The retail and residential development formerly known as Market Common Clarendon has netted Seamore’s, a New York-based sustainable seafood spot, announcing the new restaurant tenant on social media.
“Born from a love of sustainable and local fishing, Seamore’s brings the ocean back to the urban table with modern, healthy dishes for every eater,” the post said. “From lobster rolls, fish tacos, to their signature tuna poke, this is Clarendon’s best catch and you’ll only find it at The Crossing Clarendon.”
The restaurant is slated to operate in a 2,605-square foot spot at the corner of N. Edgewood Street and Clarendon Blvd — where the old Baja Fresh used to be — on the same strip as the MyEyeDr. and Nicecream. The building has since been renovated, along with the four-story office building behind it.
Regency Centers and Seamore’s were not immediately able to provide additional details about when the restaurant could open.
Seamore’s has a half-dozen locations around New York City, and was founded by a New Yorker seeking better options in Manhattan for local fish.
“For a city surrounded by water, New York shockingly lacks menus with local fish,” the restaurant’s website says. “Seamore’s was born to change this. Founded by native New Yorker, Michael Chernow, who longed for better fish tacos and a reunion of city and sea, Seamore’s brings the ocean back to the urban table in a deliciously modern and healthy way.”
The menu is always changing based on what’s available, according to the restaurant.
Seamore’s says it only sells fish with stable or growing populations that are harvested “in an environmentally conscious manner.”
Läderach Chocolate, now at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City
Läderach Chocolate, now at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (Photo courtesy of Läderach)
Läderach Chocolate, now at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (Photo courtesy of Läderach)
(Updated, Nov. 9) The Pentagon City mall is getting a little sweeter with the opening of Swiss chocolate shop Läderach.
The large Swiss chocolate retailer is expanding to 30 new U.S. locations, many of which are specifically at Simon shopping centers, including the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.
Läderach is replacing the Godiva store that closed earlier this year, part of an asset purchase agreement that saw them assume the leases of more than 30 Godiva locations across the country. The shop is on the mall’s first level, next to the Ann Taylor.
It had a soft opening last month, a Läderach spokesperson confirms to ARLnow.
The Arlington location is the second in the region. In February, Läderach opened a shop at Union Station in D.C. with a “self-serve carousel.” The Pentagon City mall shop does not have a carousel.
This is all part of the company’s “westward expansion… to meet the growing demand for premium fresh chocolate in the area that we’ve also seen through e-commerce.”
Nonetheless, there’s going to be lots of sweet, sweet chocolate.
“For chocolate lovers, this store is all about the chocolate experience! It offers more than 85 varieties of premium fresh chocolate shipped directly from Switzerland, including its famous FrischSchoggi (fresh chocolate in Swiss German) counter which includes more than 20 varieties of chocolate bark,” says a press release. “All chocolate is made from bean-to-bar in-house and shipped directly to the store guaranteeing its quality and freshness, which is second to none.”
Operating since 1962, Läderach is family-owned and until recently only had stores in Switzerland. Elias Läderach is one of the heirs to this chocolate fortune and was named World Chocolate Master in 2018 for his “lightning-fast technique, perfectionist attitude and flawless execution.”
The chocolate store is one of a number of new shops and eateries at the mall on S. Hayes Street. There’s now a Levi’s store, Mediterranean restaurant Sante, and a Day & Night Cereal Bar that specializes in milkshakes and cereal, among others.
Fried rice and chicken at CHIKO in Shirlington (Photo courtesy of CHIKO).
Co-owners Danny Lee and Scott Drewno cooking (Photo courtesy of CHIKO).
Co-owners Danny Lee and Scott Drewno (Photo courtesy of CHIKO).
Fried chicken at CHIKO (Photo courtesy of CHIKO).
CHIKO, a popular D.C.-based Chinese and Korean eatery, is opening its first Virginia location in Shirlington on Wednesday (Nov. 10).
First announced in July, CHIKO is opening at 4040 Campbell Avenue and is taking over space formerly occupied by DAK Chicken, which closed in summer 2020.
“We look forward to being part of Shirlington’s vibrant restaurant scene and hope to be cooking for the greater Arlington community. Danny and I felt this was a perfect spot for our first foray into Virginia,” co-owner Scott Drewno wrote in the press release.
The fast casual restaurant is owned by Drewno and partner Danny Lee, who make up what they call the Fried Rice Collective and who run otherconcepts in the region.
This is CHIKO’s fifth location, including the fourth in the area. The other regional locations include Dupont Circle, Capitol Hill, and Bethesda. There’s also a shop in California.
