Lyon Village

JUST IN: Java Shack to Close Unless Buyer Can Be Found

By ARLnow.com

The Java Shack, a beloved local coffee shop in the Lyon Village neighborhood near Courthouse, is planning to close.

Commonwealth Joe, which took over the cafe at 2507 N. Franklin Road from its original owner five years ago, made the announcement Friday morning after informing staff of its plans.

Java Shack will serve its final mugs of coffee on Nov. 24, unless Commonwealth Joe can find a buyer for the business “that understands and respects the rich heritage of the cafe and the important role it plays in the community.”

One frequent customer said the loss of Java Shack would be a detriment to the sense of community that unique local businesses like it help to build.

“I live down the street from Java Shack and it’s a huge loss for me to know that they’re closing,” Jacob Gersh told ARLnow, noting that he recently filled his fourth punch card at the shop, marking 40 cups of coffee. “It’s such a powerful feeling of connection to the community to be able to sit in their garden.”

Commonwealth Joe says it was not able to negotiate a new lease that would allow it to continue operating Java Shack. It will instead focus on its Pentagon City cafe, near Amazon’s future HQ2, and its growing coffee keg business.

Maintenance of the aging building on Franklin Road — which once housed the headquarters of the American Nazi Party but is now home to Java Shack, a barber and a pet store — has been a challenge for the cafe’s owners.

“The Java Shack holds a special place in our hearts,” said Commonwealth Joe co-founder and CEO Robert Peck. “However apart from the great memories and successes we had at the cafe, our building lease brought some hardships.”

The full press release is below, after the jump.

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Another Vehicle Break-in Spree Reported

By ARLnow.com

Yet another series of car break-ins has been reported in Arlington, this time in Lyon Village.

Police say about 10 unlocked vehicles were tampered with and “items of value” stolen. From Arlington County Police:

LARCENY FROM AUTO (series), 2019-07200087/07200104/07200106/07200138/07200156, 1500 block of N. Johnson Street/3100 block of Key Boulevard/3100 block of Key Boulevard/3100 block of 17th Street N./1400 block of N. Hancock Street. At approximately 6:18 a.m. on July 20, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny from auto. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 11:00 p.m. on July 19 and 5:30 a.m. on July 20, two unknown suspects gained entry to approximately ten unlocked vehicles, tampered with items and stole items of value. Suspect One is described as a female, approximately 5’2″-5’8″, with a slim build and long, dark hair. Suspect Two is described as being approximately 5’2″-5’8″. The investigation is ongoing.

ACPD is continuing to urge residents to lock their car and home doors to prevent crimes of opportunity.

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Real Estate Smoking Hot Near HQ2 — “Since Amazon announced in November its choice of Crystal City and Pentagon City, the median home sale price in that area has increased 17.7%, leaping to $655,000, and the typical home was placed under contract in just six days, down from 10 days last year, according to fresh data from real estate brokerage Redfin.” [Washington Business Journal, Axios, WTOP]

Marymount Names Tech-Oriented Interim Business Dean — “Tech expert and entrepreneur Jonathan Aberman is the new interim dean of Marymount University’s School of Business and Technology. Aberman replaces outgoing dean Marianne Ward-Peradoza and officially takes the reins of the school July 1.” [Washington Business Journal, PRNewswire]

Missing: Firefighter’s Keys — “A firefighter left his keys on the bumper of a fire truck while rushing to an emergency! If you happened to pick up this set of keys along Wilson Blvd from Ballston to 7 Corners, kindly return them to Fire Station 2!” [Twitter]

Water Main Work in Lyon Village — “Emergency Water Main Repairs: Crews are working on an 8-inch main at the 2800 block of Key Boulevard. Some 150 water customers could be affected. The street is detoured around the work site.” [Twitter]

Metro Summer Shutdown Underway — “After long lines and packed buses shortly after opening, commuters on Metro’s Yellow and Blue lines are seeing more frequent pick-ups but some traffic delays… Tuesday is the first work day that six stations on Metro’s Blue and Yellow lines south of Reagan National Airport are closed for platform repairs and other upgrades until Sept. 8.” [WTOP]

Photo: Tomb Sentinel in Thursday’s Storm — “On Thursday, Arlington was hit hard with rain and wind with gusts up to 70mph, but that didn’t stop one man from honoring the fallen. A Tomb Sentinel withstood torrential rains and wind gusts to honor the fallen at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.” [WJLA, Facebook]

Photo courtesy Peter Golkin

BREAKING: Truck Overturns in Lyon Village Crash

By Alex Koma
1/2

(Updated at 12:35 p.m.) A driver overturned his pick-up truck following an accident in Lyon Village this morning (Thursday).

