Punch Bowl Social in Ballston, preparing to reopen
A local watering hole and entertainment spot is reopening, despite the pandemic.
Punch Bowl Social had been open for just over a year at Ballston Quarter when the pandemic struck and the business — which is premised on large groups of people drinking, dining and playing games — was shuttered.
The situation for Punch Bowl Social looked bleak as Cracker Barrel, a major corporate backer, pulled its support and the Denver-based “eatertainment” company was forced to lay off a majority of its restaurant and corporate employees.
But the national chain, which had 19 locations at the outset of the pandemic, has been slowly reopening locations since July, and the Ballston location is one of the next in line.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed to ARLnow what a newly-posted sign on the door tells passersby: Punch Bowl Social is planning to reopen on Monday, Oct. 12.
Though the appeal of a business with “social” in its name during a time of social distancing seems dubious — and that’s not to mention the shared punch bowls that constitute the other part of the brand’s identity — there is some reason for optimism.
Punch Bowl Social’s space in Ballston is massive, providing plenty of room for people to spread out, and there’s also a sizable outdoor patio. It might just be the next best cold-weather option to the outdoor beer gardens that proved very popular with young bar-goers this summer.
“This brand has always been about bringing people together and creating social connections,” CEO Robert Thompson told Restaurant Dive in June. “We need that now more than ever, and with our expansive, open floorplans we can do that in a way that will make people feel, for a moment, a renormalization of life.”
It’s October — And just like that, September is over and October has started. October has been deemed Affordable Housing Month in Arlington County.
Cool Month on Tap? — “After a fast shift to autumn in September, we anticipate the coolest October since 2015 along with a healthy dose of rainfall. Our forecast is for Washington’s average October temperature to fall within 2 degrees of normal. Remarkably, the past four Octobers have each been at least 3 degrees above normal.” [Capital Weather Gang]
Local Hotels Still Hurting — “Arlington’s hotel-occupancy rate in July was just 24 percent, with the year-to-date rate of 35 percent less than half the 76.7-percent rate recorded during the same seven-month period in 2019… For the January-to-July period, the average room rate for Arlington lodging establishments was $141.55, down nearly 18 percent from the $172.16 recorded during the same period in 2019.” [InsideNova]
Riders Steal Rideshare Driver’s Ride — “The victim was operating as a rideshare driver when he became engaged in a verbal dispute with the three passengers in his vehicle. As he stopped his vehicle to end the trip, the passengers assaulted the victim, then pulled him from the car and continued to assault him. The suspects then re-entered the vehicle, stole it, and fled prior to police arrival. Officers canvasing the area later located the vehicle nearby.” [ACPD]
Debate Watch Party in Shirlington — “Most voters who showed up to the watch party at Busboys and Poets in Shirlington neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, said they had made up their minds before the debate — and left feeling frustrated at what they saw.” [WUSA 9]
Regional Coronavirus Cases Down — “The number of new coronavirus infections this week has fallen to levels last seen in mid-July across the Washington region, although leaders and health officials worry that the return of colder weather could reverse the trend.” [Washington Post]
Paint Nail Bar, soon to open in Rosslyn (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Paint Nail Bar, soon to open in Rosslyn (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Paint Nail Bar, soon to open in Rosslyn (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Paint Nail Bar, soon to open in Rosslyn (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
After two years of planning and preparation, a husband and wife team are almost ready to open the doors of their new nail salon in Rosslyn.
Kevin Donohoo, a retired Army veteran, and Amber Donohoo, serial entrepreneur, former NASA project manager and owner of Dogtopia in Springfield, Va., are now the owners of Paint Nail Bar (1520 Clarendon Blvd) in Arlington.
With an opening party planned for Saturday, Oct. 24, the Donohoos are just weeks away from bringing a new luxury nail salon experience to the area.
“At PAINT, we understand that we are not a ‘nail salon,’ although we do nails. We do not look, feel, or smell like a traditional nail salon. From our custom-built furniture to our odorless environment, unparalleled staff development and engagement strategies, nails may be the trade, but relationships and client experience are the business,” the salon’s website says.
The Donohoos are franchisees of the Florida-based chain, which has locations in 13 states, including one in Leesburg.
The time of the opening party in Rosslyn is still to be determined, but once opened, the hours of operation will be as follows:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Donohoos say they’re actually looking forward to opening during the pandemic.
“I think it’s actually going to work in our favor that we are in a pandemic because our sterilization is far above and beyond any other nail salon in the area,” said Amber. “We use a hospital grade, heat sterilizer that is going to ensure that we are the cleanest salon around. I think that’s one of the things that people are looking for these days.”