“Federal Realty is excited to add another CHIKO location to our DC-metro portfolio,” writes Stuart Biel, Senior Vice President of Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns the Village of Shirlington as well as Westpost in Pentagon City. “The Bethesda location has seen incredible success during a very challenging time, and we look forward to the same in The Village at Shirlington. CHIKO’s incredible reputation and loyal following mean yet another quality food option in the neighborhood.”
The eatery is known for its dim sum, double-fried chicken wings, and fried rice. Each location has its own speciality fried rice dish, with the one in Shirlington serving up charred siu pork fried rice.
Relatedly, there’s a new “Fried Rice Passport,” which offers a $25 gift certificate for those who try the fried rice at every local location. A new blueberry kaffir lime custard dessert is also exclusive to the Shirlington location.
The restaurant is about 1,500 square feet, has seating inside for 30, and offers carryout as well as delivery. The interior is designed by D.C.-based Natalie Park Design Studio.
Only dinner will initially be available, though lunch and brunch will come later this winter, according to the press release.
At the opening on Wednesday, the first 50 people to come to the shop will receive a free dumpling order.
CHIKO joins Bearded Goat Barber and F45, a gym, among the businesses to open in Shirlington this fall.
Nighthawk Pizza at Westpost in Pentagon City, opening spring 2022 (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
A soon-to-be Target at Westpost in Pentagon City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream is opening in late 2021 at Westpost in Pentagon City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Kusshi, a sushi restaurant, is opening in 2022 at Westpost in Pentagon City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
The soon-to-be Road Runner Sports at Westpost in Pentagon City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Rendering of Arlington location at Westpost (Photo courtesy of Banditos Bar & Kitchen)
Bun’d Up at Westpost in Pentagon City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Privai, spa and salon, at Westpost in Pentagon City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Nighthawk Pizza at Westpost in Pentagon City, opening fall 2022 (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
(Updated, 4:30 p.m.) A slew of new restaurants and stores are set to open at Westpost in Pentagon City over the next year.
From a “taco temple” to a pizza and beer hall to a running store to a new Target, the shopping center formerly known as Pentagon Row will have more than a half dozen new businesses by the fall of next year.
All of these new additions now make Westpost fully leased, confirms a spokesperson for Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT), which owns the mixed-use development.
The next to open will be Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream, which is targeting scooping by the end of this month. The 935-square-foot ice cream parlor was originally going open in the late summer, but that was delayed. Located at 1201 S. Joyce Street, next to Bun’d Up, the shop is owned by local Rollin Amore and named after his daughter. His partner, Sarah, owns an ice cream parlor in Bethesda.
“I have been cooking and creating desserts since I was seven years old and I am excited to make this hobby my job,” Amore told ARLnow back in May.
Kusshi, a sushi restaurant with a location at Bethesda’s Pike and Rose, will be opening in the spring in the space formerly occupied by Namaste Everest, which is next to Mimi’s. We previously reported it was going to start serving by the end of the year.
“Arlington has a lot of business and commerce and has Amazon HQ2 going there as well,” Kusshi’s owner told ARLnow in June about the choice to open at Westpost. “We like to go to mixed-use developments, which is part of our success at Pike and Rose.”
The Baltimore-based Banditos Bar & Kitchen remains on track to also open in the spring. The FRIT spokesperson confirmed that could mean as early as April.
This is the third location of the self-described “taco temple,” but the first in Virginia. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will have outdoor seating and serve classic fare like tacos, quesadillas, and margaritas.
Also aiming for a spring opening is a 34,000-square-foot Target in the old Bed, Bath, and Beyond space and Road Runner Sports in the former Unleashed space, which shuttered at the beginning of the year.
Target’s target is April while Road Runner Sports is on track for May or “possibly earlier,” says the spokesperson.
Much-anticipated Nighthawk Pizza is also arriving next year. The pizza spot with “a 90s vibe and a beer hall-like atmosphere” is opening “early 2022,” according to a spokesperson. It was originally supposed to start serving slices this fall — in fact, the storefront sticker still advertises this — but that’s been pushed back. (Such delays seem to be common these days, at least in Arlington.)
Other developments at Westpost include the opening of the spa and salon Privai, set for November 22. The 4,127-square-foot spa located at 1101 S Joyce Street Suite B-35 specializes in body treatments, facials, salon services, and guided meditation. It is the salon’s fourth Virginia location.
Bun’d Up, meanwhile, is also going through a renovation, according to the FRIT spokesperson. It currently remains open. That’s owned by chef Scott Chung, will reopen.
