local business

‘This Is Fine Coffee’ in Clarendon Rebranded as ‘Kino Coffee,’ Adds Indie Movies to Menu

By James Cullum

Don’t worry, bumble coffee — that concoction of orange juice, caramel and espresso over ice — is still on the menu at the cafe formerly known as This is Fine Coffee in Clarendon.

Kino Coffee has the same menu, but its offerings now include independent movies.

In May, owners Jason Blevins and Anna Tsybko converted a back room of their shop at 2607 Wilson Blvd into a small pop-up cinema. They painted the walls black and installed a large screen for indie films and documentaries.

Blevins and Tsybko opened This is Fine Coffee in January, taking over the space previously occupied for three years by Blümen Cafe.

“Nothing was wrong with [the old name],” Blevins told ARLnow. “There’s a bit of humor with ‘This Is Fine,’ but 2020 killed some of the humor with it. When we started to incorporate a pop-up cinema to the business model, we found it harder to convey that in the name. So, we chose ‘Kino’, which means movie theater in Russian and German and a bunch of languages.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the theater can only hold nine people, and tickets will be $8. The first movies will start premiering next month, and the theater has partnered with Magnolia Pictures to showcase new films, including “Stray” in March.

“We just opened seating inside two weeks ago,” Blevins said. “Until then, we actually hadn’t had anyone in the whole entire space longer than it took for them to pick up their coffee and leave.”

Blevins studied film at New York University, and said that old cartoons and silent movies from the Soviet Union will play in the theater on most days.

“We have movies going on in the back room and Eastern European-inspired drinks and pastry options,” he said.

Among Kino’s offerings is one sure to keep you awake during the slow scenes: the Atomic Bumble, an eye-opening mix of ghost pepper, espresso, orange juice and tonic water over ice.

“We just hope that people appreciate a different experience in terms of cinema and supporting independent businesses,” said Blevins.

Here Are a Dozen Businesses Listed for Sale in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Earlier in the year we checked in on some local businesses that were listed for sale online.

Listing aggregator BizBuySell generally doesn’t name the business that’s for sale, but the descriptions in each listing provide some clues. With the pandemic causing financial hardship for many small businesses, while prompting older owners to contemplate retirement, the list of businesses for sale remains relatively long.

Below are some that are currently listed in Arlington. Note that some listings may be for businesses that already closed and thus no longer active.

