while Lime Fresh Mexican Grill and Nando’s Peri-Peri restaurant will be opening later this year.

Baja Fresh, located near the Harris Teeter grocery store, closed on Dec. 31, according to a note in the window. The restaurant’s main sign has already been taken down.

Baja Fresh will be replaced by Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, a fast-growing chain that’s also opening a location in Clarendon. The Pentagon Row Lime Fresh location is expected to open this spring, according to the Pentagon Row Facebook page. The Clarendon location, meanwhile, is now expected to open on Jan. 16.

Florida-based Lime Fresh is backed by the company behind the Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain.

PR Grill closed recently so that the owners could “concentrate on other business,” according to a web site where just about everything remaining inside the restaurant is being auctioned off. PR Grill’s web site is still live, however, touting the restaurant’s “variety of American steak and seafood dining hot off the grill.”

It’s unclear if it will be opening in the old PR Grill space, but Pentagon Row announced this afternoon that Nando’s Peri-Peri will be opening in the shopping center this summer. The local chain bills itself as “the home of legendary, Portuguese, flame-grilled, Peri-Peri chicken.”

The restaurant shakeup comes as Federal Realty, the company that owns Pentagon Row, is preparing to revamp the property’s central plaza area. The company’s proposal to reconfigure the plaza is expected to be considered by the Arlington County Board later this month. The reconfigured plaza would allow for a larger skating rink, among other changes, we’re told.

Update at 2:30 p.m. — A reader points out that Pentagon Row eateries Sandella’s Flatbread Cafe and Maggie Moo’s have also recently closed.

Potomac Crossfit to Move as Office Construction Nears

By ARLnow.com

The popular Potomac Crossfit gym at 1039 N. Highland Street in Clarendon is planning to close after Jan. 28 to make way for the eventual construction of a new office building.

Potomac Crossfit owner Brian Wilson says he was just notified by his landlord that he would have to vacate the space by the end of the month, despite receiving earlier assurances that the gym would be able to stay until the spring. Wilson is planning to move staff and equipment from Potomac Crossfit, which opened in 2008, to his newer Patriot Crossfit gym near the intersection of Lee Highway and Glebe Road.

Wilson hopes loyal gym members will make the extra car trip or bus ride to Patriot Crossfit while he works to secure a new location in Clarendon. He says he’s currently in negotiations with a landlord to lease a space in Clarendon that’s even bigger than the current Potomac Crossfit space. Even if those negotiations prove successful, however, Wilson doesn’t expect the new location would open any sooner than this summer. Wilson added that he’s also in negotiations to lease spaces for crossfit gyms in the Pentagon City and Ballston neighborhoods.

The closing of Potomac Crossfit comes as a planned 300,000 square foot office development in Clarendon nears final county approval. The development — on the block bordered by Washington Boulevard, 11th Street, N. Highland Street and N. Garfield Street — is scheduled to have its site plan go before the Arlington County Board later this month. The developer, Penzance, is hoping to break ground this spring.

Most (if not all) of the other businesses on the block, including the T.A. Sullivan & Son cemetery monument business, are also expected to close as the groundbreaking nears.

Brown’s Used Car Center Closes on the Pike

By ARLnow.com

Brown’s Used Car Super Center has closed its doors on Columbia Pike.

The dealership, at 3200 Columbia Pike, was once billed as “the area’s largest selection of pre-owned/used cars, trucks, SUVs and vans.” Its brands included Honda, Toyota, BMW, Nissan, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Infiniti, Hyundai and others.

Now, the parking lot has been cleared out and little but furniture and art remains in the one-time showroom. An employee who answered the phone confirmed that the super center has closed. The employee said she did not know what will take its place.

One neighborhood rumor posits that the Rosenthal Jeep/Chrysler dealership, at Glebe Road and Columbia Pike, will take the Brown’s dealership’s place. Rosenthal is set to close in about a year when the land it sits on gets redeveloped into a mixed-use residential and retail development. So far, we have been unable to confirm the rumors.

