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Chase Bank Branch Set to Open in Former Clarendon Walgreens Space Next Week

By Alex Koma
1/2

Arlington’s first Chase Bank branch is set to open in Clarendon next week.

Signs posted on the storefront at 2825 Wilson Blvd say that the new bank will open up this coming Tuesday (Dec. 18).

JPMorgan Chase has been hard at work at converting the former Walgreens Pharmacy into a new branch since earning construction permits late this summer. The building has sat empty since Walgreens closed last February.

The bank bought the space, designated by the county as a historic building, for $25 million back in January. That historic protection means that the county prohibited the bank from doing any work on the building’s exterior, but interior renovations were permitted.

The new Clarendon location is one of four new branches the bank is opening around the D.C. region in the coming months.

JPMorgan Chase kicked off a new round of expansion earlier this year, adding two new branches in D.C. and one in Bethesda alongside others in Boston and Philadelphia.

‘Good Sweat’ Cycling Studio Set to Open in Rosslyn Next Year

By Catherine Douglas Moran

(Updated at 9:40 a.m.) Good Sweat, an indoor cycling studio, is set to open in Rosslyn’s Colonial Village Shopping Center in early 2019.

Alessandra Hashemi, the founder of Good Sweat, told ARLnow that she is aiming for a March opening.

More than 180 people helped Good Sweat raise roughly $26,000 in 21 days, surpassing the studio’s goal of $25,000 in 25 days, the company posted on Facebook on Oct. 21. The money will fund the opening next year at 1711 Wilson Blvd.

A portion of the money from the campaign was donated to Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network to sponsor its “Sixth Annual Happy Hour Benefiting Veterans” on Nov. 7, Hashemi said.

The studio plans to have metered bike and offer classes in the mornings throughout the week and in the evenings on weekdays, according to a brochure sent to ARLnow.

“I have been indoor cycling for over 10 years, and I have seen it all (the good, the bad, the underwhelming),” Hashemi, said in the brochure. “Indoor cycling classes can be cathartic if you have amazing coaches, music and motivation.”

The brochure says that a percentage of every purchase will get invested in the community by hosting subsidized rides for low-income individuals and donating to a different local nonprofit every month, including Urban Alliance, A-SPAN Doorways for Women and Families and Arlington Food Assistance Center.

Good Sweat held two pop-up events earlier this year — a yin yoga class in February and a body weight boot camp in August.

The studio is currently selling discounted packages, some of which include pre-opening access, ranging from one drop-in class to unlimited access for three months.

New Wells Fargo Branch Set to Open in Courthouse Office Building

By Alex Koma
1/2

A new Wells Fargo bank is set to open soon in Courthouse.

Signs posted at a space at the base of an office building at 2319 Wilson Blvd advertise that the new branch is “coming soon.”

The location would be the bank’s ninth branch in Arlington, and second in Courthouse alone. Wells Fargo operates a branch just up the road from the new space, just near the county government center at 2200 Clarendon Blvd.

The lot at 2319 Wilson Blvd was once home to a variety of smaller businesses, including the hookah lounge and bar Adam’s Corner, but those were replaced by an eight-story office building.

The retail space in the base of the building has largely sat empty since then, but The Merit School is also planning to open a new daycare center in the building in the coming months.

New Hair Salon Coming Soon to Ballston, Replacing ‘Zapatat’

By Catherine Douglas Moran
1/4

A new hair salon opened on Monday, Jan. 7, in Ballston.

Signs in the storefront’s windows indicating Kenny’s & BG Hair Salon was “coming soon” to 820 N. Pollard Street popped up in November. The “zap” sign from the tattoo removal shop Zapatat, which arrived in the space in 2011, was still in the store.

Chris Slavin, the owner of Zapatat, told ARLnow that the tattoo removal shop closed at that location about nine months ago and relocated to 2731 Washington Blvd.

The space on the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Pollard Street is below condos and neighbors Willy’s Barber Shop.

Pentagon City Mall Adds Five New Stores Ahead of Holiday Shopping Season

By Alex Koma

As the busiest shopping season of the year draws near, the Pentagon City mall is adding five new stores.

The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City announced Thursday (Nov. 15) that it would be welcoming the new retailers, with some opening right away and others rolling out in the coming weeks.

