After serving up frozen treats for the last decade along Wilson Blvd. in Clarendon, Boccato Gelato is now set to relocate.
The gelato and espresso lounge posted a notice on its front door and social media accounts Saturday (May 19) that it will soon be moving elsewhere, leaving 2719 Wilson Blvd. behind.
However, the restaurant’s managers wrote that “our future location is in the works.” They did not immediately respond to a request for comment on where they might be moving.
“While we were very lucky and blessed to have found this amazing spot in 2008, it has been quite a task and great challenge to keep up with the obligations of our lease,” Boccato’s staff wrote. “We would like to thank our landlord for giving us a chance to serve you in this wonderful location, and to all the employees of Arlington County for helping us get started and giving us the opportunity to introduce our business to the beloved town of Clarendon.”
The restaurant’s managers added that they have not yet decided on when their final day serving up scoops on Wilson Blvd. will be, and plan to post that information to their Facebook and Twitter accounts in due time.
The move will not affect the Cowork Cafe, however, which has operated out of Boccato for the last three years. The notice Boccato posted said that the Cowork Cafe has signed a new lease at the same space.
Apple Eying Arlington, N. Va. — It’s not just Amazon — Apple is also looking to establish a large new office, potentially in Northern Virginia. Crystal City and the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor are among the sites the world’s most valuable company is considering for a new campus that would bring 20,000 jobs to the area. [Washington Post, Washington Business Journal]
Flood Watch Today — A Flood Watch is in effect today, starting this afternoon and running through Friday night. Heavy rain — 3 to 5 inches — is expected through Friday evening. [Capital Weather Gang, Twitter]
W-L Alums Against Name Change — Hundreds of Washington-Lee High School alumni have signed on to oppose the removal of “Lee” from the school’s name. A decision on the name could come later this year. [Falls Church News-Press]
ACPD Detective Honored — Det. Rosa Ortiz has been named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by Arlington County Crime Solvers. Ortiz’s dogged work on cold cases “demonstrates our commitment to pursue cases, no matter how much time has passed,” said Arlington County Police. [Facebook]
Students Plant Trees Along GW Parkway — “Students from the Children’s International School in Rosslyn recently joined their parents and community volunteers in planting 32 trees in a previously weedy area along the southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway ramp to Key Bridge.” [InsideNova]
L.A. Bar and Grill Reopening — After closing for renovations (and because it was late in renewing its state alcohol license) Columbia Pike watering hole L.A. Bar and Grill is planning to reopen this weekend, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. [Facebook, Facebook]
The D.C. Case for the Rosslyn Gondola — “The Gondola will provide anyone within the Metro catchment area a faster trip to Georgetown. With the Gondola, the total travel time to Georgetown drops to less than 30 minutes for a much larger part of the region, including areas of the District with the greatest need for employment opportunities, giving them a faster way to connect with jobs in Georgetown.” [D.C. Policy Center]
Petition Against iPads in Middle School Cafeterias — An online petition, signed by nearly 100 people, seeks to have Arlington Public Schools strengthen its rules regarding iPad use in middle schools. Specifically, the signers want iPads to be used in classrooms and not during lunchtime or recess. Such a policy, the petition creators wrote, would “ensure that APS electronic resources enhance, and do not detract from, the learning process of middle school students.” [Change.org]
More ART Arrival Info Issues — Onceagain, Arlington Transit is having problems with its real-time bus arrival system. Officials told ARLnow.com that a technical issue with the contractor that provides the system was to blame. [Twitter]
Native Plant Sale This Weekend — The Long Branch Nature Center will host a sale of “plants that are accustomed to local climate and wildlife” on Saturday afternoon. [Arlington County]
Scott McGeary Lauded — “Decades ago, Scott McGeary’s parents would take him to occasional celebratory dinners at the Key Bridge Marriott, where they would enjoy both the food and the vistas of the nation’s capital… On May 2, McGeary was again at the hotel, this time in the 14th-floor ballroom as he was inducted into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame.” [InsideNova]
Four Mile Run Dye Testing — Arlington County is conducting dye testing along S. Four Mile Run Drive today. Traces of green and red dye may be seen in Four Mile Run as a result. [Twitter]
An ACPD officer serves locals free ice cream at Goody’s
ACPD officers serve locals free ice cream
An ACPD officer jokes with locals inside Goody’s during the Cones With a Cop event
Cones With a Cop event outside of Goody’s in Clarendon
Goody’s Pizza in Clarendon
Goody’s Pizza in Clarendon
Goody’s Pizza in Clarendon
“God Bless America” sign in the window of Goody’s in Clarendon
“Happy St. Patrick’s Day” sign at Goody’s in Clarendon
Independent film “Nothing to Do” was shot at some local Arlington hot spots including Goody’s
Beloved Clarendon pizza shop Goody’s will be closing up shop after tonight (Saturday).