County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage says the man was driving north on N. Highland Street, near its intersection with 19th Street N., around 10:30 a.m. when he struck a parked car in the area.

That caused the truck to flip on its side, Savage said, and the man was briefly unable to exit the vehicle due to his injuries.

She added that those injuries were non-life threatening, and police and medics have since left the scene.

Anti-Semitic Flyers Distributed Near Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

Someone distributed anti-Semitic flyers around the Lyon Village neighborhood near Courthouse this week.

The flyers rant about Jews controlling the weather, call for war to be declared on Israel and urge the government to “prepare caves” to save citizens from a coming cataclysm.

A resident tells ARLnow.com that he first spotted the pamphlets Thursday evening and thought they were “disturbing and seemingly threatening nature.”

“I found [the flyer] yesterday evening on the 1700 block of N. Adams Street,” the resident said. “I saw others tucked into residents’ fences and along the street yesterday on the same block and some others this morning along the sidewalk of the 1700 block of N. Wayne Street.”

“I just sent in a suspicious information report to the ACPD to keep them aware and also wanted to share with you,” he added.

Similar flyers, which reference a “conspiracy pamphleteer” named Peter J. Cojanis, have previously been distributed in Cleveland Park and Petworth in D.C. and Chevy Chase in Maryland.

Photo courtesy Sam S. (blur added)

Attempted Armed Robbery of Starbucks Foiled By Audacious Customer

By ARLnow.com

A Starbucks customer foiled a would-be armed robber — twice — over the weekend.

According to an Arlington County Police crime report, a man walked into a business on the 3100 block of Lee Highway just after 5 a.m. Sunday morning, brandished a firearm and ordered everyone to the back of the store. A customer with a venti-sized dose of audacity then intervened.

“A patron physically challenged the suspect causing the suspect to exit the business,” said the crime report. “The suspect immediately re-entered the business brandishing the firearm. Once confronted again by the patron, the suspect fled the scene on foot.”

“Arriving officers canvased the area and a K9 track yielded negative results,” the crime report continued. “No injuries were reported. The suspect is described as a black male, 20-30 years old, approximately 6’0, wearing a black winter jacket with a fur hood. The investigation is ongoing.”

Though police did not specify a business, a tipster said the robbery took place at the Starbucks in the Lyon Village Shopping Center, along Spout Run Parkway.

Asked about a possible surveillance image of the suspect, ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage said the department has “nothing for release at this time.”

Arlington Filmmaker Takes New Film on Festival Circuit

By Anna Merod
1/4

An Arlington filmmaker is back on the film circuit, this time showcasing a film tackling end-of-life care issues.

The movie, “Nothing to Do,” centers on a radio D.J. who has take care of his dying father. Director Mike Kravinsky was inspired in part by taking care of his own father during his final weeks.

“It was frightening and challenging, but unbelievably rewarding, to be there for my dad at the end,” Kravinsky said. “Even though this very sad thing is happening, life goes on.”

To prepare for filming, Kravinsky interviewed doctors and funeral directors about a family’s experience at the end of a parent’s life, including the inevitable and emotional fighting that was a reoccurring scene in the movie.

Some scenes were shot in Kravinsky’s bedroom, but also at Clarendon’s Goody’s pizzeria and Columbia Pike’s Twisted Vines wine bar.

Filmmaking was a career change for Kravinsky, a Lyon Village resident who worked for ABC News in D.C. as an editor for 30 years before accepting a buyout in 2010.

