Steel Life Booksellers at Pentagon City mall (image via Instagram)
A South American restaurant and a new bookstore appear to preparing to open at the Pentagon City mall.
Maizal Grill is planning to start serving sometime later this month, a spokesperson for Fashion Centre at Pentagon City told ARLnow. It’s opening on the mall’s street level in the former home of Honeygrow, next to Rosa Mexicano, which opened late last year.
Maizal Grill bills itself as serving “South American street food” with a menu that features burritos, arepas, and bowls. This is the restaurant’s second Arlington location, with another eatery inside of Ballston Quarter. That one opened in 2019.
Elsewhere in the mall, a new independently-owned bookstore called Steel Life Booksellers is opening on the first level in between Kay Jewelers and shoe seller Steve Madden. Construction appears to be ongoing, though the mall spokesperson could not provide an exact opening date.
ARLnow reached out to the owner about more information but has yet to hear back as of publication.
In addition, the women’s accessory store New York New York 2 opened this past on the second level next to Savage x Fenty. It’s the sister store to New York New York, also located in the mall.
Last month, Kong Dog opened its first Virginia location at the mall’s food court.
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Par Citi)
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Par Citi)
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Par Citi)
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Par Citi)
(Updated at 11:40 a.m.) A new virtual indoor golf facility on Columbia Pike hopes to open by the end of the month.
The independently-owned Par Citi plans to open in the old LoanMax building at 3102 Columbia Pike “within the next few weeks,” managing partner Kristian Hara told ARLnow. That likely means tee time will be in the back end of May.
Construction is essentially complete with the business just waiting on receiving the certificate of occupancy from the county, he said.
The golf-centric complex will feature “state of the art simulators” inside of individual bays, similar to Five Iron Golf in D.C., per Hara. There will also be a cafe and bar with a Virginia ABC permit pending.
While it will technically be two floors, the basement level will be closed off per county instructions and the putting green in the original plans had to be axed, Hara said.
ARLnow first reported that Par Citi was aiming to putt on the Pike back in September. While a building once occupied by a car title lending company may seem like a odd place for indoor golf simulators, Columbia Pike provides a great opportunity because of the “potential of the neighborhood with the new condos [and] apartments being built,” Hara said.
A block away from Par Citi, construction on the Westmont development continues and could be wrapped up within the next several months. It will feature 250 apartments and a Five Guys returning near the spot of its first ever location.
Hara said availability of space also played a big part in the decision to bring Par Citi to Columbia Pike, as opposed to another Arlington neighborhood like Ballston or Clarendon.
Prior to Par Citi and LoanMax, 3102 Columbia Pike was home to a family-owned furniture and appliance store that was a bit of a community-gathering place in the 1950s and 1960s. Owner Sol Cohen used to keep the store open late on Friday nights so that neighbors could watch boxing.
The New York City-based cookie shop is making its move into Arlington by opening up at the Crossing Clarendon at 2700 Clarendon Blvd. It is setting up shop near the back of the development, a few doors down from Barnes & Noble and next to the recently opened cosmetic dermatology business Ever/Body.
The plan is to start baking by the fall, CEO Peter Phillips told ARLnow.
Chip City is known for its “big, gooey five and half ounce cookie,” as Phillips put it. It has a rotating weekly menu encompassing 40 different flavors, including classics like Chocolate Chip and Triple Chocolate and more unique flavors like Blueberry Cheesecake, Horchata, and Cannoli.
Chip City’s weekly menu (image via Instagram)
The Clarendon location is the cookie business’s first foray into Virginia, though Chip City is in the midst of a big expansion effort overall in the D.C.-area and across the country.
“We spent a lot of time canvassing the area and I fell in love with the opportunity when I saw all of the strong growth energy in the area and just the general vibe,” Phillips said. “I really fell in love with it. And, then, we identified a small space that fits our model and we were quick to jump on the opportunity.”
This is not the only Arlington location that Chip City is planning, either. Phillips told ARLnow they are also considering a space in Shirlington.