  1. Prime Location Restaurant & Bar — “High volume restaurant & bar located on a heavy traffic road in Arlington VA. This restaurant was established in 2019 with all brand new top of the line furniture, fixtures & equipment. With an extensive menu featuring burgers, sandwiches, steak & fish platters to salads and everything in between, this restaurants specialty is its infamous craft beer, rotating drafts & cocktail selection.”
  2. RESTAURANT & BAR Full Kitchen/Bring Your Own Concept — “Currently open as a Restaurant and Bar. Huge potential for motivated and experienced parties to take over and convert to a Sports bar, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Italian restaurant, Hookah bar, or Bakery. Located in very busy corner location with a lot of foot traffic. Size 2,500 Sf. Rent $14,760.”
  3. Pet Grooming Spa — “Great Opportunity for Pet Groomers. Located in heart of Arlington. Excellent client base with many loyal repeat customers. Business is open 6 days a week on a appt only basis.”
  4. Dry Cleaners for Sale/Prime locations — “Prime locations. Doing very well in this challenging time. Just reduced sale price! Well established profitable business. Each 1600sf store. 1-plant, 1 pick up store. Loyal customers. Owned since 1997 ( 23 years) Reasonable rent. High growth potential in the booming market. Pick up store location only using about 60% of space. ( could sublease the other 40% to tuxedo rental for example ) Right cross street brand new apartment complex going to deliver soon. (calculating 25%-30% increase in revenue) Has alterations & shoe repair. The current owner not doing any marketing and offering any promotions. Most employees will stay.”
  5. Ice Cream business in a high income area — “Unique and Very well established Ice Cream business in a very nice area surrounded by businesses and residentials. VERY high-income area with limited dessert choice. Seller’s initial investment was more than $350K about 2 years ago. High End Establishment. Great Reputation. Seller is looking for a experienced and passionate buyer who can utilize this business and location to make a very profitable business. Currently, this is a franchise business, but a buyer can keep this or put his/her own concept to increase revenue.”
  6. Nail, Hair Salon and Spa — “Well established Spa serving a well-to-do community for 20 years. Grocery anchored shopping center. 11 massage rooms (2 for couples), 9 has water. 3 toilets, 3 showers, 1 sauna, 1 dry spa. Large spa but rent is very reasonable. Membership program, gift card sale available. Most staff will stay. Seller will help during transition. A face lift will bring in new energy and more growth.”
  7. Profitable Fast Casual Restaurant in Arlington — “Do not miss this opportunity to own a turn key fast casual restaurant in the heart of Arlington VA. This restaurant is surrounded by office buildings as well as residential condos and apartments which provides heavy walking traffic. All furniture, fixtures and equipment are in pristine condition and included in the price. This profitable restaurant can be converted to fit almost any menu/concept and the rent is well below the current market price. Street parking with 2 spots for ownership.”
  8. Latin Fast Food Carry Out with Food Truck — “Profitable fast casual Latin American restaurant for sale with option to buy food truck. Established in 2011, this restaurant has come along way with nothing but great reviews. Located on a heavily populated road in Arlington VA surrounded by office buildings and residential. The restaurant does approximately $500,000 a year in annual sales while the food truck averages $5,000 dollars per week with only running 15 hours per week. The restaurant has a beer, wine and liquor license but does not currently serve liquor.”
  9. Asian Fusion-Carry Out Restaurant for Sale — “Location, location, location! on the main road of Arlington county Asian Fusion Carry-Out for sale. Easy to change the menu to Pizza, [Rotisserie], or Sushi Restaurant. 1500 sf. 16 seat capacity. 8 parking spaces. (4 in front,4 in the back) Big basement. Decent size kitchen. Walk-in cooler.12 feet hood in place. Pandemic forced to close this business but a great opportunity for other concepts. 5 years lease remaining and 1-5 year option. Low rent and good location is the key to success.”
  10. Pizza place for sale — “Great location in Arlington, very low rent 1200 sq ft… very unique pizza place , excellent service and quality food.”
  11. Retail Upscale Lingerie Boutique — “This award-winning European-stye boutique offers upscale women’s lingerie from a high-end storefront in a high traffic urban area. This is an exciting opportunity to purchase an establishment with enormous upside potential. The store’s bra-fitting services attract and retain an extensive group of very loyal customers. Because women should have a bra-fitting every year and that requires an in-person visit, this business does not compete with online retailers.”
  12. Two Upscale & Modern Group Fitness Centers — “Great opportunity to own two top-rated and innovative group fitness centers that provide a proprietary group exercise program, personal training, and open gym services. The Arlington location was opened in 2017 and has established a large loyal client base, and the Alexandria location opened in October of 2020 in a new upscale mixed-use plaza. Each facility is outfitted with the latest cardio, strength training, and functional fitness equipment as well as wearable heart rate technology that can display on screens throughout the facility.”

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Small Biz Focus: Farewell 2020, Hello 2021! (Hold on Maybe Not *Quite* Yet)

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This article was written by Tara Palacios, Director of BizLaunch at Arlington Economic Development.

This week marks the official beginning of the holiday season. Sugar plums and New Year’s Eve preparations are generally at hand; however, many business owners are navigating the negative impact of the current health pandemic on their business. What are the key action items you should do for your business before the year ends?

BizLaunch recommends these five steps to take before we say hello to 2021:

1. Before the year ends check in with your accountant.

Before you know it, tax season will be upon us during the first quarter of 2021. If your business was awarded a CARES Act forgivable grant from a government entity you will need to take the funds in as income. You will want to know how those funds will impact your bottom line before the tax season begins. The Paycheck Protection Loans (PPP) have new guidance as well from the U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Treasury Department encourages businesses to utilize the forgiveness portion of the PPP as soon as possible.

2. Undertake a business audit.

Be ready for funding opportunities in 2021. If Congress successfully passes an additional stimulus package for the U.S .before the end of 2020, ensure your business is prepared. Do a quick business audit so you can apply and be awarded funds. Here is a quick crib sheet to audit your business and be prepared for new potential opportunities in 2021:

3. Pivot again in 2021? Be open to your options.

The impact of the health pandemic changes daily. It’s challenging to design a long-term plan as a business with so many unknowns; however, as a business owner you will want to have a pulse of what is going on in your industry real-time. Some trends may be long lasting, and you’ll want to stay ahead of the fray. However, pivoting again based on the facts of the moment may help your organization as we move into 2021. Follow the opportunities, and think twice before you keep doing business as usual since these are unusual times we are living in.

