New District Brewing Co. at 2709 S. Oakland Street
Completed bar area and taps
The brewery will have up to a dozen beers on tap at a time
The brewhouse designed and built by Mike Katrivanos
With the local craft beer trend on the rise in Arlington, another homegrown brewery is working to open its doors before the new year.
New District Brewing Co. — formerly known as Metropole Brewing Company — is on track to open its 2709 S. Oakland Street location by the end of the month. The brewery is off S. Four Mile Run Drive near the Shirlington dog park and the W&OD Trail.
The 5,200 square foot space was formerly home to a moving and storage company. The garage-style building is now in the final stages of being repurposed into a fully-operational brewery with short- and long-term cold storage, a bar with 12 taps, a tasting room with tables and seating, as well as a small retail space.
Though he couldn’t give an exact opening date, co-owner Steve Katrivanos said the small company is now working on the final touches.
“We have a clear vision for what we want to do,” he said. “We’re still developing our brand as we finish up packaging and labeling. Still, we’re pretty confident in a late-December open date.”
Katrivano’s brother, Mike, first had the idea to start a brewery, and rumors of its opening started in March. The company is owned and operated by the two brothers, their father and one of Mike’s college friends. Katrivanos said they’ve also been fortunate to have the help of other family and friends to have their vision realized.
“We’re very much a DIY organization that’s been building up for quite some time,” he said. “My brother’s an electrical engineer by school, and he can build about just about anything. I’m sure he’s saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars and he’s done such a good job.”
In a press release, Maryland-based Earth Treks confirmed the Crystal City location will be its fifth gym and will be “among the largest climbing gyms in the nation.”
Earth Treks Climbing Centers announces plans to open its first indoor climbing gym within the Washington, D.C. beltway. Earth Treks’ Crystal City, VA location will be its fifth gym, with three gyms in Maryland (Columbia, Timonium, and Rockville) and one in Colorado (Golden) already in operation. True to form, Earth Treks’ newest facility will be industry leading in amenities and size.
With a massive footprint exceeding 45,000 sq ft, the Crystal City location will be among the largest climbing gyms in the nation. The new gym will feature a stunning climbing wall constructed by Walltopia and designed by Jason Kehl, fitness and climbing training areas, a dedicated yoga and group fitness room, private climbing teaching areas, a fully stocked gear shop and locker rooms.
The new gym will be located at 1235 S. Clark St. in Crystal City, VA and will take full advantage of the unique space afforded by an existing health club. The high ceiling heights currently used for tennis and racquetball will soon be home to a jaw dropping 35,000 sq ft of roped climbing and bouldering terrain.
With metro access, Bikeshare, and ample parking, urbanites and suburbanites alike will applaud the new gym’s convenience to Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. The new location is just a five minute walk from the Crystal City Metro stop off the Blue and Yellow lines, and served by numerous biking trails. On site garaged parking will serve the gym and be free during peak hours. In addition to scores of shops and restaurants in the area, the burgeoning creative community in Crystal City is an excellent fit with Earth Treks’ active and adventurous customer profile.
Earth Treks’ owner, Chris Warner, expects the new location to be immensely popular as “we’ve seen a huge response since our initial announcement to the local climbing community. We couldn’t be more pleased to be coming to Crystal City.” Earth Treks is planning a grand opening in late spring 2016.
A new gym with a focus on a family-friendly, holistic approach to health and fitness is opening up a new location on Walter Reed Drive.
True Health and Wholeness is looking to open a new location, dubbed “Studio D,” at 1058 S. Walter Reed Drive in March or April, barring any construction delays, said gym representative Kimberly Hartke. The new location is replacing World Gym, which closed last year, and is located across from the new Columbia Place development.
The new gym will take a family-friendly approach, offering childcare programs that help kids lead active and health lifestyles while their parents work out or take classes.
“True Health & Wholeness is building a team of individuals experienced in children’s movement and fitness programming, kids nutrition education and workshop design to come use their skills to help us develop what we believe to be a major differentiator for our business when it comes to family fitness,” the gym said on its website.
Gym members will be able to take classes on nutrition and healthy lifestyles, participate in group exercises and receive massages.
“Let the days of a doctor, pill and boutique for every body part and situation slowly become the exception. We believe it’s time to move away from the niche model for health (where the focus is on stand-alone services), and move toward a holistic, customer-centric, relationship-centric, lifestyle-adaptable, results-oriented model for health. You don’t need to fit into our programs, we need to fit into your lifestyle,” the gym said.