Per a press release, those additions include:

  • JD Sports: The England-based sports-fashion retail company will open in a 4,700-square-foot space near the Macy’s on the third level in late November.
  • Last Stop: The chain offering clothes and accessories will open on the mall’s third level near Life in DC in a 4,500-square-foot space.
  • ME2: The store, offering “authentic African garments and accessories,” is now open in a 1,000-square-foot space on the first level, near NYX Professional Makeup.
  • On1E Fashion: The women’s athleticwear shop is now open in a 1,200-square-foot storefront located on the third level near The Athlete’s Foot.
  • Why Not Men’s Boutique: Offering men’s clothing and accessories, the shop is now open in a 500-square-foot space on the second level, next to Tumi

As part of the moves, the mall also announced that the salon and spa K & I Beauty will be relocating to a first level near Godiva Chocolatier. A new pop-up cake shop is on the way as well.

The mall is also readying for the arrival of Christmas, and is starting up its annual photos with Santa Claus. The full schedule, from the mall’s website, is as follows:

11/19/18 – 11/21/18: 11AM-8PM

11/22/18:  CLOSED

11/23/18-11/24/18: 10 AM-8PM

11/25/18: 11AM-6PM

11/26/18: 11AM-6PM

11/27/18-11/30/18: 11AM-8PM

12/1/18: 10AM-8:30PM

12/2/18: 11AM-6PM

12/3/18-12/7/18: 10AM-8PM

12/8/18: 10AM-8:30PM

12/9/18: 11AM-7PM

12/10/18-12/13/18: 10AM-8:30PM

12/14/18: 10AM-9PM

12/15/18: 9AM-9PM

12/16/18: 10AM-7PM

12/17/18-12/23/18: 9AM-9PM

12/24/18: 8AM-6PM  (The last guest to enter the Santa line will be at 4:30 p.m to allow Santa and his crew to leave at 6PM to deliver toys!)

Photo via Fashion Centre at Pentagon City

Drybar Set to Open Today at Ballston Quarter

By Catherine Douglas Moran
1/5

Drybar, a national hair salon chain that specializes in blowouts, is set to start styling today (Nov. 15) in Ballston Quarter.

Located at 4238 Wilson Blvd, the salon is behind the CVS on the first floor of the mall. It neighbors DC Lash Bar.

“No cuts. No color. Just blowouts,” reads a framed menu with a listing of cocktail-inspired blowouts hanging in the storefront window. Styling available includes the “Manhattan” for sleek and smooth hair, the “Mai Tai” for a messy and beachy look, “Cosmopolitan” for loose curls and “Dirty Martini” for tousled and textured hair, along with three more, the sign says.

This is Drybar’s second location in Virginia, after its Tysons Corner debut in March 2016. The new Ballston Quarter spot is just one of half of a dozen upcoming locations across the country, including North Carolina, Arizona, California and Hawaii.

Drybar announced Jan. 1 on Facebook nearly two dozen locations are set to open in 2018, including the Arlington one and another in Alexandria, which does not have an announced location yet.

The store’s opening makes it among the first new businesses to open up shop in Ballston Quarter following its redevelopment, following a series of delays. A variety of other stores on its first two floors are set to open as soon as today.

Mediterranean Restaurant Replaces Mazagan on Columbia Pike

By Catherine Douglas Moran
1/5

Mediterranean-themed restaurant Caspi is replacing the Moroccan eatery and hookah bar, Mazagan Restaurant, next to the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse.

Located at 2901 Columbia Pike location, Mazagan Restaurant was purchased last week and will be replaced with a restaurant featuring a menu of Mediterranean and European cuisine, one of the owners told ARLnow. He added that the restaurant is aiming for a soft opening this coming weekend, followed by a grand opening in late November.

A peek inside the windows reveals a torn apart inside with construction tools and signs of major renovation. A Virginia liquor license application from Huseynov and Sam LLC is posted in the window facing Columbia Pike.

Mazagan Restaurant opened at the spot in May 8, 2014 after replacing the quirky electronics store Venus Stereos & TVs. The website for the Moroccan eatery says “closed” and “under construction.”

Podcast: Scott Parker and Alex Trakas of BASH Boxing

By ARLnow.com

Local nightlife king Scott Parker is branching into fitness, launching BASH Boxing with fitness instructor and manager Alex Trakas.