4. Follow the opportunities in 2021.

Pay close to attention to emails and newsletters that support local businesses. If there are grants, resources and potential business prospects, you don’t want to miss an opportunity because you didn’t know about it. If you haven’t already, sign up for our Economic Development newsletter and BizLaunch newsletter. We will be communicating all business intelligence we find in those communications platforms.

5. Reach out for help.

You may feel like the world is on your shoulders; however, reach out for help when you need it. Don’t wait. The longer you wait, the harder the challenge becomes. We recommend having a business mentor or participating in a mentorship program to help you work through an issue you are facing. It may help you look at the situation in a different way or allow you to speak with someone who has faced a similar challenge. Watch this space because BizLaunch is planning to offer new resources for our business in the coming year.

Extra Coronavirus Precautions Draw New Customers to Moore’s Barber Shop

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

For decades, Moore’s Barber Shop in Arlington has been known as a place where men go for friendships as much as good haircuts.

“The haircut is about a relationship, especially for men,” said James Moore, Jr., the second generation of Moore men to run the business at 4807 Lee Highway.

Community and conversations have drawn people in since James Moore, Sr. opened it in 1960 as Arlington’s first integrated barbershop. Its reputation as a community-serving local business has persisted. Last year, the younger Moore let a nonprofit distribute children’s books there.

While the coronavirus has stifled the sense of communion, his shop is now known for a different reason: COVID-19 accommodations.

Through word of mouth and social media, customers are coming in from Maryland and Washington, D.C. to check out his virus-resistant operations, he said.

“I had a barber shop from Delaware that called and asked me what my procedures and policies were, and who I was ordering supplies from,” he said. “They heard I’m doing it the way you’re supposed to do it.”

Once a hub for friendly debates while Moore moderates — in the event that tempers flare — Moore’s Barber Shop now only holds four people at a time: two barbers and two customers.

Everyone is masked, and the barbers are gloved. Like many businesses, Moore checks his customers’ temperatures, but he goes one step further and checks oxygen saturation levels.

Low oxygen levels can be an early indicator for COVID-19, he said, and Moore has turned away a few people with low levels and counseled them to go to the hospital.

“If you’re 94 or less, you’ve got a serious problem,” he said. “It’s documented that people say they feel great, but they have low oxygen saturation, and then [their body] crashes and they’re on a ventilator.”

Moore also accommodates customers who need extra precautions to feel safe. A select few feel more comfortable with just him in the room, so he opens at 5 or 6 a.m. to give them haircuts.

He uses a plastic-covered chair and a plastic cape, which are easier to clean, he said.

“The real extreme customers bring in their own clippers and cape,” he said. “Between those things, [business is] coming back strong.”

Moore attributes his near-medical-grade approach to his 32 years as an Arlington County firefighter, which gave him the knowledge and background needed to keep people safe.

(more…)

Purple Lounge Site Now For Lease

By Scott Fields

After a myriad of controversies, Purple Lounge is set to vacate the property at 3111 Columbia Pike.

Property owner Jorge Escobar confirmed that the lease for the business runs out in January, at which point the Purple Lounge will leave the premises. A “for lease” sign currently hangs from the second story of the building.

Purple Lounge has repeatedly been in hot water with state alcohol regulators over the last few months. The business lost its liquor license on Oct. 9 after violating a settlement it reached with Virginia ABC on Sept. 16 to resume alcohol sales with a number of restrictions.

The October suspension came after Arlington County police officers recovered a gun and charged two people with narcotics offenses. Arlington County police notified Virginia ABC, which determined that Purple Lounge was not complying with two restrictions set by the settlement:

  • Restriction #4: The licensee agrees to have at least four (4) clearly identified Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) certified security personnel on duty every day of operation between the hours of 9 p.m. and closing with at least one (1) guard assigned to patrol and monitor the parking lot, who will begin monitoring the parking lot no later than 8:30 p.m. and will remain on duty after closing until the parking lot has been cleared or until at least thirty (30) minutes after closing (whichever is longer).
  • Restriction #5: The licensee will not permit any loitering, loud music or drinking in the parking lot at any time.

The settlement came after the business had its liquor license suspended earlier in September after multiple shootings at the location. The September suspension immediately followed a double shooting on Aug. 30, and a triple shooting in June that resulted in one death.

The Purple Lounge had its live entertainment permit revoked by Arlington County last December amid local safety concerns. The business was also the site of violence the previous September when a man was shot outside the venue.

