A construction crew is working to convert what was once a Blockbuster video store into a Petco pet store.
The Blockbuster closed in January at the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Harrison Street. A worker said he expects the build-out to be complete in a month.
Update at 3:30 p.m. — Zimmerman unveiled a new “Business Center” web portal at this afternoon’s board meeting. The portal is “designed to make the County web site work better for Arlington business owners,” according to county spokeswoman Mary Curtius.
On New Year’s Day, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman kicked off the year by declaring that the board wanted to be seen a “facilitator, a partner to small business” in 2011.
The subtext of his comment was that the county was looking to reverse course from 2010, when a series of mini-controversies over enforcement of county ordinances had some entrepreneurs questioning Arlington’s commitment to small business.
Among the dust-ups: American Flatbread’s request for patio seating was denied in July. Then Screwtop Wine Bar and Bakeshop had their sandwich board-style signs confiscated and thrown in a dumpster by a county employee. Then some soon-to-open businesses began complaining about delays caused by zoning issues. And finally, the icing on the cake was a lawsuit filed by a doggy daycare owner over a mural that the county argued was disallowed under the sign ordinance. (A judge later sided with the county.)
With that unpleasantness behind him, Zimmerman is now organizing a small business “listening session” on March 31. In a letter to business owners, Zimmerman writes that “to make improvements that really work for business, we need direct input from our business owners and those who support them.”
The forum also comes at a time when the county is in the process of rewriting its zoning ordinance, including the sign ordinance, to correct inconsistencies and ambiguities. Zimmerman has also hinted that the board may relax certain regulations.
“Many feel [the zoning ordinance] is overly restrictive and unnecessarily hard to understand and comply with,” Zimmerman said at the Jan. 1 board meeting. “There has to be a better way. In 2011, we’re going to find one.”
See Zimmerman’s letter to business owners, after the jump.
After more than 40 years in business, Ski Chalet is packing up and heading west.
The Columbia Pike landmark will serve its last customers on Sunday. The store is moving to a new, larger location next to the Home Depot in Seven Corners.
General Manager Ryan Sasse said the store has been doing well financially and is moving into a bigger space so it can start marketing patio furniture next to snowboards and ski jackets during the summer. Despite continued redevelopment on the Pike, Sasse says rising rent hasn’t been a concern.
Ski Chalet has been located in an Alpine-style building at 2704 Columbia Pike since 1969. It will reopen in Seven Corners at some point this fall.
Sasse says he is not sure what will eventually take the store’s place on the Pike.
An SUV came crashing through the front of the 7-Eleven on Wilson Boulevard near George Mason Drive this morning.
As customers were arriving for their morning coffee, a vehicle described as a new Toyota Rav4 hopped the curb, smashed through a low brick wall, a door and a plate glass window. Nobody was hurt.
In addition to the busted-up storefront, some merchandise in the SUV’s path — including at least a dozen cases of beer — appeared to have been damaged and strewn about the floor.
Workers have boarded up the broken windows and the store is now open. The store’s clerk said the driver was an employee who had recently learned how to drive.
They’re two hotels with separate identities and philosophies, but they share a building, an owner and a sleek, modern aesthetic.
The new 300-room Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel and 325-suite Residence Inn Arlington Capital View will open to the public on Wednesday, but public relations staffers have been busy showing off the properties over the past week. Located on the south end of Crystal City, the hotels offer rooms with expansive views of Reagan National Airport and the Potomac River.
We’ll talk about what each hotel offers guests in a minute, but first let’s discuss the stuff that locals can take advantage of.
The Renaissance is home to an airy, 96-seat restaurant and bar called SOCCi (pronounced so-chee). The eatery, which is accessible from Crystal Drive, features modern Italian cuisine, a “pet-friendly outdoor seating area” and a chef’s tasting room.
The Renaissance is also home to one of the few Espressamente Illy coffee bars in the United States. The cafe has an outdoor patio and offers espresso beverages, sandwiches and lite fare. Your coffee can be enjoyed in the cafe or in the adjacent lobby area, which has WiFi and plenty of places to plug in laptops. The cafe will compete with a Starbucks that does brisk business just a block away on Crystal Drive.
For guests, the upscale Renaissance will offer rooms with high-speed internet, high-def TVs, iPod docking stations and “spa-like bathrooms.” The extended-stay Residence Inn will offer rooms wiht free WiFi, kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances and complementary grocery delivery.
Being Trader Joe’s is like being the prettiest girl in school. Everybody wants to go to the dance with you, so you can afford to be picky.
So it was with the grocery chain’s new Clarendon location. For months now, the company has kept observers wondering when they would finalize the lease for 11,000 square feet of prime retail space on the ground floor of the Clarendon Center project.