We asked Parker and Trakas about their new venture, which officially opens on Friday, Nov. 16 in Rosslyn and is also coming to Ballston Quarter mall. We also talked with Scott about the state of the local bar scene and about that time the Washington Capitals brought the Stanley Cup to Don Tito in Clarendon.

Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or TuneIn.

Courtesy photo

Bethesda Bagels Opens Its Doors in Rosslyn

By Catherine Douglas Moran
1/4

A new Bethesda Bagels location opened its doors yesterday (Nov. 6) across from the Rosslyn Metro station.

Located at 1851 N. Moore Street, this is the first location in Arlington for Bethesda Bagels, which has two shops in D.C. to go along with the original in Bethesda, Md., founded in 1982.

About 15 customers showed up for the store’s 6:30 a.m. opening, and “long lines” formed throughout the rainy morning, Danny Fleishman, president of Bethesda Bagels, told ARLnow.

Sandwiched between Nando’s and McDonald’s, Bethesda Bagels offers passersby a glimpse into the bagel-making process with a storefront window near the kitchen. Fleishman said he plans to put a counter by the window for seating.

The menu centers around its two dozen varieties of handmade, New York-style bagels. The shop offers an all-day breakfast menu of egg sandwiches and smoked fish sandwiches and “lunch goodies” including pizza bagels and “bagel dogs.”

For first-time customers, Fleishman recommends the egg sandwiches or the smoked salmon sandwich, which uses smoked fish from Ivy City Smokehouse in D.C.

“Everything we do is homemade and true New York-deli style and is delicious,” he said.

The Pilates Loft Stretches Into Columbia Pike Space

By Vernon Miles
1/3

The Pilates Loft is expanding into a second location in the Penrose Square shopping center at 2407 Columbia Pike.

The studio that started in Virginia Square in 2015. Just over one year later, the studio expanded into the vacant space next door. Now, the Virginia Square Pilates Loft is at maximum capacity again, so owner Alia Staples decided it was time to branch out. The Pilates Loft on Columbia Pike will open in late January 2019.

“I think that there is sort of a void in the Columbia Pike and South Arlington area where fitness, in general, doesn’t exist,” said Staples. “There’s a ton of people who live in this area who are commuting to North Arlington for those services… Since there wasn’t anything like that, I thought it might be a good idea to bring it to South Arlington.”

While there are a variety of Pilates studios in the area, Staples said sets her studio offers a more classically authentic Pilates experience.

“We don’t have big classes of 40 people,” said Staples. “It’s just four to six people maximum. It’s geared towards smaller groups and more personalized training.”

The classes also use Pilates equipment beyond just the traditional mats used in many classes. Both locations will also serve as Teacher Training Centers for the United States Pilates Association.

New Bowling Alley Set to Roll into Crystal City Next Year

By Alex Koma
1/8

A new bowling alley and restaurant is on the way for Crystal City.

Bowlero plans to open in a 44,000-square-foot space in the base of The Buchanan apartment building at 320 23rd Street S., per a press release. The company is targeting a “mid-2019” opening date, with construction set to start within the month.

The bowling alley will be Bowlero’s third in Northern Virginia, joining locations in Centreville and Leesburg. Per the release, Bowlero “features blacklight bowling lanes, laneside lounge seating, and [an] interactive arcade, all in a family-friendly setting,” and offers a full menu and bar.

Bowlero will move into a space once occupied by the tech company GDIT, and the Queen Amannisa Uyghur restaurant. The fate of the restaurant is a bit murky, however — a sign on the door says it will be relocating to a space next to Legal Sea Food, just down 23rd Street S., but a staff member would only tell ARLnow that the restaurant is currently undergoing renovations, and would not confirm the move.

The only other location adjacent to the Legal Sea Foods is an empty storefront along S. Clark Street between Legal Sea Foods and Virginia ABC. The site was once a Chiles, which closed in 2016.

Bowlero’s arrival in the neighborhood comes on the heels of a spate of changes for the 23rd Street corridor in Crystal City.

Not only are there new restaurants popping up like Federico’s and Los Tios, but JBG Smith is planning on adding an Alamo Drafthouse and other retail offerings nearby as part of its “Central District” project.

Vernon Miles contributed reporting to this story

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