A notice on the doors of the bakery, located at 2900 Clarendon Blvd near The Crossing Clarendon shopping center, confirms the Arlington outpost of the international chain closed on Sunday.
“We’ve been lucky to call Clarendon our home for years and humbly thank our guests for helping us build a community in the time we’ve spent in this space,” the notice says.
Known for its assortment of baked goods, breads, salads, sandwiches and beverages, Le Pain Quotidien operates about 50 locations nationwide, including what are now six in the D.C. area. The Clarendon Blvd location was the only one in Arlington.
A representative from Le Pain Quotidien declined to provide details about the closure when ARLnow visited today (Tuesday).
Within the last few months, several other businesses have also closed nearby, including Mediterranean restaurant Cava Mezze and outdoor goods store Orvis.
Crash involving police vehicle in Clarendon (photo courtesy anonymous)
Crash involving police vehicle in Clarendon (photo courtesy anonymous)
Crash involving police vehicle in Clarendon (photo courtesy anonymous)
(Updated at 7 p.m.) A two-vehicle crash in Clarendon damaged an Arlington County police cruiser this afternoon.
The crash happened shortly before 3 p.m. at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Danville Street. The second vehicle involved, a red hatchback, came to rest on the sidewalk, steps away from the entrance to the Beyond/Hello cannabis dispensary.
Officers were responding to an incident in the Ballston area at the time of the crash.
“At approximately 2:45 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person with a knife in the area of N. Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard,” said ACPD spokeswoman Alli Shorb. “An officer responding to the scene was travelling westbound on Wilson Boulevard when a vehicle travelling northbound on N. Danville Street collided with them. The driver of the vehicle was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.”
“The preliminary investigation into the suspicious person determined the victim was stopped in her vehicle on Fairfax Drive when the male suspect approached and displayed a knife,” Shorb said late Friday afternoon, of the Ballston incident. “The victim fled the area in her vehicle and called police. Responding officers located the suspect in the area and took him into custody. Charges are pending for the suspect and officers remain on scene investigating.”
Police on scene of robbery at the Clarendon Metro station (staff photo)
Police on scene of robbery at the Clarendon Metro station (staff photo)
Police on scene of robbery at the Clarendon Metro station (staff photo)
Two men could be seen in handcuffs near the Clarendon Metro station this afternoon, after a reported robbery that left one person injured.
Initial reports suggest the robbery happened inside the Metro station just before 1 p.m. Police converged on the scene amid 911 calls about a pair of suspects in ski masks running through Clarendon following the robbery.
Medics were also dispatched to the station to treat the victim, who was injured inside the station.
A half hour after the robbery, both Arlington County police and Metro Transit Police were still on scene, questioning two handcuffed men on either side of Wilson Blvd.
ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage declined to provide additional details, instead referring ARLnow to Metro Transit Police.
Snatch and grab on the metro, stolen phone, appeared they caught the guy in the running store where he was hiding
Arlington Independent Media in Clarendon (file photo)
(Updated at 12:20 a.m. on 12/7/23) After a 2-year search for new digs, Arlington Independent Media is on the cusp of moving from its long-time headquarters in Clarendon.
Next week, Arlington’s public access TV channel, community radio station and media training provider intends to sign a lease for space in Courthouse Plaza, says its CEO Whytni Kernodle. The building is owned by JBG Smith and home to Arlington County headquarters.
The cash-strapped organization is having to look outside its coffers to leave before its Dec. 31 deadline. The organization disclosed it had $31,000 in cash on hand during its November meeting, according to Lynn Borton, a former producer with AIM who was in attendance.
Kernodle requested $350,000 in funds that Comcast sets aside for expenses by public institutions, Arlington Public Schools and the county government. She also intends to fundraise another $25,000.
Once settled in Courthouse, Kernodle envisions an “On Air!” sign attracting passers-by to come and listen to music and watch AIM produce live shows. Next year, she wants to add public speaking events.
“The really great community media organizations are out in the community without waiting for people to come to their location,” she said. “We’re coming to the community as opposed to expecting the community to come to us.”
AIM will retain its rent-free second location in a county-owned building in Green Valley, for which it pays an “affordable license fee,” according to the county.