Restaurants and stores are not the only openings at Westpost. The center’s ice skating rink opened for the season over the weekend.
District Dogs owner Jacob Hensley poses outside a District Dogs location with a poodle (courtesy photo)
The future home of District Dogs in The Crossing Clarendon (courtesy photo)
The interior of a District Dogs location (courtesy photo)
(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) A D.C.-based dog daycare and boarding facility is making its first foray out of the nation’s capital with a Clarendon outpost.
District Dogs will move into The Crossing Clarendon shopping center (formerly Market Common Clarendon) in February or March, owner Jacob Hensley tells ARLnow. In addition to daycare and boarding, District Dogs provides other services such as grooming and training.
“We’re very excited to come to Arlington,” he said. “Right now, we have the designs finished and construction plans out to bid. We should be getting bids and contractors in the next couple of weeks or so, and we expect to be open late winter or early spring.”
The business will front Wilson Blvd, according to a photo sent by Hensley, in a ground floor space between the Whole Foods and where Iota Club used to be.
There is one hurdle to surmount: zoning rules about how many dogs can be boarded per night. According to a zoning determination this summer, District Dogs can operate in Clarendon as a doggie daycare and grooming facility, with overnight boarding for up to three dogs. Any more overnight occupants, and it’s considered by the county a “kennel,” which is not allowed on the property either by-right or through a special exception permit.
Regency Centers, which owns The Crossing, is appealing the decision on Hensley’s behalf. Either way, District Dogs can move in, Hensley says.
“District Dogs will be able to offer daycare, boarding, grooming and training services in the Clarendon location regardless of the outcome,” he said. “I can’t comment further [about zoning issues] because of how complicated it is and I don’t want to get the details wrong.”
The forthcoming Arlington location will be Hensley’s fifth. He started District Dogs in 2014 as a one-man dog-walking business and opened his first brick-and-mortar facility in 2016 in D.C. Since then, he’s added two more D.C. locations, with a fourth under-construction.
Clarendon was a natural choice, since District Dogs targets markets with a mix of apartments and single-family homes, and many clients come to D.C. from Northern Virginia, he said.
Hensley says Arlington’s urban corridors need more of these kinds of dog-care facilities, as many existing providers are located in warehouse and industrial districts. Many customers will be able to walk to District Dogs, compared to having to drive somewhere a distance away.
“We’re bringing a more urban dog daycare experience that’s more convenient for people and where they live,” he said.
Hensley said District Dogs aims to make dogs and their humans feel comfortable. For pet owners, that means providing web-cameras so they can check in, as well as operating in spaces with lots of windows.
“We’re really just trying to show everything that goes on,” he said. “That’s what’s lacking in a lot of facilities, which can be old and run-down in a warehouse.”
Hensley attributes his ability to expand in part to COVID-19. People adopted more dogs during the pandemic and now need the services he provides, particularly weeknight, overnight boarding.
“Our facilities in D.C. are pretty much at-capacity in a daily basis,” he said. “In addition to new dogs, since people can work remote, people are traveling more… Because people’s work is so much more flexible, not just travel but the length of travel is increasing.”
Once District Dogs settles into Clarendon, locals can expect dog-friendly community activities.
“We have a great online community, and we try to do events at restaurants, bars and parks,” Hensley said. “We’re trying to bring a sense of dog community to the Arlington area — we want to be a part of it and help foster it.”
Bearded Goat Barber Shop is co-owned by serial entrepreneur Scott Parker and barbers Eric Renfro and Jon Dodson. Its first location in Ballston opened in 2019 and the second opened last year in D.C.’s Navy Yard. The expansion to Shirlington was first announced in February
With the region emerging from the pandemic, Parker believes that now is the time to grow.
“The Bearded Goat brand is stronger than ever,” Parker wrote to ARLnow via email. “There is currently a 4-5 week wait to get a cut at our first two locations. Since restrictions were loosened, we are busier than ever. It is the perfect time to expand, and we are slowly starting to look for our fourth location.”
As for where that fourth location of Bearded Goat could be, no further details were provided.
The barber shop offers haircuts, shape-ups, beard sculpting, grey blending, and straight razor hot towel shaves. It’s also “committed to following all CDC guidelines,” which includes sanitizing workspaces, tools, chairs, capes, and the waiting area between all visits.
That pizza spot with “a 90s vibe and a beer hall-like atmosphere” was initially supposed to open this fall, but it’s been pushed back to “early 2022,” according to a spokesperson.
Renfro and Dodson were barbers at Hendricks Barbershop in Clarendon before partnering with Parker on Bearded Goat.