“We are very excited about entering the market,” he said. “There’s a great food scene in [Northern Virginia].”
Cookie shops seem to be having a moment in Arlington. Captain Cookie and the Milkman opened a location in Courthouse earlier this year while Crumbl Cookies is planning to open this fall at the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center. There’s also delivery-only local cookie purveyor MOLTN.
Afomia Organic Market on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Afomia Organic Market on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Afomia Organic Market on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 5:25 p.m.) A new Ethiopian market has opened along Columbia Pike.
Afomia Organic Market at 4105 Columbia Pike opened its doors late last week, co-owner Shah Feyisa confirmed to ARLnow.
The market is in a shopping center near the corner of S. George Mason Drive and Columbia Pike in the Alcova Heights neighborhood. It is two doors down from Papa Deeno’s, a family-owned halal pizza shop that opened last year. Afomia is in a 960-square-foot space that was formerly occupied by a hairstylist and beauty salon that has since moved to S. Glebe Road.
The market stocks a large selection of spices, grains, meat, and groceries “from home,” Feyisa said. Plus, everything is organic.
“Afomia Organic Market is a small, family-owned business that sells injera, bread, herbs, spices, clothing, coffee sets, traditional coffee, and accessories, from Ethiopia. We additionally sell vegan cakes, which can be ordered for special occasions (by our email: [email protected]), and also vegan cookies and sweets! We also have non-vegan treats as well,” reads the business’s Yelp page.
The decision was made to move into this location because there’s a large population of Ethiopian immigrants living along the Pike but there are few markets to meet the demand, Feyisa noted. Plus, more and more people are becoming vegetarian and vegan, he said, and the market provides plenty of choices for them as well, he continued.
There are at least a couple of other Ethiopian markets in the area, including Ayana Ethiopian Market a half mile west on Columbia Pike and Lideta Gebeya about a mile away, on S. Glebe Road.
The first phase of Amazon’s HQ2, dubbed Metropolitan Park, in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Toby’s Ice Cream is moving into Amazon HQ2 (photo courtesy of Amazon)
Taqueria Xochi is coming to Amazon HQ2 (photo courtesy of Amazon)
Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington is opening an outpost at Amazon HQ2 (photo courtesy of Amazon HQ2)
Taqueria Xochi and Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream are among another group of local businesses that are set to move into Amazon’s HQ2.
Amazon announced today that four more businesses will be opening up in Pentagon City, in the forthcoming first phase of the company’s second headquarters dubbed Metropolitan Park.
All of the businesses are planning to open up this summer, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow, along with the rest of “Met Park.”
This new shop will be Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream’s third location. It originally just had a shop in Westover Village before expanding to Vienna a year ago.
“You know, we present ourselves as your friendly neighborhood ice cream shop. We are ingrained in the Arlington community,” co-owner Toby Bantug said in a press release. “When we heard that Met Park’s focus was going to be on giving local community businesses expansion opportunities, we knew it aligned with our philosophy. It goes hand in hand.”
MoCA Arlington, the county’s preeminent art museum, is opening an “Innovation Studio” at Amazon HQ2.
This will be “where the public can experience the artistic process directly by interacting with artists and making art themselves,” said Amazon’s press release. The space will offer artists talks, public programming, and a museum retail store.
“When the organization was established, one of MoCA Arlington’s founding principles was to connect the community to contemporary art and artists,” said MoCA Arlington Executive Director Catherine Anchin. “This continues to be the mission that guides us today. Next year, we’ll celebrate our 50th anniversary, and our new location in Met Park will help us reach more of the county’s residents and visitors, providing a venue to celebrate the energy and creativity of both artists and the community.”
The coffee shop and cafe Mae’s Market, which opened in Old Town Alexandria in 2021, is also expanding with a second location inside of the new office complex. It’s owned by Nicole Jones, who also runs Del Ray’s Stomping Ground but it will be shuttering this month and turned into a taqueria.