Purple Lounge’s nightlife predecessors at the same location have had similar controversies in the past. Pines of Italy restaurant previously occupied the building and had its live entertainment permit revoked in 2014, with a restaurant manager calling County Board members a vulgar term after the vote.

Announcing the Arlies, Arlington’s Community Awards

By ARLnow.com

Which local restaurant has the best takeout? What’s the best sledding hill in Arlington? Where should you go to board your pet?

Those are a few of the questions that ARLnow readers will help to answer as we launch The Arlies, Arlington’s community awards.

The Arlies will honor the top local places, people and organizations in Arlington, as chosen by a diverse swath of the community. At a time when many local residents and businesses are struggling, the Arlies provides a way to highlight some of the good things happening in our backyard, while bringing recognition to those whose dedication to service has earned the community’s trust.

Rather than running once a year, the Arlies will run quarterly, with different categories depending on the season, making it easier to vote and follow along.

The first round of voting for the inaugural 2021 Arlies will kick off next month. We’ll tally the votes and announce the winners soon after.

This will be strictly a reader-driven award, with readers and not editors choosing their favorites in each category. We’re excited to announce this new feature today and to bring it to you shortly after the holidays. Stay tuned!

Hendricks Barbershop Will Close This Month, Making Room for Second Smitten Salon Location

By Jo DeVoe

After months of losing business during the pandemic, Hendricks Gentlemen’s Barbershop in Clarendon will close for good just before Christmas.

Co-owners Melanie St. Clair and Lisa Dahl announced the closure to customers last night.

“We wanted to thank each of you for your loyalty and support,” they said in an email. “As a small business, navigating this pandemic has been extremely difficult. It is with a heavy heart, that after four years of serving the Clarendon community as your neighborhood barbershop, we have made the tough decision to close our doors.”

The barbershop at 3000 Washington Blvd opened in September 2016 and billed itself as Clarendon’s only upscale destination for men’s haircuts, beard trims and hot, straight-razor shaves. Hendricks gained popularity during its four-year stay, but it has not been enough to stay afloat during the pandemic.

“COVID-19 is really hitting us hard,” St. Clair said. “None of us could’ve predicted this.”

The last day of business is set for Wednesday, Dec. 23. But St. Clair and Dahl, who also own Smitten Salon in Lyon Park, are not done with the space just yet.

Clients at Smitten confirmed Internet tropes from the early stages of quarantine: wives were giving their husbands haircuts, while some men who no longer had to go to the office were growing their hair out. With partners to cut their hair and without suits to put on or clients to visit, men are coming in every two months instead of monthly, or not coming back at all, St. Clair said.

Hendricks took an additional hit because barbers cannot provide beard trims or hot shaves due to mask regulations, she said.

Meanwhile, she said Smitten has attracted new clients as other salons close. The thriving business gave St. Clair and Dahl the idea to replace Hendricks with a new, boutique location of the salon.

“Women want to look good on Zoom,” St. Clair said. “My clients tell me, ‘I’m not sitting on Zoom with gray roots,’ or ‘I’m bored staying at home with my kids at home,’ or ‘I’m not getting my nails done, so I’m getting a haircut to feel good.'”

Cosmetic changes to the space will begin in the new year, and St. Clair said she aims to be done with the work by February or March 2021.

“It’s like coming full-circle,” said St. Clair, who first opened Smitten in the current Hendricks location almost 10 years ago.

She said she is proud to have the brand survive, in a different way.

“We’re grateful to show Clarendon that [the neighborhood] is not going to shut down,” she said. “We don’t want to see everyone close up, and I hope other people are able to do the same thing.”

File photo

Pentagon Row Rebrands as ‘Westpost,’ Adds New Beer-Centric Pizza Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Pentagon Row is no more. Now, it’s “Westpost at National Landing.”

The Pentagon City shopping center has rebranded as Amazon’s new HQ2 rises a few blocks away. The goal, according to a press release, is to create a “fresh vision” for the retail strip, which first opened in 1999.

In announcing the new branding, “Westpost” owner Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT) also announced a new tenant: Nighthawk Pizza.

Nighthawk is a partnership of Arlington nightlife (and grooming) kingpin Scott Parker; Northern Virginia brewer Aslin Beer Co.; and buzzy local chef Johnny Spero, of Reverie and Netflix fame.

