Athena Pallas Greek Restaurant in Crystal City is closing (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Athena Pallas in Crystal City is set to serve its final spanakopita on Sunday, July 31.
The 25-year-old Greek restaurant at 556 22nd Street S. is closing at the end of this month, the owners confirmed to ARLnow.
The reason seems to be a disagreement with the landlord of the 23rd Street S. “restaurant row.”
The property owner told ARLnow that they wanted “adjustments” in terms of Athena’s management and operations, something that the owners Mike Kosmides and Kallia Sambrakos say is a deal breaker.
“They recommended that we get a partner or hire a manager… we are tenants, we pay the rent,” Kosmides said. “You have no say in how we operate… They don’t want us here anymore because we are old and cannot perform well.”
He also says that he’s had recent health issues as well as a family death that’s impacted the couple’s ability to run the restaurant.
The property owners acknowledged operational changes were asked for and would “absolutely” support Athena Palla staying open if they were to make the suggested changes.
“Between Covid and the terrible loss of her son there has been a lot of downtime at Athena. We did our best to work with them and asked for some adjustments in management in order to see longevity. Athena opted to shutter doors instead,” Georgia and Stratis Voutsas said in a statement to ARLnow. “We’re heartbroken, are certainly dismayed with the unkind misinterpretation, but would welcome them to continue to operate with the changes.”
The landlords also wanted to make it clear that this isn’t an “economic closure,” but rather one related to the restaurant’s lease being up. The lease has been month-to-month for some time now, both the restaurant owners and the landlord told ARLnow.
There have been several meetings over the last few weeks to rectify the issue and, perhaps, reach a compromise to keep the restaurant open, including one just over the weekend. However, there seems to be an impasse in negotiations, which both sides acknowledge.
As of Monday (July 18) afternoon, Sambrakos says they are “100%” closing at the end of the month.
Laura Cooks in Ballston earlier this year, before its closing (staff photo by Brandi Bottalico)
Goodbye note posted on the door of Laura Cooks in Ballston (photo courtesy of Laura Hong)
Ballston breakfast and lunch spot Laura Cooks is now closed after 18 years at its current location on N. Randolph Street.
Today (July 13) was the restaurant’s last lunch rush, owner Laura Hong tells ARLnow. Although both the website and the sign on the door note tomorrow (July 14) as the closing date, Hong clarifies that’s a mistake.
Laura Cooks was a deli-style lunch and breakfast spot that was open from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m, located on N. Randolph Street just a half block from Wilson Blvd (and in close proximity to ARLnow’s office). It served sandwiches, breakfast burritos, omelets, pancakes, and burgers all morning and afternoon.
The restaurant is closing because Hong is retiring after more than four decades cooking, memorizing orders, and running a business.
“I’ve doing this for 45 years and all of my kids are grown. They want to travel with me and I couldn’t do that because I’m always here,” she says. “Now, I’ll be able to do that.”
Laura Cooks began as a sidewalk snack bar before moving to various locations in and around Ballston. It eventually landed at its current location on 875 N. Randolph Street in the mid-2000s, and that’s where Laura Cooks has remained ever since.
Hong says that her long-time landlord, local developer Fred Schnider, always made sure her business stayed afloat and had a place to go even during tough times. The decision to retire and close was hers, Hong notes.
“It’s bittersweet to announce Laura is retiring and closing down the store… Laura has been serving Ballston for over 45 years and loving every moment,” reads the sign on the door. “She will miss getting to see all of her customers (and memorized orders) she’s gotten to know over the years. Thank you again for supporting Laura.”
While Laura Cooks is closing down, Hong insists that she won’t be totally gone from Ballston. She plans to cook and help out some at the new Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken location that’s moving into space, Hong tells ARLnow.
Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken is a franchise of Nashville hot chicken restaurants, with other Northern Virginia locations as well as locations in Maryland and Texas. ARLnow has reached out to the company for confirmation that it’s coming to the space but has yet to hear back as of publication.
The last few days have been very busy at Laura Cooks as word spread that she was retiring and closing the business.
“If it was always this busy, maybe I wouldn’t be retiring,” Hong says, chuckling.
While it’s somewhat sad for Hong, her daughters are happy. They are going to get see their mom a lot more now that she’s retiring.
“They don’t want me to work anymore,” she says. “They want me to spend more time with them.”
All About Burger space cleared out at Ballston Quarter (staff photo)
All About Burger space cleared out at Ballston Quarter (staff photo)
All About Burger space cleared out at Ballston Quarter (staff photo)
All About Burger appears to have vacated its storefront in the Ballston Quarter mall.