The Amazon HQ2 shop will be the same concept as its original Mae’s Market in Old Town, per the press release.
Finally, popular D.C. fast-casual taco eatery Taqueria Xochi is making its move across the river with its inaugural Arlington location at Amazon HQ2. Launched by two chefs who cooked at celebrity chef José Andrés’ restaurants, it earned rave reviews when it first opened on U Street NW in 2020.
“Our dream when we opened the first Taqueria Xochi location was to bring authentic Mexican food to the D.C. area,” said co-owner Teresa Padilla. “Our tacos, how they are served, the simple ingredients, and the bold flavors are the same you would find on a trip to Mexico. To launch this second location at Amazon’s HQ2 is an expansion of that dream.”
These four new businesses joins a number of others that have previously announced their moves into the complex along S. Eads Street.
Conte’s Bike Shop, coming soon to Amazon HQ2 in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A rendering of Conte’s Bike Shop inside of Amazon’s HQ2 (image courtesy of Conte’s Bike Shop)
Construction at Conte’s Bike Shop at Amazon HQ2 (photo courtesy of Conte’s Bike Shop)
A rendering of Conte’s Bike Shop inside of Amazon’s HQ2 (image courtesy of Conte’s Bike Shop)
Conte’s Bike Shop could open later this month in Pentagon City, perhaps making it the first business to open at Amazon’s new HQ2.
The nearly seven-decade-old, Virginia-based bike shop is planning to open its newest location inside of the still-under-construction office complex at 1350 S. Eads Street late this month or in early May, manager of strategy and operations George Lee told ARLnow. It will be situated adjacent to Good Company Doughnuts, which is set to start serving later in the summer.
If Conte’s Bike Shop meets that timeline, it will be the first business to open within the first phase of Amazon’s second headquarters, also known as “Metropolitan Park.”
The 4,000-square-foot store will be a bit different than other Conte’s locations, including the one in Virginia Square, in that it will feature a small cafe with complimentary coffee and will be focused “on being a start/stop/mid-ride point for cyclists with [Mt. Vernon Trail] access just a few blocks away,” per Lee.
It will also host “inclusive beginner-friendly group rides” and provide retail sales, repair services, and rentals like its other stores.
“It is a big deal for us as we are now the bike shop in the DC area with the best coverage of locations so customers are able to utilize services that come with bike purchases in any of our locations; we have a lot of customers in this area that used to travel 30-40 mins to get to a bike shop and now there will be one on their door stop,” Lee said.
This new location will be Conte’s second Arlington shop. The company also has stores in Alexandria, Vienna, and Falls Church. In total, the company has 21 locations in five states plus D.C.
Last May, Amazon announced that Conte’s and several other businesses were set to move into HQ2. Two months later, it announced that Peruvian Brothers, Good Company Doughnuts, and others would be joining them there as well.
“We are also humbled to have been selected by Amazon as a local… family business with deep history in the market as one of the most professional and approachable bike shops,” Lee said.
Conte’s hoped-for spring opening comes a bit sooner than Amazon’s planned summer debut of HQ2. Last month it was reported that the company was delaying construction of the second HQ2 phase — with the distinctive “Helix” tower — due to economic conditions and post-pandemic work patterns.
Rendering of Life Time in Clarendon (courtesy Life Time)
Life Time coworking space (courtesy Life Time)
Life Time gym is opening a new location in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Life Time gym is opening at 1440 N. Edgewood Street in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 11 a.m.) An athletic club and coworking space totalling more than 100,000 square feet says it will be opening this summer in Clarendon.
Construction on Life Time at 1440 N. Edgewood Street has been underway for some time, following the August 2021 announcement that it was coming to a renovated office building that’s part of The Crossing Clarendon retail center.
Billing itself as an “athletic country club,” Life Time will have high-end fitness facilities including multiple studios, childcare facilities, a salon and spa, a cafe and lounge, and — rounding it out — a 28,000 square foot coworking space.