Co-owner Vanessa Reisis — affectionately known to customers as “Momma Goody” — confirmed in a brief phone conversation that the family-run pizzeria will be closing after Saturday night and that she and her husband will be retiring.
An anonymous tipster told ARLnow.com Saturday morning that “somebody bought them out” and that the petite storefront along Clarendon’s main drag of bars could “possibly reopen as pizza spot.” Reisis declined to provide additional details about the closure.
Goody’s opened in 2006 and has served legions of local residents, bar-goers and Clarendon office workers since. It is also popular with Arlington police officers, particularly those working the weekend Clarendon bar detail.
Over the past few years Goody’s managed to hang on to its loyal clientele despite competition from the likes of Bronx Pizza and the recently-downsized Pete’s Apizza. Despite the competition, Goody’s continued to serve only two varieties of New York style pizza by the slice: plain and pepperoni.
In a 2016 interview, Reisis said the closing of Hard Times Cafe was a bad harbinger for the “friendly little neighborhood places” that helped turn Clarendon into a popular food and nightlife destination. In 2017, Reisis said on ARLnow’s 26 Square Miles podcast that business had picked up, but running a small shop like hers was still difficult given the neighborhood’s rising rent.
In addition to what it was best known for — food and family — Goody’s was also noted for the hand-drawn seasonal signs on the front window, which always proclaimed that the “best pizza in Arlington” was inside.
A chronometer, in for repairs, alongside its original bill of sale
A Van Cleef and Arpels watch
The exterior of Arlington Watch Works
Dan Sabouni didn’t set out to be a watchmaker and repairman.
His shop, Clarendon’s Arlington Watch Works, never would have come to fruition if Sabouni had actually enjoyed working in an automotive engineering office after college.
Luckily for Sabouni, he had worked in a jewelry shop during college, and did repairs for antique shops in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. Now, he occupies the tiny, 200-square-foot space, between Goody’s Pizza and Rien Tong, at 3127 Wilson Boulevard, repairing, buying, and selling watches.
He initially owned a similar store in Georgetown neighborhood — a spit of a shop with only 90-square-feet of space — and found success there.
“When I opened that shop, everyone thought I was crazy,” said Sabouni, recounting how people would ask him who even fixes watches anymore.
Eventually, he sold the shop in the early 2000s to a friend and began traveling the world with his watch repair money. That was before he was married, “of course,” he pointed out.
Once he “ran out of money,” Sabouni, originally from London, came back to the area. He opened up the new Arlington shop in January 2015. Per square foot, he says, he’s paying more than any other shop.
“For us watchmakers, we can’t afford high rent,” said Sabouni. “So this was small, but yet affordable.”
Though most would think that those seeking less expensive rent would stay away from one of the more bustling Arlington corridors, or even stay out of Arlington as a whole, Sabouni says that the demographic makeup of the county is necessary for his business to grow.
“I have to be in a place where people do have what I’m looking to repair,” he said. “If I were to go down to, you know, Detroit, Michigan — who’s going to spend a thousand dollars or more restoring their dad’s watch?”
“All said and done, I don’t think you’ll ever find a rich watchmaker,” he added. “But it pays the bills, and I do what I like.”
