new business

Central Coffee Bar to Open ‘Very Soon’ in Rosslyn

By Chris Teale
1/4

A new coffee bar in Rosslyn is set to open “very soon,” according to the cafe’s owner.

Construction is almost complete on the Central Coffee Bar in the first floor of the soon-to-redevelop RCA building at 1901 N. Moore Street, with workers starting to move furniture in. Owner Mehmet Coskun declined to give an exact timeframe, but said it should be open “very soon.”

Coskun said the spot will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, serving coffee, pastries and the like in the morning and then hosting happy hour from 5-7 p.m. He said the coffee, provided in partnership with a roastery in Annapolis, will be from the best beans available.

“We will have very fresh coffee from Ethiopia, Central America, Colombia, Mexico and we will have seasonal beans, so whatever the country harvests, we’ll make sure we’re getting the best beans,” he said. “I’m doing a lot of tastings, so we will give something different than just Starbucks for people to at least try.”

Inside, Central Coffee will have leather sofas and a 60-inch electrical fireplace to make the space of just over 2,000 square feet feel intimate. Coskun said they had initially planned on having a smaller, 1,500-square-foot space, but expanded the plans after conversations with representatives from the Rosslyn Business Improvement District.

“We have a very cozy space where you walk in and you already feel like you want to sit down and do work or pick up your laptop and enjoy,” Coskun said. “It has that cozy environment with leather couches and with that fireplace built in and that open space. The whole thing is an open space.”

Coskun, a Pentagon City resident, said he wanted to open the coffee shop to give Arlington a locally-run option beyond international giant Starbucks. He added that the company could look to expand in the county too, depending on the success of its first location.

“We do want to be Arlington County’s coffee shop,” Coskun said. “We’re looking for a second location somewhere in Clarendon, and we want to continue to grow in Arlington before we grow anywhere else. We are going to be the local guys.”

Pawn Shop to Replace Grill Kabob Restaurant Near Crystal City

By Chris Teale
1/4

A former Afghan restaurant in Crystal City is set to become a pawn shop.

A “Royal Pawn” store is coming to the former restaurant at 507 23rd Street S., according to signs and a permit application.

An existing store with the same name and logo is open at 6116-A Franconia Road in Alexandria, south of the Beltway in Fairfax County. It sells jewelry, electronics and instruments, tools and precious metals like gold, silver and platinum.

As of Tuesday, much of the restaurant’s furniture and decorations were still inside and a temporary Royal Pawn sign was covering the former “Grill Kabob” sign. Grill Kabob first opened in September 2015.

Previously, a restaurant and dance club called “Sin and Saint” was expected to replace Grill Kabob. The establishment was to have a dance floor and DJ on the second floor for Friday and Saturday nights, though those plans appear to have fallen through.

Royal Pawn will be at least the third pawn shop in Arlington. Two First Cash Pawn stores are already in the county, on Lee Highway and on N. Glebe Road in Buckingham.

Pet Groomer to Replace Longtime Lee Heights Shops Seafood Store

By Chris Teale
1/5

A pet store and grooming center will replace a longtime seafood shop near the Lee Heights Shops, according to county permits.

American Seafood at 4550 Lee Highway closed on December 31 last year after nearly 35 years in business.

And while none of its signs have been removed yet, permits indicate that work will be done to completely renovate the building. County planning staff approved the business license for the new pet store on September 12.

The Lee Heights Shops have seen some turnover in recent times, with long-time local stores Bradshaw’s Children’s Shoes and Lemon Twist closing late last year.

Lemon Twist was replaced by women’s clothing and accessories store Lemoncello Boutique. Bradshaw’s still has not been replaced.

Ulta Beauty, Basic Burger Coming to Pentagon Row

By Chris Teale
1/4

A new beauty store is set to move to Pentagon Row, reportedly as early as next spring.

Ulta Beauty is opening a 10,000-square-foot store at 1101 S. Joyce Street, replacing the Vitamin Shoppe and Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. The store will be close to Harris Teeter and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Washingtonian magazine reported late last month it will open in spring 2018. As of Thursday, construction crews were hard at work on the space.