“Completely cleaned out,” is how one tipster described the space, which is located between Slapfish, which closed this past December, and the still-open Mezeh, near the N. Glebe Road entrance to the mall.
The Ballston outpost of All About Burger opened in the spring of 2019 but never drew the consistently large crowds of its other nearby neighbor, Chick-fil-A. It could not be immediately confirmed whether the location is closed for good or may reopen later, though the removal of most of the interior furnishings and the fact that the phone number has been disconnected suggests the former.
All About Burger, which split off from Z-Burger after a legal settlement, has an existing location near Clarendon, at 3325 Wilson Blvd, that is still open today.
The independent coffee shop and cafe in the Arlington Forest Shopping Center at 4807 1st Street N. closed last week, before the July 4 holiday, ownership confirmed to ARLnow. It was located next to Bricks Pizza.
The reason for closing, as social media posts allude to, is the health of owner Kay Kim.
Sense of Place Cafe is closing (photo via screenshot/Instagram)
“Despite our love for sharing our coffee with the amazing Arlington Forest community, we decided to prioritize Kay’s health over business and close this chapter of our lives,” reads a Facebook and Instagram post. “As a result, we know this may seem sudden to many of you but we are so glad we were able to see many familiar faces during our last weekend and appreciate your understanding!”
The shop will continue to sell its roasted in-house Enzymo coffee beans online, while supplies last. The beans received a bronze medal at the Golden Bean North America Coffee Roasters Competition in 2019, according to the cafe’s website.
The cafe opened in the Arlington Forest Shopping Center in August 2017 and gained popularity as both a seller of flavorful coffee and a neighborhood hangout. In 2018, Sense of Place was a victim of a “strange” burglary where a notebook full of family recipes and notes, detailing how to roast its award-winning beans, was stolen. The expensive espresso machines nor the iPads were touched and only about $150 in petty cash was stolen along with the notebook.
Ownership tells ARLnow that, even four years later, they still don’t know a motive or why those items were stolen and not others. Last year, meanwhile, a number of other shops in the development were vandalized and burglarized twice, including Sense of Place.
Following its closure on June 30, Sense of Place is now thanking its customers for their business over the past few years
“Please deliver our message of appreciation for their support (especially during the Pandemic), love and friendship,” ownership writes in an email. “We truly enjoyed being a part of the Arlington Forest community for the past 5 years. We have so many great memories to last.”
We’re told the owners do not currently have plans to open another business.
The closing notice is taped to the door of the LOFT in Clarendon (staff photo by Mavis Chan)
The LOFT’s closing notice stands on a display table inside the store (staff photo by Mavis Chan)
Clarendon’s LOFT store is expected to close next month.
The women’s clothing store in The Crossing Clarendon — formerly known as Market Common Clarendon — is expected to close on Monday, July 18, according to a sign on the store’s door.
Store staff received the closing notice around two weeks ago, an employee told ARLnow. The store began notifying customers of the closure around a week ago.
“We got about a month’s notice of the store closing,” the employee said.
The decision to close was not made at the local store’s level and those working at the Clarendon location did not know much about the decision, the employee added.
“We just really find out that ‘the store’s closing at this day and this is what you have to do to close it down’ pretty much,” the employee said.
A paper sign announcing the closing date is taped to the store’s front door. Similar signs are placed on several display tables inside, as well. Currently, the store is in the midst of a July 4 sale, giving out a 40% discount to purchases.
As of publication time, a leasing agent for the shopping center has not responded to questions about the future of the storefront.
The Clarendon store is one of two LOFT stores in Arlington. After its closing, the only location in the county will be at Westpost — formerly Pentagon Row — at 1101 S. Joyce Street. There are no plans for the Clarendon location to move, we’re told.
LOFT’s corporate communications department declined to comment on the closure, stating it has a policy of “not providing comment on individual store openings or closings,” describing them as “a natural and ongoing function of doing business in retail.”
Local Oyster in Ballston appears to have closed (staff photo)
The catch is a little bit less fresh in Ballston with the likely recent closing of another seafood spot.
The Local Oyster at Ballston Quarter appears to have ceased operations in recent weeks. Its former stall in the back right corner of the downstairs food hall is now dark and cleared out, with signs removed and the walls blank.
ARLnow has reached out to the restaurant to confirm and ask why it closed, but has yet to hear back as of publication.
The Local Oyster first opened in Ballston over three years ago, in April 2019. It couched itself as “no frills seafood” that sourced oysters locally from southern Maryland.