“You have to feel safe enough to leave your house and go into a business, so having that knowledge that we are not only clean but sterile, I think is going to be a selling point for people coming in,” she added
Paint Nail Bar will be unique in other ways. It hosts special events — “fundraisers, birthday parties, bridal showers, baby sprinkles, or just a great time get together” — and has applied for a Virginia ABC permit to serve beer and wine.
Plus, the couple says, it’s more conscientious of wellness and the environment.
“The products are very, very important,” said Kevin. “The products that we use are free of a lot of the chemicals and they’re healthier for you; they’re healthier for your nails. It’s a fume-free, non-toxic environment, so you don’t get overwhelmed with that chemical punch in the face when you walk in to your typical salon. We don’t use pedicure thrones, we have basins that don’t have jets. The jets are pretty, they feel good, but there’s lot of potential for bacteria build-up in those and so we eliminate that and the infections that could come from the bacteria in those things by having a straight water basin.”
“I think that we’re in a time right now where self-care is so very important,” Kevin continued. “This is a simple and amazing way for people to get out of their homes and to a safe environment and be treated to a little slice of luxury and walk out feeling good about themselves… walking out with great looking nails, feeling refreshed before they go back to the work day.”
“It’s going to be an experience that [customers] will not forget,” Amber said.
Fewer kids will be able to take the bus when in-person classes resume at Arlington Public Schools.
APS says that it is expanding the “walk zones” for 16 of its 24 elementary schools, as buses will only be able to carry 11 students at a time due to social distancing guidelines.
“As we start to plan for returning to school buildings, we want to make you aware of some changes to bus transportation starting this year,” the school system said in an email to families this morning.
The proposed expansion of the walk zones around schools “will allow transportation to focus our bus service on routes that are farthest from school and allow them to move more quickly between stops and school,” said the email.
“APS is developing route maps to help families find their way and will work with the school to ensure families have access to them,” the email continues. “This year, with the many COVID-related challenges, walking and biking to school will provide more flexibility to your arrival/dismissal time from school, and give your students a little extra activity before and after their modified school day.”
Barring a deterioration of Arlington’s coronavirus metrics, APS announced last week that it was it tentatively planning to bring students with disabilities back in mid-to-late October; PreK-3, technical education and English learner students back in early-to-mid November; and all other students electing the two-day-per-week, in-person learning model in early December.
As of Tuesday, families of the middle group of students could select, via the online ParentVUE system, whether they want their kids to return to classrooms or stay at home, according to APS.
Arlington has reached something of a pandemic milestone on the last day of September: the cumulative total of residents hospitalized for COVID-19 has reached 500.
The pace of new hospitalizations, however, has been slowing, and it has taken three and a half months for the county to record the past 100 COVID hospitalizations, after hitting 400 on June 14.
The number of COVID-related deaths, meanwhile, reached 150 on Tuesday, and by tomorrow total cases in the county should cross 4,000, from 3,995 today.
Though all are large numbers for a 26 square mile county, the overall number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are just 1.7%, 0.2% and 0.065% of the overall Arlington population, respectively.
Current coronavirus trends in Arlington are a mixed bag. The seven-day average test positivity rate has ticked up to 3.2%, from a low point of 3.0% a few days ago. Yesterday the seven-day total of new cases hit 130, the highest point since Sept. 3. Today the seven-day total of new hospitalizations hit 3, the lowest point since Aug. 18.
Nationally, concerns remain about a rise in COVID-19 cases in the fall and winter. New York City’s health commissioner said yesterday that the city, which had an extended lull in virus spread this summer after being hard-hit early in the pandemic, is now seeing an “alarming increase” in new cases.
Halloween is a month away, but people are already starting to wonder how it’s going to play out.
Health authorities are cautioning against trick-or-treating during the pandemic. So far it has not been officially banned, but there is historical precedence for doing so.
During the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was at its deadliest between October and December, a number of U.S. cities banned Halloween parties and celebration, according to CNN.
What to do about Halloween is a hot topic on local Nextdoor threads.
“As tough as it is we are not going to engage in this this year to protect not only ourselves but others,” one resident said, on a recent thread visible to those in some North Arlington neighborhoods. “I really wish everyone could just buckle down so we can get the schools back open, even if it means sitting it out this year.”
Others disagreed.
“If people can safely protest, kids can trick or treat,” said another local resident. “This is nuts. This is an outdoor activity. I’m certain kids and their parents can social distance and those over the age of 2 yrs can wear proper masks.”
Given the current likelihood of there being some trick-or-treaters out and about this year, what is your plan for offering candy? Will you be answering the door, leaving a jar outside, or skipping the holiday altogether?