“Jon and Eric decided to start their own shop, and asked me to be a part of it,” Parker told ARLnow back in 2018. “They’re super talented guys with almost 20 years of combined experience in barbering. For them it was a chance to finally realize their dream, and, for me, a great opportunity to work with two very passionate, accomplished people.”
Plant shop REWILD in Ballston Quarter (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Plant shop REWILD in Ballston Quarter (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Plant shop REWILD in Ballston Quarter (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Plant shop REWILD in Ballston Quarter (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Plant shop REWILD in Ballston Quarter (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
REWILD, a trendy D.C.-based plant shop, has sprouted a second permanent location in Ballston Quarter.
The shop held a “soft opening” yesterday (Wednesday) and has a grand opening set for this Saturday, Oct. 23, with “goodies and special stuff happening,” co-owner Lily Cox tells ARLnow.
The shop first announced its expansion earlier this year, but the opening at 700 N. Randolph Street, Suite #190 has been delayed several months due to supply and material hold-ups.
Cox tells ARLnow the Ballston location was a natural choice, as a big chunk of REWILD’s customer base at its Shaw location came from this side of the Potomac.
“When we started offering delivery service, we found we were doing a lot of deliveries to Virginia,” she says.
The Ballston location will be much like the one in D.C., except a bit larger. It also includes a storefront and delivery service, and will eventually hold workshops.
Like many businesses, REWILD suffered at the start of the pandemic — it shut down for some time and sales dipped by up to 20%.
But this past summer, REWILD sales rose by about 50%, which Cox attributed to the store’s expanded offerings, including more deliveries, consultations and commercial clients.
“Offices have been contacting us because they want plants in their space,” says Cox. “Having plants in the office environment has been proven to boost productivity and [employers] are trying to make the office more enticing.”
Also, in general, people are also investing more into their at-home spaces, she notes.
When Cox opened the first REWILD three years ago, her initial mission was to create “a plant shop that was immersive and interactive.” Now, she says it’s more about education and working with customers to make sure they make the right purchase.
“We have real conversations with our clients about what plants would work best for their space and their lifestyle,” she says “So, they don’t have these horror stories about plants they killed.”
Cox originally got into designing plants as a hobby outside her 9-to-5 job in D.C. She says working with greenery kept her in touch with her West Coast roots. That hobby grew into crafting, workshops and selling plants out of Shop Made in D.C. It was then, three years ago, that she connected with co-owners Joseph Ressler and Kyle Cannon to open REWILD.
To Cox, plants show change and evolution. As REWILD expands, there’s an obvious analogy.
“You see the leaves, you see them add a few more inches of height, or grow in new directions,” she says. “It’s just exciting.”
A new shop is coming to 576 23rd Street S. (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new business called “Beauty by Society Fair” is coming to 576 23rd Street S. in Crystal City, the former location of Agents in Style.
The establishment’s Instagram account describes it as a “champagne boutique.” The business also has an alcohol license pending, showing it’s looking to serve wine and/or beer both on and off the premises.
It also seems clear that the business is associated with the former market and eatery Society Fair and Bar PX in Alexandria, touted as the D.C area’s “original speakeasy-style bar.” Both establishments closed in 2019. An offshoot of Society Fair was also brieflyopen on Columbia Pike in Arlington in 2014.
Alexandria’s tourism blog promoted in April the eventual opening of “Beauty by Society Fair,” noting that it’s owned by Meshelle Armstrong. She’s the co-owner of several notable local restaurants with her husband, chef Cathal Armstrong, including Mattie and Eddie’s in Pentagon City. Armstrong’s Eat Good Food Group counts Society Fair, Bar PX, Eamonn’s and Restaurant Eve among its former restaurants.
ARLnow has reached out to the owners but haven’t received an on-the-record statement as of publication. A Sept. 30 Instagram post said Beauty by Society Fair would be “coming soonish” to “a darling spot [in] National Landing.”
The building, which is accessible via S. Fern Street, formerly housed the consignment boutique Agents in Style, but that shop moved to Charlottesville in July.
Local landmark Green Valley Pharmacy at 2415 Shirlington Road (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
A permit sign on the door of Green Valley Pharmacy (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Local landmark Green Valley Pharmacy at 2415 Shirlington Road (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
(Updated, 9/30) Local landmark Green Valley Pharmacy is undergoing “extensive renovations” to reopen as a kabob and burger restaurant later this year, both the property and business owners confirmed to ARLnow.