Last month on Instagram, restaurant founder and co-owner Nick Shauman advocated for the replenishing of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and asked customers to reach out to a number of senators to help pass the bill.
“This is our last chance to save thousands of restaurants from closing their doors for good,” he said in the Instagram video.
Local Oyster isn’t the only seafood spot at Ballston Quarter to shutter over the past few months. Slapfish also closed its doors in late December, the franchise owners confirmed to ARLnow.
Slapfish in Ballston is now closed (staff photo)
Slapfish, billing itself as “sexy” seafood, opened three years ago on the first level of the mall at 671 N. Glebe Road, near Chick-fil-A but otherwise a bit removed from the mall’s more highly-trafficked corridors. The restaurant chain was founded by Andrew Gruel, known for his occasional turns as a judge on food competition shows.
The Arlington location was owned by Raghu Reddy and several partners. They wrote to ARLnow in an email that they closed because of high rent and insufficient marketing by the mall.
“Landlord wants pre-COVID rent and has not promoted the mall,” they wrote. “There is no foot traffic and the rent was very high.”
There are no plans to open another Slapfish in Arlington.
A number of restaurants have opened at Ballston Quarter recently, including JINYA Ramen Bar and British cuisine purveyor Salt Pop Kitchen.
The Forest Inn in Westover (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Ken Choudhary with an employee and a few regulars (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
The Forest Inn in Westover (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
(Updated at 2:00 p.m.) The Forest Inn in Westover, one of Arlington’s last dive bars, is closing next week, general manager Ken Choudhary confirms to ARLnow.
The long-time Westover bar and grill on Washington Blvd first opened in 1981, and initially named The Black Forest Inn, where the post office used to be. In 1994, it moved a few blocks to its current location at 5849 Washington Blvd. Now, though, the Forest Inn is closing because its landlord — Van Metre Commercial — is declining to renew their lease, Choudhary says.
“It’s not a lack of funds or anything money-wise. Everything was right on the table [from us],” he tells ARLnow sitting in a booth on a recent night with a few regulars laughing in the background. “I just think they want something new over here. Something that’s not a bar.”
They initially were told that the Forest Inn had until at least the end of July, but ownership was told late last week that they needed to be out by the end of this month because a new tenant needed time for construction.
The Forest Inn is hosting a going-away party on Sunday, June 26 with the last day of operations currently set for Wednesday, June 29, Choudhary says.
While sad and disappointing, it’s not necessarily a surprise to ownership. The bar attempted to negotiate a new lease two years ago, but Choudhary said, but the landlord decided to put them on a month-to-month lease. To Choudhary, this was a clear sign that they were looking for a new tenant.
Owner Nick Sharma — Choudhary’s cousin — told ARLnow that both the 2019 flood in Westover and the pandemic-related shut down about eight months later hit the bar hard.
For one, records were lost in the flood, including several relating to the lease. What’s more, Sharma says that Van Metre made a deal with Forest Inn that they could pay $500 in rent for the several months they were shut down in 2020 as long as they promised to pay back rent as business normalized.
It’s only been the last few months when business has gradually returned to what it was pre-pandemic and, Sharma says, they are nearly done paying off the back rent.
“I feel like they stabbed us in the back,” he said.
Choudhary also says that Van Metre has accused the bar of attracting a “rough crowd,” which he says is an unfair characterization.
“To me, our customers are real people. [The landlords] need to come in here and start a conversation with them,” Choudhary says. “[Our regulars] are all very friendly. And if you don’t introduce yourself, they’ll introduce themselves to you.”
Both the owner and general manager says the regulars are taking the news pretty hard.
Van Metre declined to specifically comment on the lease negotiations to ARLnow.
“The details about the Forest Inn’s tenancy at Westover Shopping Center are confidential business matters and consequently we can’t comment on those details,” a company representative said. “Thank you for your consideration in this regard.”
The Forest Inn has earned a reputation as one of Arlington’s last dive bars, a badge that ownership, employees, and a number of regulars wear with distinction.
“This place is real and authentic,” says Audrey, a regular who’s been coming here for more than a decade. “Everyone in the neighborhood comes here.”
Plus, it has the best burger in town, she says.
“It’s close, has Budweiser, and a jukebox,” John says, laughing. He says he remembers when The Forest Inn had green carpet, a cigarette machine, and was full of tobacco smoke.
This a place where everyone knows each other, good conversation rules the day, and isn’t politically correct, said one regular who’s been coming to the Forest Inn for three decades. But Arlington no longer values those things, another man said.
“They don’t want dive bars,” said the man, who declined to give his name. “They want everything to be bougie and foo foo.”
