local business

Another Business Closing at Dominion Hills Shopping Plaza

By Chris Teale
1/5

A small grocery store at the Dominion Hills Centre shopping plaza will close at month’s end, another business to depart the neighborhood strip mall.

The Dominion Hills Grocery & Deli at 6035 Wilson Blvd will close at the end of July after 13 years. The store’s owner said the closure is because of a sudden rent increase by the property owner.

A sign on the store’s front door reads:

To our friends, neighbors & customers at Dominion Hills Centre,

This is to inform you all that Dominion Food-Mart will be closing on July 31, 2017. We deeply appreciate the loyalty and the support from you all for the past 13 years.

It has been a great pleasure knowing and being friend[s] with you.

We will miss you all very much!

The store is the latest to depart the shopping center, months after Little River Yoga Studio, Great Harvest Bread Company and the florist all shuttered.

Those storefronts are still listed as being for rent by the property’s owner, Rosenthal, but all are still vacant.

A reader emailed to say that she and others in the Dominion Hills community are concerned that the shopping center will “go the way of Clarendon,” which has seen the departure of long-time businesses as rent has increased.

Metropolitan Suite: A Home Base for Beauty & Wellness Pros in Lyon Park

1/9

Beauty operators who need to develop a client base and gain valuable experience in order for their business to flourish are often at a loss.

Going out on their own is prohibitively expensive and a great risk for the professional if it does not work out as planned. Many professionals never obtain the income they truly need or desire.

Which is why Arlington’s Metropolitan Suite is such an innovative — and for many — an important idea: Beauty and wellness operators rent fully equipped booths in a professionally operated salon — operators at the Metropolitan Suite only pay for the time they use at the facility. Metropolitan Suite offers operators a way to make the money a salon owner or a long-term lease renter makes without the overhead or worry.

Since the operators book their clients at their own convenience and pay for only the time they are in the booth, there is no more wasting time waiting for walk-ins. The professional can pay by the hour, the day or by the week. Longer-term leases for salon space are available for those operators who have the clientele following needed to be successful.

The sleek, modern and impressively up-to-date “luxury beauty lounge” on N. Pershing Drive is welcoming and comfortable, offering everything an operator needs to perform full salon services to the public including unisex hair cuts color, hair texture alteration services and styling.

Other professionals that operate their business at the nonprofit Metropolitan Suite are skin specialist, make-up artists, nail technicians, full-body waxing techs and licensed massage therapists. It’s a full-service salon offering everything a day spa offers.

Kinite McCrae founder and Executive Director of the Reach Far Foundation, was wondering how opening a hair salon would fit into her organizations’ non-profit purpose and agenda. After much thought and endless hours of research, it was decided to make Metropolitan Suite a hub for creating scholarships for underprivileged youth living in the metropolitan area.

Each client visit to the salon and or when an operator reserves a station, they are not only benefiting themselves but they are participating in the support of others.

“We also rent rooms for people to teach classes, in techniques they specialize in,” says McCrae.

Those community-oriented entities intend to help young adults or those looking to change careers so they may have the opportunity to chase their dreams and or get through a post-secondary trade school, says McCrae.

Coming soon, the Metropolitan Trade Academy will offer courses  that lead to a license or instructor’s certificate in cosmetology, barbering or nails.

More information about Metropolitan Suite, located at 2300 N. Pershing Drive in Lyon Park, can be found here. The phone number is 571-777-8878 and the email address is [email protected]. New operators can apply at this site.

“We’re real people, doing what we love. Providing beauty services and making a difference in the lives of others. Thanks to the Reach Far Foundation dba Metropolitan Suite.” — Nickie S., Salon Manager, Metropolitan Suite.

The preceding was a sponsored business profile written by Buzz McClain.

Chamber of Commerce Launches Live Podcast Series

By Kalina Newman

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce will launch its first ever live podcast series next Monday (July 17), recorded in front of an audience at 1776 in Crystal City.

The series is titled “Secrets to Success” and will host a different Arlington business titan, who will share their stories about the Arlington business world.

The first show will feature Pinkie Dent Mayfield, vice president for corporate affairs and special assistant to the chairman at education and media company Graham Holdings. ARLnow founder Scott Brodbeck will be the program’s moderator and will lead the discussion with Mayfield, who will share her business philosophy at the offices of startup incubator 1776 (2231 Crystal Drive #1000).

Those on hand for the event will be able to ask Mayfield questions during a Q&A segment. The event also features a networking portion and food served from Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

For those unable to attend, the podcast will later be published online.

The evening’s agenda is as follows:

  • 4-4:30 p.m.: Registration and open networking
  • 4:30-5:15 p.m.: Live recorded podcast
  • 5:15-5:30 p.m.: Q&A (not recorded)
  • 5:30-6 p.m.: Networking reception

Clarendon Animal Care To Expand Space, Staff

By Katherine Berko
1/6

Clarendon Animal Care will soon have more space for its four-legged clients.