Kernodle says it was not a viable headquarters because it was too small and too far from the broadcast tower AIM uses in Courthouse for live shows. She also did not want to give up a North Arlington presence.
The move comes as the organization faces pressure to clarify its finances and rely more on fundraising, membership fees and advertising, and less on county funding, for its operational expenses.
AIM also faces existential pressures from consumers choosing streaming over cable, as fewer cable subscriptions means less funding for Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access Channels — and fewer viewers.
Streaming, along with better technology and the dominance of social media, can also weaken the value of AIM’s core offerings — professional-grade equipment, studios and training for content creators — says Rodger Smith, a senior instructor in the George Mason University Department of Communication.
“Why go to AIM when I can be in my house and I can create a podcast that still sounds broadcast quality or I can produce video,” says Smith, who is also the faculty advisor for WGMU, the campus online radio station. “They have to offer a service that [people] can’t find anyplace else.”
Rocky finances and a forthcoming governance document
AIM will be leaving a building where the rent almost sank it financially, but its woes are not behind it.
When AIM lost free rent at 2701 Wilson Blvd as part of a 2016 local cable franchise agreement, it racked up $80,000 in debts and nearly went under, even after the county paid its market-rate rent for several months, says Borton.
While serving as AIM’s president, she got collections officers to stop calling in 2019 and negotiated a lower rent. The organization has known it needed to move since 2021, when the new owner of 2701 Wilson Blvd opened the Beyond Hello dispensary next door, with plans to take over AIM’s space, Borton said.
All this time, the county tried to wean AIM from county support, proposing, then lessening, cuts after outcry from AIM staff and listeners.
The organization continues to face financial transparency challenges, as it is behind on its Form 990s. The IRS makes public these nonprofit tax forms so people can gauge an organization’s financial health.
Bar Ivy on Dec. 1, 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Bar Ivy on Dec. 1, 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Bar Ivy on Dec. 1, 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Bar Ivy in Clarendon (courtesy photo)
Bar Ivy in Clarendon (courtesy photo)
Bar Ivy in Clarendon (courtesy photo)
Bar Ivy started offering specialty coffee drinks, including lattes (courtesy photo)
(Updated at 3 p.m.) There’s no official word on its website, but it looks like Bar Ivy in Clarendon may have closed permanently.
The “West Coast-inspired” restaurant at 3033 Wilson Blvd, noted for its expansive and verdant outdoor patio, opened in the summer of 2022. Earlier this fall it introduced a breakfast and coffee menu, in addition to existing lunch and dinner service.
Bar Ivy was the first Virginia venture of Blagden Hospitality Group, which is behind Tiger Fork, Hi-Lawn and Calico in D.C. A promised second Bar Ivy location in Bethesda was last reported in May to be opening in early 2024.
A PR rep for Bar Ivy did not respond to a request for confirmation, sent earlier this week, that the restaurant was closing. But the evidence is mounting.
“A friend was to have their holiday party at BarIvy, but were informed… the restaurant is permanently closed,” one tipster told ARLnow. Another tipster pointed out that Bar Ivy’s Facebook page says it is “permanently closed,” in an update made on Tuesday.
No one answered the phone at the restaurant today, during what should be business hours. And Bar Ivy’s online reservation page lists no available future dates.
A sign outside, however, says it is “closed this week for private events.”
Blagden Hospitality closed gastropub Fainting Goat, on U Street NW in the District, this past May, Washingtonian reported.
Chabad Lubavitch of Alexandria-Arlington’s menorah lighting in 2015 (via Chabad Lubavitch of Alexandria-Arlington/Facebook)
Menorah lights are set to brighten up Arlington after Hanukkah begins next Friday.
On Sunday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m., Chabad Lubavitch of Alexandria-Arlington, a local branch of the global Jewish outreach organization, will light its “giant 9-foot Menorah.”
The annual event will take place at Chabad’s community center at 1307 N. Highland Street in Clarendon.
Both events will have “lively Chanukah music” to set the festive mood, according to their respective event descriptions. Attendees can indulge in hot potato latkes, hot cocoa, donuts and chocolate gelt. They will also receive a complimentary dreidel.
Admission is free but registration is required, as reservations are open until each event reaches capacity.
“Security will be present” at both events, Chabad Lubavitch noted.