Ulta offers a wide range of beauty products, including brands like Urban Decay, Nars and MAC. It also offers services like facials, eyebrow waxing and hair styling.

Already, Ulta has stores nearby in Bailey’s Crossroads, Springfield and Northeast Washington. Its online careers portal notes several open positions at the planned Pentagon Row store.

Ulta is one of a number of businesses that have opened or are opening at Pentagon Row in the coming months. Signs nearby welcome the arrivals of the F45 Training gym, Club Pilates, Aabee Kabob, a Deli and Basic Burger.

Basic Burger, a Shake Shack-eque burger restaurant, opened its first location in Courthouse last year.

Club Pilates Coming to Pentagon Row

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) National fitness chain Club Pilates is working to open its first Arlington studio.

The Southern California-based company is opening a franchise location on Pentagon Row (1101 S. Joyce Street), next to Saigon Saigon restaurant. Paper still covers the windows, suggesting that an interior build-out is in progress.

In a Facebook message, the studio says it’s at least five weeks behind schedule due to delays with the county permitting process — a common complaint of new brick-and-mortar businesses in Arlington.

Our apologies for the delays. We are still waiting on county permits to start building out the studio. We are about 5…

Posted by Club Pilates on Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Ravi Kabob Opening New Location in Old Buckingham Florist Space

By Chris Teale
1/5

The space occupied by Buckingham Florist until earlier this year is apparently set to be taken over by the owners behind the Ravi Kabob family of Pakistani restaurants, though details about the new eatery are scarce.

The florist’s former storefront at 301 N. Glebe Road is under construction, with signs indicating it will become “Ravi Kabob For Family,” the restaurant’s fourth location in the area of the Buckingham Shopping Center.

A sign next door at the Ravi Chatkhara takeout restaurant indicates it will become the “Ravi Confectioners and Bakers.” The flagship Ravi Kabob restaurant, known in the neighborhood as “Ravi Kabob 1,” appears to be staying put.

Ravi Kabob is described as a “no-frills restaurant” that offers kebabs and other Pakistani food at low prices. It has another location across the street at 250 N. Glebe Road next to the CVS, known as “Ravi Kabob 2.” Multiple attempts to contact the restaurant’s owners were unsuccessful.

Buckingham Florist, a long-time local business, relocated to Annandale. Open since the 1940s, the florist delivered to Arlington County, Arlington National Cemetery and other parts of Northern Virginia.

Middle Eastern Restaurant Shawarma Gyros Xpress Open in Crystal City

By Chris Teale
1/5

A fast-casual Middle Eastern restaurant replaced a former frozen yogurt store in Crystal City earlier this month.

Shawarma Gyros Xpress opened on August 12 at 2329 S. Eads Street. It replaced Froyo To Go between Kabob Palace and Sahara Cafe and across from a CVS in a shopping plaza close to Jefferson Davis Highway. The owners of Kabob Palace are also behind the new fast-casual eatery.

The new eatery offers sandwiches including chicken and beef shawarma, soups, salads and pies, as well as appetizers and desserts like baklava. It offers dine-in and takeout options, and has a large dining room towards the back as well as high-top tables near the front.

Hat-tip to C.H. McMillan

Signs Up For New Starbucks At Marymount’s ‘Newside’ Building

By Chris Teale
1/3

(Updated 4:35 p.m.) The first retail tenant at Marymount University’s “Newside” building is getting closer to opening.

Signs are up for the new Starbucks at the property at 1000 N. Glebe Road in Ballston, but the build-out inside still ongoing. Marymount faculty and staff started moving into the new building earlier this month ahead of the new school year.

The coffee giant is the first to commit to moving into the new building’s 5,000 square feet of retail space. The structure replaces the “Blue Goose” that was demolished in 2015.

Marymount is using six floors of the nine-story office building on the site, with the other three floors available for other companies. Next door is a 12-story, 267-apartment residential building.