The veterinary business opened in January 2015. Two and a half years later, it is continuing to grow and is set to expand to the space next door, said Dr. Kayleen Gloor, one of its founders.

The office’s expansion, into the former storefront of a sign shop, will increase its space by 70 percent. It will go from having three exam rooms to five exam rooms, while there will also be a larger reception area and more spacious treatment spaces. The center is also planning to add a fifth veterinarian to its team by the end of this month.

“[The expansion] was out of need,” Gloor said. “I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to [animals] that need to be seen.”

Gloor believes that the fifth vet and added space will make things less stressful for the office’s staff, as they will be better able to share the workload.

“I think our and our staff’s families will appreciate a little better work/life balance,” Gloor said.

Gloor said she hopes for the construction to be over and the new space ready to use by early next month.

Disclosure: Clarendon Animal Care is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

Morning Poll: Dining Out Less Often?

By ARLnow.com

Following a long period of growth, the restaurant industry is hurting nationwide, with an overabundance of restaurant options and competition from grocery stores and delivery services like BlueApron.

There is local evidence of the industry’s woes: a steady stream of closings, a slower pace of openings.

On the other hand, turnover in the restaurant business is normal and to be expected, and a walk through neighborhoods like Clarendon and Shirlington reveals plenty of crowded eateries on most nights.

One factor influencing how local restaurants fare is how often local residents go out to eat. So today we’re asking: are you going out to eat more or less often than you were two years ago?

Clarendon Businesses To Partner Tomorrow For Alzheimer’s Fundraiser

By Kalina Newman

The Alzheimer’s Association of the National Capital Area will partner with several Clarendon businesses tomorrow (Wednesday) to raise money for those suffering with Alzheimer’s.

Known as Clarendon Cares, participating businesses will offer special deals for the occasion and a portion of their proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. The fundraiser coincides with the association’s “Longest Day” event, which encourages people to give on the summer solstice.

Anyone who can’t make it to any of the participating businesses Wednesday can donate online to help the Alzheimer’s Association reach its goal of raising $5,000.

And those posting on social media that day are encouraged to use the hashtag #ClarendonCares.

Local businesses participating are:

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Road Closures for Bike Races — As a reminders, there will be significant road closures in Clarendon and Crystal City on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, for the Armed Forces Cycling Classic.

Arlington Woman Invented ‘Monopoly’ Precursor — An Arlington woman may have been the “real” inventor of the board game Monopoly. Lizzie Magie, who died in Arlington in 1948, created a board game very similar to Monopoly. Three decades later, Charles Darrow, taking inspiration from Magie’s game, created Monopoly and sold it to Parker Brothers. [Arlington Magazine]

I-66 Tolls Expected to Start in December — New tolls on single-occupancy vehicles on I-66 are now expected to take effect in December. Electronic toll signs have started going up near I-66 on-ramps. [Twitter, NBC Washington]

Krupicka Having Fun Running Donut Stores — Former member of the Virginia House of Delegates Rob Krupicka is enjoying his second act: owning Sugar Shack donut stores in Arlington, Alexandria and now D.C. [Washington City Paper]

Wages Drop in Arlington — Mirroring regional and national trends, average weekly wages in Arlington dropped 1.4 percent, to $1,677, in the last three months of 2016. Arlington ranked as the seventh-highest average weekly wage in the country. [InsideNova]

Flickr pool photo by Bekah Richards

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fourth High School Option Floated — Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Patrick Murphy has added a fourth option for adding additional high school seats to the three finalists announced last month. Murphy said the existing Arlington Education Center near Washington-Lee could be used to house 600 students while adding another 700 seats in an expansion of the Arlington Career Center. [InsideNova]

World of Beer Sues Local Owner — Just a week after it was first reported that the owner of the World of Beer franchises in Ballston, Reston and Fairfax was rebranding the restaurants as “Crafthouse,” comes word that the World of Beer corporate office is suing him for allegedly violating their franchise agreement. [Reston Now]

VideoBlocks Moving to Courthouse — After announcing last year that the company would be moving to Arlington, subscription stock video service VideoBlocks has settled on a location: a full floor of Courthouse Tower at 1515 N. Courthouse Road. [Washington Business Journal]

County Board To Discuss Taxi Changes – After a vote on Saturday, the Arlington County Board will hold a public hearing next month to discuss proposed changes to the county’s taxicab ordinance. The changes, recommended by the county’s Transportation Commission, would allow the removal of lights from the vehicle’s roof, modifications to cabs’ color and lettering, and use of GPS metering instead of traditional taxi meters. [Arlington County]

How Rosslyn Landed Nestlé — It was a team effort to land Nestlé as the anchor tenant of the 1812 N. Moore Street tower in Rosslyn, says the head of the Rosslyn Business Improvement Districts. In the end, Rosslyn’s urban amenities, the area’s talented millennial workforce and a handful of state and local incentives helped to “sweeten the deal.” [LinkedIn]

Flickr pool photo by Arlington VA

Seven Local Companies Named Best Business Award Winners

By Chris Teale

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce honored seven businesses earlier this week at its annual Best Business Awards, hosted at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel.