The menorah-lighting tradition, a fixture for over a decade, often draws local officials. Previously, the events were held at the Pentagon Row ice skating rink and outside the Clarendon Metro station.
“It has been an amazing run, but the time has come for Pamplona’s final turn! To our loyal regulars, guests and friends, we can not say thank you enough; just know we could not have done it without you,” the post said.
“We want to thank our staff (past and present) for their hard work and dedication throughout the years. We formed countless memories with all of you, and we will forever be grateful,” the restaurant said.
Its final day appears to be Saturday, Dec. 16, per the post.
A representative for Pamplona could not be reached before publication. Its owner, Mike Bramson, also owns The Lot, an open-air beer garden that began its long goodbye this year ahead of development plans for the site it occupies.
The former Dunkin’ location in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The former Dunkin’ location in Clarendon in 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A former Dunkin’ in Clarendon is set to become a new Jersey Mike’s Subs.
The sandwich shop is looking to move into the storefront at the intersection of Clarendon Blvd and N. Garfield Street, a block from the Clarendon Metro station, according to the beginnings of a permit application filed with Arlington County. The spot has been vacant for two years.
Arlington does not yet have a Jersey Mike’s Subs location, though another one is in the works at the base of the Westmont Apartments at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road. The closest current locations are in Falls Church and Alexandria.
Jersey Mike’s Subs franchisee Beth Wiley is bringing forward both the Clarendon and Columbia Pike locations. She says the process has just started for the Clarendon location: an architect has completed drawings and soon, a contractor will review the project and estimate costs.
The new Clarendon outpost will move into a former Dunkin’ that also housed a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop. It opened in 2017 and closed in 2021, just as a new Dunkin’ came online near Clarendon on Wilson Blvd.
“It’s helpful because it was already a restaurant,” Wiley said. “The work is not quite as extensive. It’s a remodel, as opposed to starting from scratch… Everything is in pretty good shape.”
The county processed the initial request for interior alterations to the nearly 1,400-square-foot space at 3009 Clarendon Blvd last week and now awaits plans and documents, the permit records say.
As for the Pike location, Wiley says the county is reviewing plans, submitted a month ago, and she has a contractor lined up. All that remains is getting the go-ahead from landlord Republic Properties, which held a grand opening for its new development earlier this month.
The franchisee says the two locations could potentially open sometime this spring.
Wiley says she is excited to bring the brand to Arlington as it expands beyond suburban strip malls and into more urban areas.
“When I signed on for Jersey Mike’s, I signed on for Arlington,” she said. “I grew up in this area… It seemed like a great opportunity, if you find the right sites, and here we are, and I couldn’t be happier.”
A “For Lease” sign sits in the window of Cava Mezze in November 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Cava Mezze has quietly shuttered in Clarendon, with a “For Lease” sign recently placed out front.
This comes after the restaurant — the upscale original version of the popular, publicly traded Mediterranean chain — changed its status to “closed” on the company’s website last month. Google, however, still lists it as “temporarily closed.”
During a visit to the eatery at 2940 Clarendon Blvd on Oct. 4, ARLnow observed minor construction and scattered materials inside. A manager, seen turning away puzzled would-be customers, said the closure was due to renovations but offered no details on when the restaurant might reopen.
Now, the “For Lease” sign sits in the window of the restaurant, which first opened in 2011, strongly suggesting that the closure is permanent.
Neither the company nor the property manager CBRE responded to ARLnow’s request for comment before publication.
Both Cava Mezze locations in Rockville and Olney, Maryland, are still open, as are the two fast-casual Cava locations in Rosslyn and Ballston.
Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)
While many enjoyed pre-Halloween revelry this weekend, Arlington County police were kept busy with a variety of mayhem.
Several of the notable incidents happened early Saturday morning.
Just before 1 a.m., officers responded to a carjacking in Crystal City, in which a man is alleged to have forcibly stolen a car and a phone from a woman he knows.
CARJACKING, 2023-10280018, 23rd Street S. at S. Eads Street. At approximately 12:48 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of a dispute. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim and male suspect, who are known to each other, were inside the victim’s vehicle when they became involved in a verbal dispute, during which the suspect stole the victim’s phone. The suspect then threatened the victim and demanded the keys to her vehicle. The suspect took possession of the keys and the victim exited the vehicle. The suspect subsequently fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. No injuries were reported. Warrants for the suspect were obtained for Carjacking and Petit Larceny.