The Walter Reed Drive location will be the fitness company’s fourth space in Arlington. The company owns three other properties — Studios A, B and C — near the Glebe Road exit of I-395 in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood.
“[Co-owner Christian Elliot] said that they have always planned to expand in Arlington (though they did look once at a Skyline/Baileys location.) But they have been in business for 10 years in Arlington, which is also their home,” Hartke said in an email.
Elliot and co-owner Nina Elliot will be holding a fundraiser to help offset the costs of opening “Studio D” on Nov. 14, Hartke said. During the event, gym instructors will lead two group exercises, followed by dinner and a dance party. The gym is also accepting donations online.
Oppleo Security, a Bozeman, Montana-based company working on cybersecurity solutions, has won the Startup Arlington competition and will be moving to town with three months of free living and office space.
The company, led by Roderick Flores and Bri Rolston, offers a cloud-based software called Sikernes that helps defend against cyber attacks.
Oppleo Security was selected from a pool of 50 applicants, said competition organizer Arlington Economic Development. The selection was based on the company’s viability, business plan and how it would benefit from being in the county.
The company fits in with Arlington’s startup landscape because of its focus on cybersecurity, said AED spokesman Darren Stauffer.
“Oppleo Security is the type of company that we believe can benefit from being located in Arlington given their customer base and target market. These are the types of companies we are actively working to bring to Arlington,” Stuaffer said in a statement. “Being in our region, which is the epicenter of the cyber security space, should provide a lot of the resources to allow Oppleo to scale.”
The company will be given office space from Carr Workspaces and a room at the Residence Inn in Rosslyn, as well as free access to Capital Bikeshare and Metro and legal advice from Arlington Law Group.
Arlington’s location provides the software company access to a large talent pool and federal resources it would not be able to reach otherwise, Flores said, adding that he wants to hire at least seven employees in Arlington with the next year.
“It is an incredible honor and opportunity to be selected from such a large pool of amazing companies. Arlington is an excellent location for us to scale our business,” Flores said in a statement. “Not only is it in the heart of the world’s premier cybersecurity region, but it affords us ready access to many excellent resources such as potential partners, research teams, mentors and a large talent pool.”
Oppleo Security has a large customer base in the D.C. area and moving to Arlington will allow the company to win more customers, he said.
“The customer base for cybersecurity, ranging from the government to the private sector, is without limits and cannot be equaled anywhere else in the country,” Flores said.
Earth Treks Climbing Centers is planning on opening a massive new climbing gym in Crystal City, its first inside the D.C. Beltway.
The Maryland-based company is planning to open a gym at 1235 S. Clark Street, two blocks from the Crystal City Metro station, according to a State Corporation Commission filing. Without saying where exactly it would open, the company yesterday announced the new gym on its website.
“Earth Treks’ newest facility will be industry leading in amenities and size,” the company said. “With a massive footprint exceeding 45,000 square feet, the D.C. metro location will be among the biggest climbing gyms in the nation… The roped climbing area alone is so massive that you could drop the entire Earth Treks Timonium building in it and have room to spare.”
The gym will feature a 35,000 square foot climbing wall, fitness and climbing training areas, a yoga and group fitness room, private climbing teaching areas, locker rooms and a “fully stocked gear shop.”
The gym is expected to hold its grand opening by the start of summer 2016.
Earth Treks has three existing climbing centers in Maryland — in Rockville, Timonium and Columbia — and another in Golden, Colorado.
Kickboxing gym 9Round is planning to open two new Arlington locations, one in Ballston and another on Columbia Pike.
The new Ballston location at 927 N. Quincy Street may be open as early as next week, pending final approval from Arlington, said 9Round partner Michael Agrillo.
The company is looking to open the gym at the Penrose Square shopping center on Columbia Pike the end of the year or beginning of 2016, Agrillo said.
“We will be located by the new Starbucks under the Super Giant,” he said.
The company may also look at a new space in Pentagon City or Crystal City, bringing the total number of Arlington locations to four, Agrillo said. The company first opened in Arlington with a location in Courthouse, at 2250 Clarendon Blvd.
“We’re also residents,” Agrillo said of his partners in the business. “We know this area well.”