A preview center for the club is now open, Life Time says, and an opening is expected mid-summer. A press release announcing the opening is below.
Life Time (NYSE: LTH), will open its athletic country club and debut Life Time Work, the first D.C. metro area destination and coworking development, later this summer in Clarendon. A preview center, at 1440 North Edgewood Street, Arlington, is now open for prospective members to learn more about both Life Time and Life Time Work and be among the first to join the development.
The Life Time addition will be a main anchor for Regency Center’s The Crossing Clarendon, a multi-block stretch of mixed-used development with shops, restaurants and offices.
The Crossing was selected because of the vibrant neighborhood, ideal for the more than 113,000 square-foot, four-story Life Time destination featuring an 85,000 square-foot athletic country club and 28,000 square-foot premium coworking space.
“Arlington is regarded as a healthy, vibrant and growing community, and The Crossing Clarendon is consistently voted “Best of Arlington” by Arlington Magazine, making it a terrific location for Life Time and our offerings,” said Jeff Zwiefel, Life Time executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We are excited to debut Life Time here with our athletic country club and our premium workspace, which will provide our members with first-class healthy and wellness experiences for themselves and their families.”
Designed for individuals and companies, Life Time Work will feature highly functional private offices, open-plan workspaces, conference rooms, along with multiple, amenities, flexible monthly memberships and access to every Life Time athletic country club nationwide.
The breadth of programs, services and amenities at Life Time Clarendon athletic country club will include:
Six dedicated studios hosting more than 100 weekly Life Time Large Group Classes in barre, cycle, group fitness, Pilates and yoga, with additional spaces for Signature Small Group Training programs Alpha, GTX and Ultra Fit.
Personal Trainers to lead members through highly personalized sessions across the spacious, state-of-the-art workout floor featuring top-of-the-line cardiovascular and strength training equipment.
LT Recovery for athletic performance and recovery featuring metabolic assessments, nutrition coaching, sports and athletic recovery treatments and chiropractic care.
[A PR rep tells ARLnow that these items, an outdoor beach club and a basketball court, we’re included erroneously.]
Kids Academy with infant and toddler areas and three studios for programming, including a Kids Gym, an activity/movement studio and an art/language studio for children up to age 11.
LifeSpa salon and spa services, including hair, nail, esthetician and massage services.
LifeCafe and Life Time Lounge with a full-service, fast casual menu featuring wholesome food from protein shakes and smoothies to salad, sandwiches and bowls, and children’s meals.
ARORA classes, programs and community for older adults who want to stay healthy and social.
A boxing gym is entering the local ring in a big way.
Rumble Boxing, which has an existing location at 2001 M Street NW in D.C., is planning to open at least three new locations in Arlington and Falls Church.
In addition, a leasing plan viewed by ARLnow shows a Rumble location coming to the ground floor of the under-construction Commodore apartment tower in Courthouse, across from the Metro station.
Rumble bills itself as a boxing-centric fitness experience that’s actually enjoyable and not just a chore. Classes are led by charismatic instructors.
“At its epicenter, Rumble is a collection of the most inspired and inspiring fitness instructors on the planet,” the company’s website says. “Impressive athletes in their own regard, they step onto the podium at Rumble as part DJ, part motivational speaker, and complete Master of Ceremony. The 45 minutes that follows is an awesome orchestration of a workout engineered to custom hip-hop and house mash-ups.”
“We remain committed to less cheesy fitness B.S. and more authenticity,” the website adds.
Rumble will compete with a number of homegrown, locally-based boxing gym concepts that also seek to provide engaging, enjoyable workouts. Among them are Teddy’s Fitness Boxing along Columbia Pike, 30 Minute Hit in Ballston, Urban Boxing Arlington in Virginia Square, Bash Boxing in Rosslyn and Ballston.
Bash cofounder Scott Parker says he expected the impending heavyweight competition.
“We always knew they would be coming into the market, they’re a big brand,” Parker told ARLnow. Bash currently has four locations, and a fifth on the way, all in Northern Virginia.