Almost 200 people gathered May 2 for the awards, which are presented to area businesses for their customer service, industry leadership, growth or stability over the lifetime of their business and interest in the success of the Arlington community.

This year’s winners, by category, were:

CNA – 2017 Business of the Year
Hyatt Centric Arlington – 2017 Business of the Year
Beach Geeks, Inc. – 2017 Technology Small Business of the Year
Current Boutique – 2017 Retail Small Business of the Year
Child Care Aware of America – 2017 Nonprofit of the Year
Wolcott Hill Group – 2017 Home-Based Business of the Year
Clarendon Animal Care – 2017 Service Small Business of the Year

“Our community depends upon the businesses that go above and beyond for clients, employees, and the community, and these seven businesses exemplify that kind of dedication,” said Chamber president & CEO Kate Bates in a statement. “We are proud to present this year’s winners with these well-deserved awards and thank all of them for their continued investment in Arlington.”

The Chamber also inducted John Milliken and Richard Doud, Jr. into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame, which honors men and women who have demonstrated a long record of successful management, expertise, and business skills. Milliken is a former County Board member, while Doud served as Chamber president for 23 years.

“John and Rich are the true definition of what it means to be an Arlington legacy,” Bates said. “Their many important accomplishments and efforts to support and advocate on behalf of local business have helped make Arlington the place it is today. It is an honor to induct both of these outstanding community leaders into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame.”

Photos via Arlington Chamber of Commerce

House of Steep Looking To Add Alcohol, More Massage Options

By Chris Teale
1/6

Saved from closure by a new owner, House of Steep on Lee Highway is now in the process of adding new ways for its customers to relax.

The Cherrydale business at 3800 Lee Highway had been set to close late last year, after founder and previous owner Lyndsey DePalma suggested it was not making enough money.

But it was bought by long-time customer Patrick Vaughan and reopened in January, and now Vaughan is looking to bring some new ideas.

The tea house and “foot sanctuary” will soon offer wine to customers, after filing a license application with Virginia ABC. Vaughan said that new innovation could help turn House of Steep into more of a wine bar in the evenings.

“I envision people having a glass of wine while doing a sit and soak essentially, or getting a foot massage,” he said. “The theme of the place is relaxation, so to me I know a lot of people consider a glass of wine at the end of the day the ultimate relaxation.”

Vaughan said he also hopes to expand walk-in availability for House of Steep’s reflexology and massage services. Previously, he said, customers would have to schedule an appointment 24 hours in advance, but Vaughan said he wants to have a system where people can be seen straight away or an hour or two later.

House of Steep’s community outreach is also set to be expanded. Vaughan, a trail and ultra-marathon runner, said he has already partnered with the charity D.C. Capital Striders to host a weekly run from the store. He has other plans too.

“We’ve been proactively inviting community groups to host their meetings in the space or holding wellness seminars or doing open mic nights,” Vaughan said. “We’re definitely trying to create a little bit more of a community environment space for people to use throughout the day and evening.”

Casual Adventure Set To Close After Spring Sales, But No Closing Date Yet

By Chris Teale
1/6

Long-time Virginia Square outdoor retailer Casual Adventure is still open, but will close once its spring stock has sold out.

The 61-year-old store at 3451 Washington Blvd announced its closure last month. After the announcement, the retailer kicked off its “End of an Era Sale,” featuring up to 50 percent off any remaining outdoor, tactical and sporting goods in stock.

Store owner Eric Stern said Casual Adventure has received two final deliveries of spring merchandise, which is being sold at reduced prices. Once everything is sold, the store will close, he said.

“We’ve definitely got a good selection, and we’re just blowing it out at this point,” he told ARLnow.com.

Stern said there is still no firm closing date, and there is significant “wiggle room” on when it needs to vacate the premises. Stern said he is looking to host regular Andrew Towne on Memorial Day weekend for a talk on his latest attempt to summit Mount Everest, and said Casual Adventure will continue supporting various community projects.

“It’s nice as we transition out of here that we can take care of our customers,” he said.

The Washington Business Journal reported that the store’s new owner is 1404 Hancock Street Investment LLC, a company registered to local custom home builder BCN Homes. As yet, no building or demolition permit applications have been filed with the county.

Casual Adventure already has an online store set up through Amazon, and Stern said it is actively looking for a new location for its store, but that there is “no rush.”

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