Cafe Wilson Closes in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Cafe Wilson (3033 Wilson Blvd) closed up shop on Friday.

The cafe and deli was noted for its vegan sandwich options and its close proximity to the Clarendon Metro station.

The cafe’s owner told ARLnow.com that she was not given the option of renewing her lease, though she would have liked to. The owner, who declined to give her name, said she hopes to reopen at some point in a different location on Wilson Boulevard.

Businesses Coming and Going in Arlington’s SE Corner

By ARLnow.com

It’s the far southeast corner of Arlington County — bordered by Crystal City to the north, Four Mile Run and Alexandria’s Potomac Yard to the south, railroad tracks and Reagan National Airport to the east and Jefferson Davis Highway to the west.

On the ground floor of two residential developments, at the intersection of so much transportation, a collection of shops and restaurants have been struggling to gain traction. But several new arrivals at the Market Square shopping center hold the promise of reinvigorating the area, bringing in new diners to Arlington’s last (for now) retail frontier.

Paisano’s Pizza, which serves pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches, opened over the summer. Boasting a large kitchen but very little seating, the restaurant is hoping to capture take-out customers in an area where there’s only metered street parking and garage parking, and where most of the foot traffic comes from residents of the 465-unit condo building above.

Melody Tavern, located next to Paisano’s, has been courting local residents with “soft opening” events featuring free hors d’oeuvres and drinks. A grand opening is imminent for the “full-service, music themed restaurant,” which is owned by Michel Daley, former owner of southwest D.C. nightclub Zanzibar. Boasting a large, sunny main dining area and bar, as well as a large patio space, Melody is hoping to be a destination in its own right.

In June, Daley said Melody would host live music and comedy acts, and target the more mature “professional set.” A sign in the window warns that t-shirts, shorts and sneakers are not welcome at the restaurant.

Melody will be hosting an open house event from 7:00 p.m. to midnight on Friday, according to the sign.

Another new restaurant, meanwhile, is billed as “coming soon.” Building permits are up at the future HeeBeen Asian Bistro, across from Melody Tavern. The restaurant, which specializes in Korean BBQ and which has an existing location in Alexandria, has been in the works since this time last year. We’re still awaiting word from owner Mike Kim regarding when HeeBeen might open.

While Paisano’s, Melody and HeeBeen hope to attract more diners, at least one restaurant closed recently. A Jerry’s Subs and Pizza, across the street, now has “for lease” signs posted in the windows. That follows the closing of McGinty’s Pub, in the space now occupied by Melody Tavern.

That’s not the only dubious omen. The entire Market Square retail center, of which Paisano’s, Melody and HeeBeen are a part, is for sale. It’s unclear, however, why the owner has decided to sell.

Still, the long-term future for the businesses able to stick around looks bright. The National Gateway development between Crystal City and Potomac Yard promises to eventually attract a number of office tenants — up to 2.5 million square feet worth — and a corresponding number of office workers. And to the south, the redevelopment of Potomac Yard in Alexandria promises to bring a Metro station and even more residents to the area.

1/9

Kavenchy Spa Salon Closes in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) A high-end salon has closed its doors in Clarendon.

Customers of Kavenchy Spa Salon received an email from owner Sam Kavenchy last night stating that the glitzy salon was closing effective immediately.

“We certainly enjoyed having you as part in [sic] Kavenchy’s success for the past two years,” the email said. “But now it’s time to say goodbye.”

“I wish that your dreams may come true as did mine with opening Kavenchy,” the email continued. “But life goes on and new ventures are waiting for each of us. As for me I will pursue full-time my other passion and dream, which has always been art.”

“I’m shocked that he’s gone out of business,” one customer told ARLnow.com. “I thought the place was a real success.”