Henry, another regular, says he’s been coming here ever since he turned 21, about six years ago. While he attended Washington-Liberty High School, this was the bar that all the students looked forward to going to when they turned of drinking age.
“It’s really sad that this part of Arlington history is closing,” he said.
Taqueria el Poblano on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
(Updated at 11:25 a.m.)Taqueria el Poblano on Columbia Pike is staying open for a few more months after all.
In March, ARLnow reported that the local staple known for its margaritas was set to close its Pike location by the end of this month. However, co-owner Thomas Stevens tells ARLnow that they’ve since come to an agreement with the property owner BM Smith to extend the restaurant’s lease at 2401 Columbia Pike until the end of August. He says it became clear that regulars wanted them to stay open through the summer.
At that point, though, it will be “end of our time on the Pike,” Stevens says.
The other two locations of the Southern California-inspired Mexican restaurant, at Arlington’s Lee-Harrison Shopping Center and also the original in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood, will remain open, he says.
Taqueria el Poblano said in March that it was closing due to decreasing revenue and increasing rent at its Pike location. Stevens told ARLnow at the time that this location had fewer regulars than the others and didn’t have enough volume of sales to cover rent.
“For whatever reason, this one doesn’t do the same business as the others,” he said.
The shuttering of one of Penrose Square’s first tenants comes as a couple of new redevelopment projects get underway on Columbia Pike.
The Fillmore Gardens shopping center is set for demolition and will be replaced by The Elliott on the 2600 block of Columbia Pike. That new development is expected to be completed in 2025.
A few blocks down the Pike, structures and buildings have already started going up at the former site of the Westmont shopping center (and the first Five Guys). That development will include 250 market rate apartments and retail space.
Since the story came out earlier this spring about Taqueria el Poblano’s imminent closing, Stevens says he’s had a lot of people come in asking and expressing sadness about the shuttering.
But customers will now have at least three more months to enjoy tacos and margaritas.
An independent spin studio in Rosslyn that opened in 2019 with the help of donations has closed.
Good Sweat was an indoor cycling studio that temporarily became an outdoor cycling studio during the pandemic. It also tried virtual classes, but those quickly faded in popularity, owner Alessandra “Ali” Hashemi previously told ARLnow.
The business closed its doors over the weekend and is now selling its equipment.
Located at 1711 Wilson Blvd, in the low-slung strip mall that also houses Pho 75, Good Sweat sought to differentiate itself through its own charitable donations and commitment to social justice. But that was apparently not enough to overcome the challenging business environment for small fitness studios.
The following note about the closing was posted on its website.
Dear Good Sweat Fam,
We never thought this heartbreaking day would come: Good Sweat will be closing on April 30, 2022.
When we opened in April 2019, we were beyond excited to bring a community-oriented, positive fitness experience to the neighborhood. We knew the first few years open as a small business would be challenging, but we had no way of knowing a global pandemic was on the horizon. Before we were able to celebrate our one year anniversary, the pandemic forced us to temporarily close and since we reopened, we have never been able to fully recover.
While countless other small spin studios and local businesses closed in the area, we never thought we would be the next pandemic casualty. The past two years have been a rollercoaster and caused us to resuscitate the business multiple times. After numerous pivots from online to outdoors to indoors to outdoors, we have hung on for as long as we could. At this juncture, we have come to the difficult decision that we cannot revive Good Sweat another time.
We know that Good Sweat has become a safe space for so many, and we are immeasurably sad to see this day come.Thankfully, there is so much to be grateful for in spending three amazing years together. Good Sweat has been a beacon of light through some of our darkest days. We are so proud of all we have been able to accomplish in such a short period of time, including, but not limited to, raising over $21,000 to donate to local nonprofits as well as being named NOVA’s Best Cycling Studio, NOVA’s Best Outdoor Workout, and Best of Arlington.
Please know how much we wanted to stay open for you – for our riders and our squad who are the heart and soul of Good Sweat. We hope you understand that the fitness industry has been hit so hard and we were so young when this pandemic began that we constantly struggled.
We are trying to not cry because it’s over, but to smile because Good Sweat was so good to us. It carried us through these difficult last few years, and made us all a family. The relationships formed and the personal growth are priceless, and we have all changed for the better because of this studio.
We encourage you to keep in touch and to keep spinning. We highly recommend two other local woman-owned studios, New Trail and Cycled, which both have amazing missions that align with the Good Sweat way.