“9Round offers a 30 minute boxing/kickboxing fitness program that incorporates functional, interval, cardiovascular and circuit training regimens,” the company said in a press release about the openings. “There are no class times and no person to person contact; members can come to the studio whenever it fits their schedule and get started on the circuit right away.”
In addition to the three new Arlington locations, the company is planning to open up a new gym in Falls Church.
The company has applied for building permits at the soon-to-open building, at 1201 S. Fern Street.
This will be CorePower’s second Arlington location — it recently opened a studio in Courthouse. The company also has locations in Georgetown, Merrifield and Falls Church.
A startup owner demos his product for Rep. Don Beyer
Four months after a triumphant announcement featuring the governor and county leaders, startup incubator 1776 is starting to warm up to its new Crystal City offices.
The company recently opened its new location at 2231 Crystal Drive, less than a half mile away from the Crystal City Metro station. The new 1776 office is spacious and bright, with walls made up of mostly windows overlooking Reagan National Airport, the Potomac River and D.C.
1776 came to Crystal City after acquiring startup funder and research firm Disruption Corporation, which previously ran its Crystal Tech Fund and offered office space to startups in the space. Both companies were working on a similar system that tried to determine which startups were worth investing in.
Disruption founder Paul Singh joined the 1776 team but left shortly after the acquisition was completed, according to the Washington Business Journal; the paper later revealed that 1776 hastily acquired Disruption after Singh’s company ran out of money.
The office space is currently being redesigned to make the new place look more like 1776’s headquarters, near Scott Circle in the District. The company’s co-founder and CEO, Donna Harris, said 1776 saw a chance to expand its footprint, its network and its mission in Crystal City.
“We saw a real opportunity to try and bring together the region’s abundant resources to help empower those startups, and to drive new economic growth across the region,” Harris said.
Since its arrival in Arlington, the incubator has held a Challenge Cup and hosted Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) to celebrate the White House’s Startup Week. During his visit, startup members of 1776 talked about their products, and a couple of the startups gave demos.
The new Crystal City office is similar to the original D.C. office in that it is a hub for startups, Harris said. The company is planning to use its new location to provide classes, curriculum items, events and mentoring for startups in Arlington.
“As part of our effort to create new opportunities for local startups throughout the Washington Metro region to grow and scale, we plan to use our Crystal City campus as a hub for connecting startups to the growing innovation economy and the powerful talent, expertise, corporations, and government agencies in Crystal City and throughout Virginia,” Harris said.
1776 is also looking to help connect startups with institutions within the private sector and government that are connected with cyber security and data, Harris said, and the location in Arlington helps the company provide these resources.
“As the headquarters for the world’s most important government agencies, regulatory bodies, corporations and policymakers, we believe there is unique promise right here in the Washington metro area for civic-minded startups — and unique resources they can’t find anywhere else,” Harris said.
1776 isn’t the only startup incubator in Crystal City. Eastern Foundry, which works to connect new businesses with government contracting, is a few buildings over at 2011 Crystal Drive.
What makes 1776 unique, Harris said, is that the incubator looks to help startups in industries that are important to everyday life but are hard to change.
“Everyday, there are hundreds of startups working diligently on ideas that have the power to transform and improve our lives as citizens,” Harris said. “We are excited to see how we can work with those startups to improve Arlington’s community and economy.”
Arlington’s Metropole Brewing Company has two big events on the horizon: the opening of its first brewery and a name change for the company.
There was speculation in March that Metropole, a brewing company started by Arlington local Mike Katrivanos, might be opening its first facility at 2709 S. Oakland Street, near the Shirlington dog park and the W&OD Trail. Those suspicions were confirmed via a post on the business’s Facebook page Monday night.
“Arlington’s first package brewery since 1916 is coming to your community!” said the post. “Time and time again, Arlington County is featured as one of the best places to live in the United States. Help make Arlington an even better place to live by supporting your local brewery.”
Steve Katrivanos — Mike’s brother and former bandmate in local alt rock group Sematic — said he anticipates the brewery, which will include a tasting room, will open this fall. In addition to on-premises sales, the brewery will sell its beer to local retailers.
“This started as my brother’s dream seven years ago, and he worked with Arlington for two years to make it a reality,” said Katrivanos. “We’re almost at at the finish line now.”