Items from Summers offered for auction (via Rasmus Auctions)
Items from Summers offered for auction (via Rasmus Auctions)
The pandemic has claimed yet another local restaurant — and this time, it’s one of the oldest bars in Arlington.
Summers, the soccer bar at 1520 N. Courthouse Road, will not reopen, owner Joe Javidara confirmed to ARLnow today. The restaurant’s furnishings — from kitchen equipment to framed soccer memorabilia to the Tiffany-style stained glass lamps — are now being offered for auction through Oct. 13.
Summers temporarily closed at the end of August, warning that the closure could be permanent if it was unable to obtain a permit for an expanded outdoor seating area. Javidara said he was not able to get the county permit and instead made the tough decision to close permanently.
A staple of the Courthouse neighborhood, Summers first opened in December 1982. It showed soccer matches from around the world at a time “when no one else in the U.S. watched soccer,” Javidara said, but went on to serve millions of customers over its 38 years.
It has remained in business through big changes to Arlington, but rent increases have made it difficult to make ends meet, said Javidara. It was set to close eventually due to a planned redevelopment of the block, but COVID-19 hastened the inevitable.
Javidara says he has been losing money every month since the start of the pandemic. The main dining used to hold 150 cheering soccer fans, but social distancing restrictions reduced that to 16. Only a handful actually would show up to watch the games, making it hard to retain employees who rely on tips.
Sales were off 95%, Javidara said, but the rent remained $20,000 per month. He said he was also unable to obtain a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan as a potential lifeline.
“It’s disappointing we have to go like this after 38 years,” Javidara told ARLnow.
Still, there’s some hope for the future. After taking some time off, something he hasn’t been able to do for decades, Javidra said he’ll test the waters to see if any investors might want to help Summers reopen elsewhere, perhaps as soon as next year.
Any new location would have to have more outdoor seating and, potentially, a rooftop. A German beer garden with sports could be a new format worth exploring, he said.
Eight months ago — on Jan. 29, 2020 — the employees of ARLnow and our sister sites all gathered to celebrate ARLnow’s 10th anniversary.
Together with friends, family and readers, we all packed into Bronson Bierhall in Ballston to drink, eat and chat. There were no masks to be seen. Social distancing was not yet a thing that was being practiced.
It would prove to be one of the last times those in attendance were able to enjoy such an evening.
Two days before the event, ARLnow published its first reference to the novel coronavirus. Just six days before that, the first coronavirus case in the U.S. was announced.
The following is a timeline of those fateful few weeks between our first mention of the virus and the first confirmed case in Arlington.
Jan. 31 — “With the Virginia Health Department investigating a second possible case of coronavirus in Northern Virginia, Arlington County is preparing for the worst-case scenario: a local outbreak.”
Feb. 4 — Tests on both possible coronavirus cases in Northern Virginia came back negative. There are still no local cases.
Feb. 27 — Another Northern Virginia resident was being tested after contracting coronavirus-like symptoms.
Feb. 28 — “As the global coronavirus outbreak spreads and the stock market sinks, both Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools are ramping up their public outreach on the disease.”
March 5 — During an online Q&A, Arlington’s health director urges residents to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly.
March 5 — Most local stores have been picked clean of face masks, hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol.
March 6 — Arlington Public Schools says it is “preparing for the possibility of school closures in the future, if necessary.”
That first local case was followed two days later by the suspension of the NBA season, widely seen as a turning point in the country’s response to the pandemic, and four days later by the announced closure of Arlington Public Schools.
Arlington’s rate of new coronavirus cases increased slightly over the weekend, but kept within a range held since early September.
Fifty-four new cases have been reported since Friday, bringing the trailing seven-day average of new daily cases to 16. That is within the 12 to 18 cases per day range that has held since Sept. 4.
The county’s test positivity rate has dropped slightly, to 3.0%. That compares to 4.7% statewide.
Virginia’s test positivity rate has steadily dropped from 7.9% at the beginning of the month. New daily cases statewide have fallen as well, from an average of around 1,000 per day on Sept. 1 to just under 800 per day now.
No new hospitalizations were reported in Arlington over the weekend, and the seven-day trailing total of new hospitalizations is currently five. One new COVID-related death was reported over the weekend, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.
As of today Virginia, is second only to Georgia in terms of declining spread of the virus, according to one popular tracker. In all, fifteen states and the District of Columbia are seeing declining spread, but 35 states are seeing a rising epidemic, according to Rt.live.
While our stats may look encouraging, experts are worried that we may be at the start of a rising wave in new infections nationally.