We will be sharing more on logistics and memberships in the coming days regarding our final 5 weeks of operations, but if you have any questions, please email us directly [email protected]
Dogwoods in bloom along Arlington’s Bluemont Trail (Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler)
Taco Bell Returning to Courthouse — “Arlington’s Courthouse neighborhood has gone more than a decade without a Taco Bell. That sad period in its history will soon come to an end. The fast-food chain’s restaurant-bar combo, Taco Bell Cantina, will replace a portion of the multistory Guarapo, the lounge-tapas-hookah bar place that shuttered roughly six years ago, according to plans obtained from Construction Journal.” [Washington Business Journal]
Farewell, Farmbird — “It sounds like D.C. Farmbird locations are now closed, in addition to the Ballston location… People could be seen hauling items out of the Farmbird in Ballston today after an online auction for the restaurant’s equipment.” [Twitter, Barred in DC]
Economic Development Director Leaving — “Telly Tucker, Arlington Economic Development’s director for the last couple years, is leaving that post and heading back to his old stomping grounds in south-central Virginia to helm a regional economic development group there. Effective May 31, Tucker will be the maiden president for the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.” [Washington Business Journal]
Clarendon Sector Plan Changes Approved — “The Board voted to adopt certain elements of the Clarendon Sector Plan that include:
An update to the 2006 plan, which includes several revisions to policies and design guidelines related to future development. General Land Use Plan (GLUP) Map and Booklet amendments. Zoning ordinance amendments to coincide with the updated sector plan.” [Arlington County]
Beyer Gets Some Conservative Points — “Is U.S. Rep. Don Beyer getting more conservative as his congressional career continues? By one measure the answer is ‘yes,’ although nobody is likely to confuse him with Barry Goldwater anytime soon. Beyer (D-8th) garnered a score of 5 on a 0-to-100 scorecard detailed by the American Conservative Union Foundation on April 26, based on votes taken during the 2021 congressional session. That’s up from 4 a year before.” [Sun Gazette]
Rosslyn ‘Doggie Spa Day’ Today — “Calling all Rosslyn dogs and their humans! Pamper your pup with… special treats for your furry friend. Come out to the Gateway Park Interim Dog Park on… Thursday, April 28 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for our Rosslyn Refresh pup giveaways at the Rosslyn Trike!” [Rosslyn BID]
Carillon Dedication Scheduled — “A community event and Freedom Concert to mark the rededication of the Netherlands Carillon adjacent to the U.S. Marine War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) will be held on Thursday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to noon. The date marks the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by Allied Forces during World War II.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Thursday — Clear throughout the day, after a chilly and breezy morning. High of 57 and low of 35. Sunrise at 6:15 am and sunset at 7:59 pm. [Weather.gov]
Atilla’s Restaurant and its grocery store are closing (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Atilla’s Restaurant and its grocery store are closing (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Atilla’s Restaurant and its grocery store are closing (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Atilla’s Restaurant and its grocery store are both closing next month after nearly 50 years on Columbia Pike.
The well-known Turkish businesses are shutting the doors at 2705 Columbia Pike on May 29, long-time restaurant manager Sarah Engi confirmed to ARLnow.
The reason is redevelopment. The one-story retail strip that’s been Atilla’s home since the mid-1970s is set to be demolished in the coming months to make way for “The Elliott,” a six-story residential development that was approved by the Arlington County Board last month.
Engi said ownership is looking for a new space, hopefully as close as possible to the original Columbia Pike location. However, they are also looking in Fairfax County due to the cost of rent in Arlington being potentially prohibitive. The new business would focus on carry-out and retail.
The sit-down portion of Atilla’s Restaurant closed during the pandemic and never re-opened. There are no plans to revive that part of the business at the new location, Engi says.
In 1998, the original owner Atilla Kan sold the business to Zulkuf Gezgic. However, the restaurant’s namesake has stayed with the business ever since making bread, hummus, and other items.
Because of that, Atilla’s menu hasn’t changed all that much, Engi notes. It’s always been Turkish food with Greek influence, since Kan is originally from Greece but his family later moved to Turkey.
“The Elliott” is set to have 247 market-rate apartments above a grocery store, the relocated CVS, and Burritos Bros, which is moving from a small stand in the parking lot adjacent to Penrose Square.
The grocery store is rumored to be an Amazon Fresh location. When the company was asked, a spokesperson told ARLnow in February that “Amazon doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation.”
With about a month left at the location that Atilla’s has called home for almost five decades, there’s plenty of emotion.
“I’m sad. We are losing family,” Engi says. “Big companies are moving in and smaller businesses are leaving. Things are changing. It’s really sad.”