“In the back of my mind I always had this thing, like ‘film making is so cool,'” said Kravinsky. “I just gave this a shot and it’s been really gratifying, really rewarding for me.”

The film will be screened this Friday and Sunday (March 2 and March 4) at the Durango Independent Film Festival in Colo., and it was just screened at the Beaufort International Film Festival in Beaufort, S.C., where it was nominated for best actor/director.

Kravinsky said more film festivals have been interested in “Nothing to Do” than his previous film “Geographically Desirable” which came out in 2015.

“Nothing to Do” won the Special Jury Award at Virginia’s Alexandria Film Festival. It was also a finalist at the Cinequest Screenplay Competition in San Jose, Calif., and an honorable mention at the TrackingB Screenplay Competition in Los Angeles.

Kravinsky said he hopes he can bring the film back to the D.C. area and is currently applying for different screenings nearby.

Photos courtesy of Mike Kravinsky

Police: Bike Thieves Busted

By ARLnow.com

Two men have been arrested and charged with trying to steal bikes from a front porch and a parking garage.

The pair were allegedly spotted in Maywood and near Lyon Village attempting to steal bikes Friday morning. Police were called, searched the area and arrested the men, both in their mid-20s.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

GRAND LARCENY, 2017-08040083, 3200 block of 23rd Street N. At approximately 9:43 a.m. on August 4, police were dispatched to the report of two suspicious males attempting to steal a bicycle from the front porch of a residence. Shortly after, a similar call was received reporting two subjects were attempting to steal a bicycle from a parking garage in the 1900 block of N. Daniel Street. Responding officers canvassed the area and located two subjects matching the descriptions provided by the witnesses. Philip Taylor, 25, of Capitol Hills, MD, was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny (x2) and Grand Larceny with Intent to Sell. Raheem Freeman, 24, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Conspiracy to Commit Grand Larceny and Identity Theft. Both were held on no bond.

https://twitter.com/ArlingtonVaPD/status/894633418612461568

BREAKING: House Fire in Lyon Village

By ARLnow.com
1/15

(Updated at 4 p.m.) Arlington County firefighters are battling a house fire in Lyon Village.

The fire was reported around 3:15 p.m. on the 1700 block of N. Edgewood Street.

As of 3:35 p.m. light smoke was still coming from the house’s roof as firefighters were cutting a hole in the roof with a chainsaw and dousing the upper floor with water.

Af of 3:45 p.m. it appeared that the fire had been extinguished. So far no injuries have been reported, and all the house’s occupants evacuated safely.

On account of the warm weather, the fire department was careful to ensure that firefighters were given plenty of water and time to cool off after battling the flames.

This is the second house fire in the Lyon Village neighborhood in the past month.

Man Flees on Foot From Traffic Stop, Leaves Two Kids in Car

By ARLnow.com

Police have issued warrants for a suspect who fled from a traffic stop in Lyon Village early Saturday.

Just after midnight an Arlington County police officer pulled over a vehicle driving on N. Danville Street with its headlights off, according to an ACPD crime report.

The driver then got out of the car and ran off, leaving two kids and another adult behind, a police spokeswoman said.

Officers searched the area and were unable to find the man, but warrants have been issued for him on a number of charges.

More from the crime report:

ELUDING, 2017-07150002, 1800 block of N. Danville Street. At approximately 12:13 a.m. on July 15, an officer on routine patrol observed a vehicle traveling without headlights. The officer activated her emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop and the male suspect exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. Units responded and searched the area with negative results. Warrants for possession of cocaine, driving on a revoked license, eluding, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor were obtained. The investigation is ongoing.

BREAKING: House Fire in Lyon Village

By ARLnow.com
1/23

(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) Arlington County firefighters are on scene of a two alarm house fire in the Lyon Village neighborhood.

The fire was reported in both the basement and the attic of a home on the 3100 block of 17th Street N. The basement fire was quickly extinguished while firefighters used ladders, axes and lots of water to battle the flames in the attic.

The fire was out and the situation was said to be “stable” shortly before 5 p.m., according to scanner traffic.

The occupants of the home made it out safely. No injuries were reported among the firefighters.

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