And his clientele seems to like what he does, as well. Looking at a Yelp review page for Arlington Watch Works, 28 of his 29 reviews are five stars.
It usually takes about a day for a repair, if all goes according to plan. But it’s not an easy task, and even just apprenticing with Sabouni takes several years before being allowed to work on a paying client’s piece.
Sabouni still says that he’s still learning himself, and meets almost every Saturday with his mentor to discuss what’s stumping them.
Though watch repairs are certainly at the heart of the business model, Sabouni has a number of expensive watches on his shelves. Some are priced as little as a few hundred dollars, while others on display push the $20,000-$25,000 mark.
One watch on display, which Sabouni unlockws from its case and brings to a work table, is infinitely more delicate than what you could find at department stores.
It’s an $8,900 Van Cleef and Arpels model, handmade, completely see through, and thoroughly filigreed with real gold.
It’s an expensive passion to pick up, and an equally difficult industry to get into. But in an age of industry disruptions and smartphone app development, Sabouni doesn’t see his industry, and his place in it, going away.
“As long as men are men, and want to have their toys — I guess [the industry] will be over when men want to stop playing with their toys.”
A small business fair geared toward highlighting Arlington’s female-owned businesses is scheduled for Saturday (March 31).
The event wraps up Arlington Public Library’s Women’s History Month events for this year, and aims to highlight women who “make history every day in the operation of local businesses and nonprofits.”
Local products and services will be showcased and businesses can distribute coupons and free samples. Karen Bate, Awesome Women Entrepreneurs founder, will give the keynote speech, alongside other speakers addressing topics on women and business.
The small business fair will be held at Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m on Saturday. The event is a partnership between the library and Arlington Economic Development’s Small Business Assistance Network.
AWLA Rescues Kittens from Cold Night — Arlington animal control officers saved the lives of three small kittens found freezing in a window well Tuesday night. All three were placed in an incubator to warm up and are now in a foster home. [Facebook]
Steyer Town Hall Targets Trump, Dems — About 100 people attended a town hall meeting in Pentagon City Tuesday night in support of impeaching President Trump. While Trump was the main topic of conversation, the meeting’s organizer, billionaire Tom Steyer, also criticized Democrats, particularly those that would not vote for impeachment. [Washington Free Beacon]
Alington Company Expanding, Moving — “Arlington-based Bioinformatics Inc. has been very busy lately — moving, expanding and acquiring. A research and advisory firm for life science and diagnostic companies, Bioinformatics just moved from its home in Courthouse to a larger 8,000-square-foot headquarters at the top of Ballston Tower. The company plans to invest $175,000 and add 27 new jobs by April as part of the expansion.” [Washington Business Journal]
Galaxy Hut and other Clarendon businesses in the snow
Mexicali Blue and restaurants in Clarendon in the snow
Courthouse Plaza in the snow
(Updated at 5 p.m.) With Arlington schools, county facilities and the federal government closed for the snow day, it might be worth asking: just what is open today?
Below is a partial list of some restaurants, bars and other businesses that are still open or closed in the county.
What’s open:
Pamplona in Clarendon, including a snow day party that started at 1 p.m.
ARLnow reporter Bridget Reed Morawski was live on Facebook earlier this afternoon giving a walking snow tour of roads, sidewalks and businesses from Clarendon to Rosslyn. The video replay of that is below.
A trio of new restaurants are coming to the western edge of Clarendon, just across Washington Blvd from Northside Social.
Demolition permits have been issued for “Le Kon,” which is coming to the large restaurant space at 3227 Washington Blvd vacated by the short-lived Park Lane Tavern. It’s unclear what exactly Le Kon will be, though it is listed vaguely as a “Casual Dining, Fine Dining, Bar / Lounge” establishment on the restaurant hiring website Culinary Agents.
Adjacent to the future Le Kon, the awnings and building permits for a “cajun seafood and sushi lounge” called Asiatique are still up, though there’s little sign of additional information on it or an opening date to be found online.
Next door, building permits were issued a year ago for a new Stone Hot Pizza location, though the space’s windows have been frosted, blocking any view of possible construction progress inside.