The restaurant, expected to open next fall, will feature “approachable low ABV beers, that will be reminiscent of old-world styles for the working class,” along with “Spero’s innovative approach towards pizza, sandwiches.” It will also sport a 90s vibe and a beer hall-like atmosphere.

Though Spero’s food will give Nighthawk culinary cred, we’re told it will be more of a social destination — an after-work watering hole for future HQ2 employees and others who live and work in the area.

Nighthawk will be located in the sizable former Champps space. The shuttered sports bar had been struggling for months when the pandemic dealt a final blow in March.

Leading up to the “Westpost” rebranding, Pentagon Row added a trio of other restaurants helmed by notable local chefs and restaurateurs: Scott Chung’s Bun’d Up, Chung and Kevin Tien’s Wild Tiger BBQ pop-up, and, more recently, Antonio Ferraro’s Napoli Salumeria. Nighthawk “compliments the current mix and offers a look into the future of Westpost at National Landing,” FRIT says.

More from a press release, below.

The dynamic partnership of popular local chef Johnny Spero, Aslin Beer Co., Scott Parker and The Wave Group have created a new fun brand, Nighthawk Pizza. The restaurant is scheduled to arrive to the newly named Westpost in fall 2021.

Nighthawk Pizza will focus exclusively on making approachable low ABV beers, that will be reminiscent of old-world styles for the working class, with the innovation that Aslin is known for. Paired with Johnny Spero’s innovative approach towards pizza, sandwiches, and more, and The Wave Group’s ability to build brands with and through the community, the team plans to make a lasting impact in the DMV area and beyond.

“The team behind Nighthawk are thrilled to bring something special to Westpost at National Landing. We’re excited to add our experience in the Arlington bar scene to Johnny’s incredible food, and the Aslin team’s best-in-class beer-making abilities to create a new beer hall experience that pays homage to the 90’s in its design elements. Nighthawk will be a beer brand of its own, and will brew beer on-site for consumption and to-go,” says Scott Parker.

For Federal Realty, to create a fresh vision for Westpost, formerly known as Pentagon Row, couldn’t have happened at a better time. “With the impending arrival of Amazon’s HQ2 to the newly formed National Landing, our team has set out to deliver a true destination, an outpost, if you will, for the long-time residents and the new-comers that call National Landing, and the greater Arlington area, home, work, and all things in between,” says James Milam of Federal. “Westpost is ideally located just a short walk west from Amazon’s campus, but a world away as far as amenities and offerings. It’s the perfect place to disconnect from work, while staying connected with friends, great food and unique drinks, in a comfortable, relaxed environment,” Milam continues. The neighborhood is equally convenient to Arlington and points south, via Rt. 1, and D.C. via 395/Metro/Rideshare.

New additions to the neighborhood over the past year (Scott Chung’s Bun’d Up, Antonio Ferraro’s Napoli Salumeria, led by Chef Andy Clark and Wild Tiger, a partnership with Chung, and Chef Kevin Tien, formerly of Himitsu and Emilie’s and now Moon Rabbit) have delivered great buzz met with serious culinary innovation. Nighthawk Pizza compliments the current mix and offers a look into the future of Westpost at National Landing.

Arlington Businesses Unlikely to Face Additional State and Local Tax Burden for Forgiven PPP Loans

By ARLnow.com

Earlier this year, in the depths of the economic shock caused by the start of the pandemic, the federal government handed out a half-trillion dollars worth of expedited business loans.

The Paycheck Protection Program helped businesses — mostly small businesses — keep workers employed, with loans issued by banks but funded by the feds in the amount of 2.5 times a business’ average monthly payroll costs.

The portion of the loan spent on payroll, rent or mortgage payments and utilities can then be forgiven, after the business submits an application and proper documentation.

Though there has been criticism of the rushed roll-out of PPP, and of the larger businesses that received a sizable portion of the overall funds, a search of the recipients turns up plenty of small Arlington businesses — from restaurants to gyms to others — that received PPP loans that likely saved jobs or even the businesses themselves.

There is, however, a potential downside to the loans.

If a business received a loan and kept employees on, even if they continued to lose money, they’re now facing the reality that — absent a proposed fix from Congress — they may face extra tax liability and have to dig into emptied pockets at tax time next year. That’s because the expenses paid for by the forgiven portion of the loan are, under current guidance, not able to be deducted, effectively making the forgiven loan federally taxable for many businesses.

Fixes have been proposed by Congress as part of new coronavirus relief packages, but so far nothing has passed.