Muse, a graduate of Howard University School of Pharmacy, opened the business in the 1950s for Black customers who were often at the time not allowed to enter through the front door, if at all, at other Arlington pharmacies.
But in 2017, Muse died and the property deed was transferred over to his daughter, Jesse Al-Amin. The pharmacy has remained shuttered ever since, but that appears to be changing.
In August 2019, Al-Amin agreed to allow Arlingtonian Nasir Ahmad, who also owns establishments in Sterling and Fredericksburg, to rent the building and open a restaurant. Ahmad tells us he previously owned a business across the street from the pharmacy about 20 years ago.
The original thought was to have the building remain as a pharmacy, but there were too many complications with that plan, Al-Amin said, so renting out the building was a good alternative.
She currently lives in Georgia and didn’t want to sell the property.
“A lot of people wanted it,” she told ARLnow, “But I wanted to keep it as a memory of my father.”
It took nearly two years to get all the permits and approvals. Due to the historic nature of the building, all exterior alterations needed to be approved by the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB). To date, according to Historic Preservation Program coordinator Cynthia Liccese-Torres, no recent applications for exterior alterations have been received by the board.
This past July, a Commercial Tenant Buildout permit was approved by Arlington County. The permit lists “Time Square Grill” as the business name, but Ahmad said that was just a placeholder. The business will be called “Halal Spot” and serve burgers, pizza, and kabobs.
Interior demolition and construction are already underway, as evident by the giant dumpster currently outside of the building. Ahmad anticipates that the restaurant will open prior to January 1, 2022.
He’s planning to keep pretty much the same layout, including putting the food counter in the same place as the pharmacy lunch counter, in homage to Muse.
“I want to match it up as much as I can,” he says. “For memory’s sake.”
The restaurant will also have a display honoring Doc Muse and the Green Valley Pharmacy, according to both Al-Amin and Ahmad, which they say is a better outcome than complete demolition or another business that wouldn’t acknowledge the building’s history.
“She didn’t want a big company, like a McDonald’s, to go there and destroy everything,” says Ahmad.
For Five Coffee is opening a new location on Lynn St. in Rosslyn next to Chopt (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
For Five Coffee is opening a new location on Lynn St. in Rosslyn next to Chopt (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
For Five Coffee is opening a new location on Lynn St. in Rosslyn next to Chopt (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated 9/23) Just a 20 minute walk away from the existing shop at Courthouse, growing cafe chain For Five Coffee Roasters is planning to move into Rosslyn.
The New York City-based coffee company is opening at 1735 N. Lynn Street, next to Chopt. It will be filling a gap on the block left by the closures of Cosi and Starbucks earlier this year.
East West Coffee Wine also closed recently, ahead of the redevelopment of its building at 1901 N. Moore Street, leaving Compass Coffee at 1201 Wilson Blvd as one of the only dedicated coffee shop options without hiking up the Wilson Blvd hill.
For Five Coffee Roasters was founded in 2010 in Queens, New York and has since branched out to Chicago, Los Angeles, D.C. and Northern Virginia. The chain’s Courthouse location opened last May with Nutella-stuffed cookies and an espresso bar.
Barron Bazemore Jr., chief marketing officer for For Five Coffee Roasters, said the plan is to open the Rosslyn location early next year.
“All I can share at this time is that the café will open [in the first three months] of 2022,” Bazemore said.
Levi’s in Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, courtesy photo
For those venturing back to the mall for the first time in awhile, the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City might look a little different than you remember, thanks to some recent additions.
Four new stores have recently opened in the mall, at 1101 S. Hayes Street, with two more expected to open sometime in the next few weeks.
On the first level, denim retailer Levi’s has set up next to Altar’d State, overlooking the food court.
On the second level, luxury goods retailer Vince has set up next to Pandora and home décor store Casa Furniture has opened on the opposite side of the food court.
Down in the bottom-floor “dining pavilion” — the mall’s new term for its food court — there are a few additions underway. As Kelis attested in 2003, milkshakes are a popular attraction, and the new Day & Night Cereal Bar is offering a dozen specialized milkshakes and cereal bowls, along with coffee and flights of bacon.
The cereal-centric eatery has some unique combinations, like Marty McFly — a combination of Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops and gummy bears. Its website says it also offers oat milk and almond milk substitutions for those who are dairy averse.
A Subway had previously closed in the food court, but a new franchise for the sandwich chain is expected to open in November, a mall spokesman tells ARLnow.
Lastly, as previously reported, Mediterranean restaurant Sante’ is planning to open sometime this fall in the adjacent Ritz-Carlton hotel at 1250 S. Hayes Street.