The salon was located at 1025 N. Fillmore Street, on the ground floor of the ZOSO Flats building. The salon was located next to the former American Flatbread restaurant, which closed last December.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Wakefield Loses Full Accreditation — Wakefield High School was the only Arlington County public school that failed to receive full state accreditation this year. The school was accredited “within warning” because only 77 percent of the class of 2011 graduated. Wakefield will need to show a rising graduation rate for the next two years or it will lose all state accreditation. [Washington Examiner]

Arlington Skate Park Remarkably Graffiti Free — The Powhatan Springs skate park in Dominion Hills has nary a graffiti scribble, in contrast to nearly every other public skate park in the country. Plus, it also has a rain garden. [Greater Greater Washington]

Colony House Closing — Colony House Furniture (1700 Lee Highway) is closing after 75 years in business. Originally, owner JR Diffee had hoped to move the business elsewhere in Arlington, after he sold the original store to a hotel developer. Now a trade publication reports that Colony House is closing after being hurt by the economy. A going out of business sale currently in progress is expected to wrap up by the end of the year. [Furniture Today, Colony House Furniture]

Cafe Parisien Closes on Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

Cafe Parisien, located at 4520 Lee Highway in the Lee Heights shopping center, has closed.

The French restaurant first closed its doors about a week ago, one of the neighboring shopkeepers said. Most of the interior has been emptied out and a sign announcing that the space is for lease is now displayed in the window.

The closure was sudden, and customers have told ARLnow.com that they had no indication the restaurant was even considering closing. A long-time fixture of the Lee Heights shopping strip, Cafe Parisien lacked a web site, but it did earn a write-up in the Washingtonian Magazine ‘Cheap Eats’ column in 2005.

“The menu is heavy on sandwiches, salads, quiches, and crepes,” Washingtonian said. “Everything is house-made, except for the cheesecake.”

Sangam Restaurant Moving from Ballston to the Pike

By ARLnow.com

Perennial Taste of Arlington favorite Sangam Restaurant is moving from Ballston to Columbia Pike.

According to an employee, the restaurant will close its current location — on the ground floor of the Comfort Inn hotel on Glebe Road in Ballston — after Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, Sept. 1, Sangam will hold its grand opening at 3205 Columbia Pike, in the space formerly occupied by the Kabobs Inn restaurant.

“Sangam Restaurant is crossing one more milestone,” owner Edward Dean said in an email. “The grand opening is on September 1st 2011… we would like you to be here and enjoy our quality food and good service.”

Sangam’s Pike location will feature dine-in service, free delivery, carry-out, catering and a kid’s menu. No changes are planned for the restaurant’s George Mason University kiosk, according to the email.

The Columbia Pike location is open for business all this week, the employee said.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Monday Hopes to Enliven Rosslyn’s Restaurant Scene — Building owner Monday Properties is hoping to bring in some new restaurants to the Rosslyn area and shake off the “stigma” that there’s no nighttime foot traffic in the office-oriented neighborhood. The company just signed two new restaurants — Roti Mediterranean Grill at 1501 Wilson Blvd and Ahra Cafe & Sandwich Bar at 1100 Wilson Blvd. It’s hoping to find more restaurant tenants for its 1501 Wilson property. Ahra Cafe, meanwhile, is replacing three existing businesses, including a beloved coffee shop. [Washington Business Journal]

Stamos Handily Wins Fundraising Crown in Prosecutor Race — Theo Stamos has a nearly 30-to-1 cash advantage over David Deane in the Democratic primary for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Arlington. [Sun Gazette]

Sauca Now Serves Beer, Liquor — Sauca Restaurant (4707 Columbia Pike) has obtained its liquor license and is now serving a selection of beer and fruity cocktails. [Pike Wire]

Best Cellars in Clarendon Closes — Best Cellars in Clarendon opened its doors to customers for the last time yesterday. The wine store closed after being unable to reach new terms for a long-term lease renewal with its landlord, ARLnow.com is told. However, in the store’s window was a more humorous list of explanations for the closing. [Clarendon Culture]

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