On the plus side, there is a bit of good news for businesses in Arlington. Officials from both the county and the Commonwealth expect that forgiven loans will not be taxed on a state or local level.

In the case of the county, there’s a question of whether the forgiven portion of the loan would be included in the “Gross Receipts” that are subject to the Business, Professional, and Occupational License (BPOL) tax, which is generally $0.36 to $0.18 per $100 of revenue — not profit, as is the case for federal corporate taxes.

William Burgess, an attorney with the Arlington Commissioner of Revenue’s office, tells ARLnow that the county does not currently think that forgiven loans are taxable.

“Per Virginia Code § 58.1-3732(A)(4), the loan proceeds received by a borrower are excluded from gross receipts,” Burgess said. “Therefore there is no provision addressing what happens if the loan is forgiven and no [state tax documents] interpreting this section.”

“Given that the statute expressly exempts loan proceeds and does not explicitly address forgiveness, our office believes that the loan proceeds do not become taxable upon forgiveness,” he continued.

Virginia officials, likewise, said the current expectation is that forgiven loans will not be taxed by the Commonwealth. An annual tax “conformity” bill that is expected to be passed by the state legislature should ensure that.

“The Virginia General Assembly would need to enact legislation advancing Virginia’s date of conformity in order for the state to adopt the Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness provision set forth in the CARES Act,” said Virginia Tax spokeswoman Stephanie Benson. “If the General Assembly conforms to this provision, the forgiven loans would not be subject to Virginia income taxation.”

“It is common practice for the Virginia General Assembly (GA) to adopt a conformity bill each session, and the GA generally conforms to the majority of federal tax provisions,” Benson noted.

Photo by Pepi Stojanovski on Unsplash

It’s Cyber Monday… Consider These Local Options

By ARLnow.com

At this point, your inbox is probably flooded with Cyber Monday deals from stores you haven’t ordered from in at least three years — 30% off here, 50% off there.

But instead of getting distracted by the *best* and *lowest* prices from these national chains, we want to highlight a few local businesses that we love, and happen to be current advertisers or partners.

You can shop these businesses online today and throughout the entire holiday season.

Know of other deals at local businesses? Let us know in the comments.

Even if none of the above have what you’re looking for, we hope you’ll consider shopping local over the next few weeks.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Police Called for Man Spitting on Bus Passengers — An incident on a bus prompted a police response Thursday afternoon. Per ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage: “At approximately 1:38 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a disorderly subject on a Metro bus in the area of Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street. The suspect left the area prior to police arrival and a search by responding officers returned with negative results… The call for service alleged the subject was acting disorderly and spitting on individuals on the bus.”

Arlington Company Is Among Fastest-Growing — Ballston-based Hungry is the fastest-growing technology firm in the D.C. area and the 18th fastest growing tech company in the nation, according to a new list from Deloitte. Another Ballston tech company, Evolent Health, ranked No. 402 in the U.S. [Deloitte]

NAACP Statement on H-B Incident — “We are pleased that the principal took swift action to notify families and meet with affected students and that the Superintendent followed up with a letter to APS families with an honest depiction that did not minimize the significance or harm it caused. This act of racial violence is the latest and most egregious in a progressive pattern of racist incidents occurring within our schools.” [Press Release]

Grant to Help Local Tourism Recover — “Arlington Convention and Visitors Service has received $10,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Recovery Marketing Leverage Program, designed to help local and regional tourism entities attract more visitors by leveraging limited local marketing dollars through a local match of state grant funds.” [Arlington County]

ACFD Hosting Kids’ Bedtime Stories — “We are extremely excited to host our 4th Virtual Bedtime Story/ Fire Engine Tour! Spots are limited and previous events have maxed out quickly. If you are interested in joining please email [email protected]. Can’t wait to see you Monday night.” [@ArlingtonVaFD/Twitter]

More County Website Problems — Arlington County’s website again suffered technical difficulties yesterday afternoon. The issues were resolved within a few hours. [@ArlingtonVA/Twitter]

Gondolas Gaining in Popularity — “Air gondolas — ski-lift-type conveyances that have become common sights in South American cities like Medellín, Mexico City and La Paz — could one day dot the U.S. urban landscape, some transportation planners say.” [Axios]

Nearby: Car Plows Into CD Cellar — The CD Cellar store in Falls Church was damaged after a car came crashing through one of the front windows earlier this week. “Someone thought we were a drive-thru record store,” CD Cellar quipped on social media. [Facebook]

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