“Almost half the US is reporting increased numbers of new Covid-19 cases as health experts warn of a potential coronavirus surge in the fall and winter,” CNN reported yesterday. “As of Sunday, the number of new coronavirus cases has increased by at least 10% or more compared to the week before in 21 states, most of them in the West, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.”
As reported Covid cases continue to rise around the U.S., the number of Covid hospitalizations – which is an important, objective measure of total disease burden – have stopped their decline, and may be starting to increase again. pic.twitter.com/TxSkIR3rh3
Other than the health of those affected, perhaps the biggest societal concern about rising cases is what that might mean for schools.
Last week Arlington Public Schools announced a timeline for at least partially resuming in-person classes, for all students who opt to return to school, by early December. But that’s only if health metrics stay positive.
“The plan is based on guidance from the Virginia Department of Education, as well as regional and local health metrics in consultation with the Arlington County Public Health Division,” APS said.
The school system also introduced a COVID-19 dashboard for tracking such metrics.
More from APS:
APS will begin with Level 1 Return for a small group of students with disabilities in mid- to late-October, followed by Level 2 Return for English Learners, students with disabilities, PreK-3rd grade students, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) students enrolled in the Career Center, in early- to mid-November. Level 3 Return, for all students who select hybrid, in-person learning, is planned for December, depending on health and operational metrics. Ability to proceed to each Level is based on the COVID-19 dashboard. If community health conditions worsen, APS, in collaboration with the Arlington County Public Health Department, will pause at the current level, reverse, or suspend all in-person instruction.
While many parents (and school employees) are concerned about the health impacts of a return to classrooms, other parents are pushing for an earlier resumption of in-person learning.
A petition called “Ready to go back: Arlington Parents Deserve A Real Choice From APS,” which calls for “a return to in-person instruction for families who choose to send their children into school buildings,” has gathered more than 900 signatures as of Monday morning.
Arlington’s coronavirus metrics are pointing in the right direction, though there remains a baseline of new cases in the county.
The county’s test positivity rate is now 3.1%, down from 5.1% on Sept. 1, according to the latest Virginia Dept. of Health data.
The seven-day trailing total of new cases, meanwhile, is down to 90, from 145 on Sept. 1. Twenty new cases were reported in Arlington overnight, bringing the cumulative total to 3,909.
Since Monday, one new COVID-related death and five new hospitalizations were reported in the county, bringing the cumulative total of both to 148 and 498, respectively.
Arlington’s case hospitalization rate continues to fall, reaching 12.7% today, down from 15.0% on Aug. 1.
One possible explanation for why people seem to not be getting as sick from the virus as they were earlier in the pandemic? Mask wearing may be cutting down on the amount of virus that is infecting people, thus accounting for more asymptomatic and mild cases, according to one recent scientific theory. However, a recent mutation in the virus may also be making it more transmissible, partially offsetting the precautions people are taking.
Among those testing positive for coronavirus this week were Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam. The couple made the announcement of their diagnosis this morning.
Pam is experiencing mild symptoms, and I am asymptomatic. Per @VDHgov guidelines, we will isolate at home for 10 days and then reevaluate our symptoms.
I am in constant contact with my cabinet and staff, and will continue working from the Executive Mansion.
The Virginia Department of Health reported the results of over 30,000 coronavirus diagnostic tests, the second highest total ever, but only 902 new positive cases. The state’s seven-day average of new cases is down to 861.7, its lowest level since July 14.
In Northern Virginia, 170 new cases were reported Thursday, the fourth straight day with fewer than 200, and the region’s seven-day average fell to 198.6, its lowest level since Aug. 6.
(Updated at 3 p.m.) Some local businesses are making it through the pandemic just fine, but others are still struggling.
Restaurants — particularly those that rely on sit-down and bar business — are among the hardest hit. In New York City, a new report said that 9 in 10 restaurants couldn’t pay their August rent. Here in Arlington, one long-time local restaurant owner estimated in April that 30-40% of restaurants could ultimately close as a result of the pandemic.
Clothing retailers, dry cleaners and anyone else whose business relies on people going to the office or children going to school is also in trouble.
Talks about another round of coronavirus stimulus on Capitol Hill have been stalled for month, but are reportedly restarting. A new aid package is likely to include new relief for small businesses, airlines and others.
Unfortunately, that will come too late for a number of Arlington businesses. Here are the fallen — a list of local businesses that have closed over the past 6+ months, since the first coronavirus case in Arlington.
It should be noted that not all of the above closed as a direct result of the pandemic. Sam Torrey Shoe Service, for instance, closed after the owner decided to move to the Outer Banks.
Know of any others not mentioned here? Let us know in the comments.