This is at least the 17th reported carjacking in Arlington so far this year, three more than the 2022 total of 14.
About an hour later, police responded to a bar in Clarendon for a 24-year-old D.C. woman who allegedly assaulted a bouncer.
After the bouncer declined to prosecute, the still-agitated suspect is alleged to have spit on a female officer. She was then arrested on the charge of Assault on Police.
ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-10280034, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 1:43 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, it was determined the female suspect was acting disorderly inside an establishment and asked to leave by security personnel. The suspect refused and allegedly assaulted the security personnel. A deputy working the Nightlife detail intervened and the suspect remained combative. Responding officers detained the suspect during which, she kicked one of them. The victim did not wish to prosecute for the assault and officers banned the suspect from the property. The suspect then reapproached an officer and spat on her. [The suspect], 24, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with Assault on Police.
About an hour after that, a hit-and-run dispatch led to the discovery of a man suffering a serious laceration and a car chase of the suspect in both crimes.
The suspect, a 24-year-old Arlington man, was finally taken into custody in the Columbia Forest neighborhood and now faces a slew of charges.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-10280046, 600 block of S. Carlin Springs Road. At approximately 2:52 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of a hit and run which was later determined to have occurred in Fairfax County, VA. Upon arrival, it was determined the reporting party, who is the owner of the vehicle struck in the hit and run, followed the suspect vehicle into Arlington and observed the male suspect stop in the 600 block of S. Carlin Springs Road and remove an individual from the vehicle before fleeing the area. Responding officers located the individual, an adult male, suffering from a laceration and immediately rendered aid before being transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. A lookout for the suspect vehicle was broadcast and an officer observed the vehicle traveling in the wrong direction and initiated a traffic stop. The suspect disregarded the officer’s emergency equipment and fled the area. Following a vehicle pursuit, the suspect vehicle came to a stop in the 5100 block of 10th Place S., during which the suspect exited and fled the scene on foot. Following a foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without incident and determined to allegedly be under the influence. The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and the known suspect were in a residence in the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street when they became involved in a verbal dispute that escalated to a physical altercation during which the victim suffered the injury. [The suspect], 24, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding, Eluding, Driving Under the Influence, Obstruction of Justice and Driving Under the Influence on a Suspended License. He was held without bond.
The Golden Fox Boutique at The Crossing in Clarendon (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The Golden Fox Boutique at The Crossing in Clarendon (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Various home decor and accessories sold at The Golden Fox in Clarendon (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Christmas-themed decor sold at The Golden Fox Boutique in Clarendon (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Various kinds of accessories and apparel sold at The Golden Fox Boutique in Clarendon (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Baby-themed apparel sold at The Golden Fox in Clarendon (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A new boutique specializing in fashion, home goods and accessories opened at The Crossing Clarendon earlier this week.
Located at 2700 Clarendon Blvd, next to the soon-to-open Chip City, The Golden Fox Boutique offers a range of products from handmade soap and candles to locally-produced chocolate and eye-catching baby clothes.
Owner Paula Frishman, an Arlington resident for 16 years and former nonprofit consultant, says what sets her shop apart is its focus on sourcing products from women-owned businesses. There’s also a local focus, with several brands featured in the store based in the D.C. area, including The Bathing Raven Soy Candle Company and Lemon & Whim.
“There are some unique and different things that you don’t see at a mall or big box stores,” Frishman said.
The store had a soft opening this past Monday, but Frishman plans to hold a grand opening on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
Frishman said the inspiration to launch her boutique came after she struck up a friendship with Nicole Kahle, owner of Lemoncello Boutique in the Lee Heights Shops. After a brief stint working part-time at Kahle’s shop, Frishman said she felt motivated to bring her vision for retail to life.
“It just seemed like an interesting transition… So, mixing my love of working with people and blending that with my love of interesting and unique products and the desire to do something in the greater Arlington community,” she told ARLnow.
Starting a new business has been challenging, Frishman said. But she noted it’s simultaneously also been a “fun” experience.
“I really enjoy the products, and the people that have been coming in have been wonderful. We really love Clarendon, and we love what they’re doing here at The Crossing,” Frishman said.