No word on an exact opening date yet.

Pentagon City Mall to Add New Clothing, Furnishing Stores

By Chris Teale
1/4

Three new clothing stores and a home furnishing store will open soon at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.

London-based Long Tall Sally is expected to open Tuesday, August 15 on the second level of the mall, next to ZARA. The store offers clothes and shoes for women who are 5’8″ or taller.

Also opening this month near ZARA is Whiskey Ginger Men’s Shop, described as “the premiere destination for a highly curated collection of exceptional men’s clothing and accessories.” The store touts European tailoring with the laid-back styles of Southern California.

Superdry rounds out the clothing stores set to open soon. Its 5,600-square-foot store next to Kate Spade New York on the mall’s second level is expected to open this fall. The British-based chain offers “vintage Americana and Japanese-inspired graphics with a British style,” and is known for, among other things, its Windcheater jackets that keep the worst of the weather off.

Home furnishings company LoveSac will open this month next to ECCO on the mall’s second floor. LoveSac makes modular furniture known as Sactionals, which are sectional sofas that can be reconfigured in various combinations.

Meanwhile, mall leaders lauded the recent openings of restaurant Sugar Factory and shoe store ECCO, as well as the expansion of former clothing pop-up store ELOQUII.

“It’s important that we continue to bring in stores that complement the center’s ever-growing roster of sought-after brands,” said Todd Jerscheid, director of marketing and business development for Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, in a statement. “With the recent opening of the highly anticipated Sugar Factory, we hope to continue to provide shoppers with the ultimate shopping experience.”

New Cafe in Arlington Forest Features ‘Laptop-Free’ Coffee Bar

By Chris Teale
1/7

A new coffee shop is open in Arlington Forest in a low-slung shopping center just off Arlington Blvd.

Sense of Place (4807 1st Street N.) replaced a Subway sandwich shop in the Arlington Forest Center. It opened yesterday (Monday), next door to Brick’s Pizza, the DaVita dialysis center and the Mathnasium of Arlington education center.

Sense of Place features a coffee bar that serves specialty pour-over coffee, which uses a filter and a dripper to extract more flavors. At the bar, a certified barista will serve the coffee, while a sign nearby expressly bans the use of laptops to encourage customers to enjoy their drinks without distraction.

“At the bar, customers take the time to see, smell, and taste subtly different notes of flavors and textures with every sip that they may not have noticed before,” the cafe’s website reads.

The new cafe serves its own house-brand coffee, called Enzymo Coffee. The coffee beans undergo a natural fermentation process before being roasted, which staff said keeps the coffee fresh, the acid content low and prevents any post-caffeine crashes an hour or two after drinking.

Also on offer: various other hot and cold drinks as well as homemade pastries, paninis and sandwiches.

Early Tuesday morning, the store was already doing brisk business, despite having been open for just one day. Multiple customers told ARLnow how excited they were to have an independently-owned coffee shop in the plaza, which is also home to Outback Steakhouse and used to house the now-shuttered Filipino grocery store Fiesta Oriental.

Sense of Place is open from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays.

Hat-tip to Mike Marketti.

Mediterranean Restaurant to Replace Former NKD Pizza in Pentagon City

By Chris Teale
1/2

The former Pentagon City home of the NKD Pizza restaurant chain will become a Mediterranean restaurant and kabob house, permits filed with the county show.

The eatery looks set to come to the Pentagon Row shopping center at 1101 S. Joyce Street, next door to an F45 gym and across a surface parking lot from the Harris Teeter. No word yet on an opening date or a name for the new restaurant.

NKD Pizza opened in July 2011 as Naked Pizza, touting unique pizza recipes and all-natural ingredients. A Ballston/Virginia Square location opened in 2012 at 933 N. Quincy Street.

Both of the Arlington pizzerias closed, as well as its flagship store in New Orleans after financial problems. The company has since relaunched, and now operates locations in Michigan as well as Dubai and Bahrain in the Middle East.

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