First, the store demanded concessions from Arlington County, which were granted. Then, we hear, they insisted on holding off on the lease until they were granted certain county permits.
It now appears that whatever permits the company has been waiting for have been approved. The Clarendon Center leasing plan shows Trader Joe’s occupying the space, near the corner of North Highland Street and Clarendon Boulevard.
In November the company told the county to expect a Summer 2011 opening date.
Arlington’s economic development agency will be holding a boot camp of sorts for aspiring food cart operators.
The event, “Food Carts: Regulations and Best Practices 2011,” will be held between 6:00 and 8:30 p.m. on March 9 at the Central Library auditorium (1015 North Quincy Street). Registration is free.
Among the featured speakers will be District Taco owner Osiris Hoil, who “will share his insight on how he used his food cart business to secure a retail lease in Arlington County.” Representatives from the Arlington’s health department, police department and tax office will also be on hand.
“Are you interested in learning the legal aspects of opening this type of business in Arlington County from local regulators?” Arlington Economic Development asked in its email flier for the event. “During these tough economic times, small businesses throughout the United States are launching food carts at record rates as alternatives to leasing commercial retail space.”
The event is sponsored by BizLaunch and the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
(Updated at 1:20 p.m.) Once upon a time, there was a dream of local news organization that would act less as a walled castle and more as a town square. Instead of competing, it would partner. Instead of talking at, it would talk with.
This news organization would act as a hub of a local news ecosystem, a gateway through which a regional audience could be introduced to the work of independent local journalists and community blogs.
On Feb. 23, 2011, the dream died.
Rosslyn-based TBD.com is planning to lay off most of its staff, according to the Washington Business Journal. All of the site’s sports and news reporters will be let go, according to We Love DC. Among the jobs expected to be eliminated is TBD’s Arlington community reporter position, held by Rebecca A. Cooper.
Instead of reporting news, TBD will now become a niche arts and entertainment site, according to the Washington City Paper.
Two weeks ago it was revealed that TBD, which had been in operation for about six months, was to be taken over by the management of its corporate sibling, WJLA-TV (ABC 7). WJLA.com, which currently redirects to TBD, will eventually regain its status as an independently-run news web site. Some of TBD’s staff will get jobs running WJLA.com, according to the Washington Post.
Dozens of gaffers, grips, extras and producers were hard at work filming a Capital One Bank commercial at the corner of Columbia Pike and Monroe Street this morning.
The giant “pin” of one of the company’s signature red push pins was propped up on the sidewalk next to the bank. A lone tennis ball was glued to the top, to act as a guide for 3D artists to later inset the pin’s giant red handle.
The film crew set up their gear around 6:00 this morning, and broke most of it down by 10:00. They used The Broiler, across the street from the bank, as a base of operations.
We hear the crew was heading into D.C. to film at another Capital One bank location this afternoon. That shoot, we were told, would involve Capitals star and Arlington resident Alex Ovechkin shooting pucks from the bank’s roof.
Hat tips to Johnny K., Rebecca K. and M.E. Photo (top right) courtesy Johnny K.
Clarendon has a new Thai restaurant.
Burapa Thai opened its doors on Monday. Located next to Circa at 1210 North Garfield Street, the restaurant serves Thai classics like Pad Thai and Kaprow, in addition to some signature dishes like the crispy Burapa Noodle in spicy chili gravy.
The restaurant also has a sushi bar near the back, allowing it to serve fresh sushi and hybrid dishes like the bento box with spring roll and Pad Thai noodles.
The Panang Curry was particularly delicious when we stopped by last night. The Larb Gai, meanwhile, was excellent as a starter.
Burapa Thai is offering a limited-time $1 per piece sushi deal through March 15. Regular deals include a 50 percent off happy hour from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., half-price wine on Tuesdays and Thursday and kids (10 and under) eat free on Monday. There’s also a lunch special from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: two dishes on one plate for $9 to $12.
The restaurant offers an order-by-fax carry-out option (fax: 703-294-4104) and free delivery with a minimum $20 order (phone: 703-294-4102). It’s open from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Management eventually hopes to bring in a live DJ on Saturday nights to create a lounge-like atmosphere.
Bayou Bakery owner and chef David Guas has been nominated for Food & Wine Magazine’s The People’s Best New Chef award.
Guas is one of ten chefs nominated for the award in the Mid-Atlantic region, and one of 100 chefs nominated nationwide. Other local nominees include Kyle Bailey of Birch & Barley, Dan Giusti of 1789 Restaurant, and Nicholas Stefanelli of Bibiana.
The ultimate winner will be decided by an online vote. The winners in each of the ten geographic regions will be featured in the July issue of Food and Wine.
Bayou Bakery is located at 1515 North Courthouse Road in Courthouse.