Crumbl Cookies opening at Lee-Harrison Shopping Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Crumbl Cookies opening at Lee-Harrison Shopping Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 1/2/24) The new Crumbl Cookies coming to Lee Harrison Shopping Center hopes to be fully baked by Spring 2024.
The franchised cookie bakery is moving into the former Starbucks space at 2441 N. Harrison Street, next to the Wild Birds Unlimited store. The coffee shop closed in 2019.
The cookie shop is scheduled to open sometime between February and March of this year, Crumbl’s PR team told ARLnow.
It was first reported in June 2022 that Crumbl was making its way to Arlington, joining a cadre of cookie shops across Northern Virginia owned by Paukstys and his team. That includes bakeries in Falls Church, Reston, and Vienna.
But this location stands out because several of the owners grew up within a few minutes walk of where the new Crumbl is going.
“We are primarily a women-owned company. My wife grew up in Arlington and her aunt’s house, who also is a [co-owner], lived just down the street,” Paukstys said.
The Arlington territory initially was claimed by a different franchisee, but Paukstys picked it up to be part of their group of stores in large part due to the local connection.
Crumbl Cookies is known for its elaborate designs and flavors. It has a rotating weekly menu of options like S’more, Buttermilk Pancake, Orange Creamsicle, and Snickerdoodle Cupcake.
The cookie menu in Arlington is expected to be the same as the other regional locations.
Paukstys says he is still looking to hire as the store ramps up to open in a few months. There is also a possibility, he said, of more bakeries opening in Arlington.
The Lee Harrison Shopping Center, in the Yorktown neighborhood, has seen some changes in recent months. A Loyal Companion store, which closed after the pet store chain filed for bankruptcy, has been converted to a Wag N’ Wash. A new Thai restaurant, meanwhile, opened in the former Ghin Na Ree Thai space, after the family that owned the eatery decided to retire.
(Updated at 9:45 a.m.) You can’t get an trans-Pacific flight from National Airport, but with a new P.F. Chang’s location opening in the airport, you can at least get a taste of (very Americanized) Chinese food.
The popular chain opened in Concourse E (Gates 46-59) of the airport. It’s the second location in Arlington after one in Ballston (901 N. Glebe Road) and joins a bookstore and a burger joint as some of the new offerings in the airport this year.
The new 5,800-square-foot restaurant will have restaurant staples like Mongolian beef and lettuce wraps.
“The much-anticipated addition of P.F. Chang’s brings our passengers an appetizing option that completes the arrival of new dining choices envisioned for Concourse E,” said Chryssa Westerlund, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, in a press release. “Working in partnership with Marketplace Development, we are proud to further evolve the Reagan National dining experience through P.F. Chang’s beautiful design and elevated cuisine.”
P.F. Chang’s isn’t the only Asian cuisine at National Airport. Matsutake Sushi sits in National Hall just post-security and Wow Bao is a centerpiece of Concourse D.
While the new shop at 4150 Campbell Ave has already been open for a couple of weeks, there will be a “grand opening” event on Wednesday, March 8.
At the event, employees will be scooping free ice cream starting at 7 p.m. until closing at 11 p.m, the company announced in a press release.
“All ice cream, up to and including a signature (three flavors), will be free,” a Jeni’s spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow.
Plus, the first 50 people in line at 7 p.m. will get “swag bags” with Jeni’s merchandise.
After nearly a year since the initial announcement, Jeni’s Ice Cream finally opened in Shirlington earlier this month. With the closings of Yogiberry and I-CE-NY over the last several years, there were no dedicated frozen dessert shops in the shopping center until the Columbus, Ohio-based ice cream shop made its debut.
The scoop shop is open every day from noon to 11 p.m., providing night owls a chance to satisfy their sweet tooth.
Jeni’s is not the only highly-anticipated opening in Shirlington. A block away, Astro Beer Hall (and its donut-making robot) plan to start serving in May.