Katrivanos described the company as a craft brewery that strives to use locally-sourced and quality imported ingredients. In the past, Metropole has used Virginia honeysuckle to make their beer, and Katrivanos said the company recently acquired some local honey which they plan to use in a beer sometime soon.
“We pride ourselves on unique but drinkable craft beer,” said Katrivanos.
So far, Katrivanos says the community has been very supportive, with residents coming out to look at the space or help with renovations “pretty much every weekend.”
“We want to be part of the Arlington community,” said Katrivanos.
The brewery opening isn’t the only change for Metropole: the company is in the process of changing their name to New District Brewing Co., a transition Katrivanos expects to be completed sometime within the next week.
CorePower Yoga, a Denver-based yoga studio, plans to open its new studio at 1929 Clarendon Blvd on July 31. The studio will be the company’s first Arlington location and its third in Virginia — it has existing studios in Falls Church and Fairfax.
In a press release, the company erroneously said it was opening in Clarendon.
“Clarendon’s vibe goes hand-in-hand with the lifestyle of the CorePower yogi. It’s a perfect mix of city and suburb, so you get everything: culture, shopping, great restaurants and, of course, fitness,” said Tess Roering, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We could not be more excited to be a part of this community’s fitness culture.”
The new studio will have two yoga rooms and will have classes for different experience levels. It will also have changing rooms, showers, locker rooms and “a full retail boutique featuring products to meet students’ yoga and lifestyle needs.”
“The beautiful, spa-like Clarendon studio has been built with green building practices in mind, using recycled products, sustainable materials and the latest technology to efficiently heat practice rooms,” the press release noted.
Studio memberships start at $115 per month, if customers sign up before the studio opens. After the opening, the memberships increase to $155 per month.
Olive Oil Boom features fused and infused olive oils.
The Tuscan Herb is one of the popular flavors of olive oil.
Spicy olive oils are popular in Arlington.
The Olive Oil Boom, a new store specializing in oils and vinegars, recently opened in Courthouse.
Located at 2016 Wilson Blvd, the store offers a variety of balsamic vinegars, olive oils and red wine vinegars, which customers can taste before purchasing. It aims to help Arlington residents lead healthy lifestyles by switching butter with olive oil, said owner Judith Westfall.
Various varieties of specialty olive oils from around the world, including oils infused with spices or fused with citrus flavors, line the walls while the balsamic vinegars and traditional olive oils sit on two center tables. Customers can also peruse through Westfall’s homemade recipe books for different savory or sweet recipes that use olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The store provides free copies of the recipes for shoppers to take home.
The idea is to create a community store, where Arlington residents can gather and share different recipes while chatting with each other, Westfall said.
“It’s become really popular. We have a lot of fun talking to people and suggesting things,” Westfall said.
Customers have already shared their ideas with her, she said. One customer recommended that she use the aged pure Vermont maple balsamic on bacon and bake it in the oven, a recipe Westfall plans to try.
The store has been open for approximately three weeks, Westfall said, and she is already seeing customers return. One of her goals with the store is to help educate about the healthy uses of olive oil, which fits with the health-conscious population of Arlington, she said.
So far popular flavors include the Tuscan herb olive oil and traditional balsamic vinegar, but Westfall has also noticed that Arlington residents like the spice-infused olive oils, include the chipotle and fused Baklouti green chili flavors. She plans to also add cayenne pepper-infused and harissa-infused flavors “because it’s all about what the community really likes,” Westfall said.
Westfall and her husband, Lynn, also experiment with different flavors in order to create new ones, she said. “So we have fun coming up with new combinations, new pairings.”
For those new to using olive oil, Westfall recommends starting with the basic extra virgin olive oil flavors, rather than the more exotic infusions. Westfall suggests customers replace butter or canola oil with butter-flavored olive oil.
“Any time you can substitute olive oil for canola oil or butter or anything of that matter you are adding antioxidants to your diet,” she said. “And it tastes so much better. Once you’ve tasted a good olive oil and used it, I don’t think you want to go back to your other oils.”
In addition to its core products, The Olive Oil Boom — the name reflects Westfall’s former career in the petroleum industry in Texas — also offers wine, cheeses, breads and various gourmet items.
It may seem pretty specialized, but The Olive Oil Boom isn’t the only retailer in Arlington with a primary focus on olive oils and vinegars. Ah Love Oil & Vinegar, in Shirlington Village, is celebrating its fourth anniversary this weekend.