All three restaurants are located on the ground floor of the Beacon at Clarendon apartment building, which is technically located within the boundaries of the Lyon Village Civic Association, according to a county map.
Arlington has a lot going for it, including a deep well of talented workers, but the county’s permitting office remains a constant source of business complaints.
Those were two of the major takeaways from the Future of Arlington County event held Thursday at Market Common Clarendon. Organized by online business publication Bisnow, the event brought together economic development officials, developers, attorneys and business owners.
Talent is what has drawn companies like Nestle to Arlington, and what may lure Amazon’s HQ2, said Arlington Economic Development Director Victor Hoskins. He noted that Amazon already has an “innovation center” in Ballston.
“We really want to be the innovation center of the United States,” he said of the county’s economic ambitions. “This is a talent rich target for innovative companies.”
Nestle, he said, had its employee retention rate far exceed expectations as it moved its corporate headquarters from Glendale, Calif. to Rosslyn. The company also received tens of thousands of job applicants for open positions after expecting only hundreds to apply, according to Hoskins.
To help the county continue to attract companies, particularly tech startups, Arlington Economic Development has been sending staff to large conferences, including this weekend’s South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.
Other Arlington advantages cited by panelists include walkable, mixed-use communities like Crystal City where people can live and work, and a top notch public school system that helps keep residents with children from leaving the county.
Despite effusive praise for everything Arlington has to offer, there were some negatives. Arlington could use additional cultural amenities — “places people can interact and build community,” in the words of an AED tweet. That point was reinforced by event being held at Market Common Clarendon, adjacent to the vacant former Iota Club space.
Panelists also agreed that Arlington County has plenty of room to improve its permitting process. The process should be “easier and faster in order to attract the most innovative concepts in retails and restaurants,” though the ongoing issues with the permitting process extend from small restaurants to huge developments, panelists said.
Developers, brokers and restaurateurs say the county’s lengthy permitting process has acted as a deterrent for some companies and needs to be improved if Arlington wants to keep up with D.C. and Fairfax County. JBG Smith, Arlington’s largest property owner, last year opened a beer garden in Rosslyn to create more buzz and activity around its properties. It took two years for the landlord to get the beer garden approved by the county, JBG Smith Executive Vice President Andy VanHorn said.
When Ashlee Trempus was studying to be an American Sign Language interpreter, she found herself frustrated with the lack of access to deaf individuals with whom to practice.
She turned this frustration into inspiration and set out on a path to build a platform to address this problem. But not being a developer, she knew right away she would need a partner who could help turn her idea into reality.
Which is exactly what Arlington-based Ideas2Excecutables does. Walking Trempus through the software development process, Ben Simon used her vision and direction to help her realize her goal of creating a virtual language immersion program to connect those learning sign language with deaf “Ambassadors.” Now SignOn is an award-winning web-based application that is connecting the hearing and deaf communities.
“We have been helping entrepreneurs like Ashlee, as well as larger organizations, take their software ideas from the back of a napkin to reality for over 10 years,” says Simon who runs the company with his wife, Shira. “We’ve written software powering a wide variety of ideas, including designing custom features for a leading tech blog, medical imaging software and visitation software for correctional facilities. That one was really interesting.”
Clients come to the Simons with questions, lots of questions, which is how they like it, particularly with local clients. “We love sitting down with customers to work through their concept in real time,” he says. “Rather than go back and forth over email, we can be much more productive over a cup of tea and a bagel.”
“Being able to meet face-to-face increases the success of your project,” he said. “Regardless of what you want to build in the software development space, communication is king, and nothing beats in person meetings to get the specific nuances of your idea exactly right.”
If you’ve been pondering any of the following, send an email or give them a call today ([email protected] ; (703) 688-3084):
I have an idea for software, where should I start?
Should I use pre-built software or build custom?
How do I protect my idea and keep it from getting stolen?
I have an idea to help my business run smoother, is that something you can help with?
I’m considering outsourcing my project overseas? What do I need to consider?
