new business

Indoor Cycling Studio Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Stand-alone indoor cycling studios are becoming trendy across the country, and soon Arlington will have one such facility to call its own.

Revolve, which describes itself as a “high-end specialized indoor cycling studio,” is hoping to open at 1025 N. Fillmore Street in Clarendon by the end of the month. The studio, which is currently under construction in the ground floor of the Zoso Flats building, will eventually feature 40 Schwinn exercise bikes in a room surrounded by nearly a dozen speakers — to help pump in music to keep participants energized.

Revolve will offer three different types of classes classes, which will last 45 to 60 minutes and cost $17 to $20 per session. From a press release:

Revolve’s Fitness Consultant, Christianne Phillips, has designed three revolutionary classes to be featured exclusively at Revolve: Real Ride, Complete Body Ride and Barre Ride. A more traditional cycle class focusing on endurance, the Real Ride class will provide participants with an indoor journey that feels like an outdoor ride. Complete Body Ride is a full-body workout that incorporates cardio, strength and flexibility, and keeps participants moving while engaging in upper body weight training. Barre Ride is a revolutionary hybrid workout that combines cardio with toning barre-based exercises. In a Barre Ride class, participants will burn calories while sculpting muscles, using the bikes’ handlebars as a ballet-style bar.

Sylvan Garfunkel, who left the “rat race” of his job as a corporate attorney in New York City to run the studio as a co-owner, says what will set Revolve apart from the “big box gyms” is more personal service and an emphasis on camaraderie among the cyclists.

“Group fitness enthusiasts, especially indoor cyclists, feel a special kinship with their fellow participants,” Garfunkel said. “We want our studio to offer a community-like atmosphere, where bonds with instructors and fellow riders grow beyond the cycle room.”

In addition to regularly-scheduled classes, Revolve will offer special events like charity rides, private corporate and group rides and a monthly event featuring a live DJ. The business, which counts two college-aged brothers among its other co-owners, is hoping to do a “soft opening” by the end of this month, with a full opening expected by mid-December.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Massage Business on the Pike — A new massage parlor on Columbia Pike is advertising its services in the ‘Adult Entertainment’ section of Backpage.com. “Friendly and well trained sweet Asian staff are waiting for you!” the ad says. [Pike Wire]

Was the Internet Really Invented in Arlington? — County officials have been touting the role of the Arlington-based Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the creation of the internet, but does DARPA — and Arlington — really deserve credit as the birthplace of the internet? In an article entitled “Mythbusting,” We Love DC’s Tom Bridge says that he’s skeptical. [We Love DC]

Couric a No-Show at Pentagon City Book Signing — Arlington native and outgoing CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric was a no-show at a scheduled book signing at the Costco in Pentagon City. What forced her to cancel the event? Her Twitter account offers few clues. [Glittarazzi]

Shirlington Dog Park May Ban Kids — Arlington County is reportedly planning on banning all children under 8 and unaccompanied children between the ages of 8 and 14 from the Shirlington dog park. [Examiner]

Courthouse Apartment Building Sets Record — The Palatine apartment complex in Courthouse just sold for $142 million, making it the most expensive per-unit luxury apartment project in the D.C. area, ever. [Washington Business Journal]

(H/t to Janet of Shirlington Village Blog)

Urgent Care Clinic Coming to Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

An urgent care clinic is coming to to South Fern Street in Pentagon City.

The clinic may be named “Pentagon Health,” according to building permits in the windows. It’s located between a Dunkin’ Donuts and a UPS Store, across from Costco, and just down the street from the future location of the current Eads Street Post Office.

New Fitness Club Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

An 18,000 square foot fitness club may be coming to the southern end of Crystal City.

Fitness First, which operates a club in the Verizon building in Courthouse, is asking the county board to approve the conversion of unoccupied office and retail space for health club use at 2450 Crystal Drive.

The building, which houses DeVry University and recently became the home of a new Pizza Autentica restaurant, sits between 23rd Street and the ramp from Reagan National Airport. If its site plan amendment is approved, Fitness First would occupy the last available ground floor retail space in the building.

County staff is recommending the board approve the conversion as well as a greatly reduced parking ratio that would only require about 40 reserved garage parking spots. The spots would be monitored to see if additional parking becomes necessary.

The Fitness First location in Courthouse charges a $19.95 monthly fee. The company has 17 locations in the D.C. area.

No word on when the Crystal City location might open should the board approve its site plan request this weekend.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Businesses Compete for Green Games — More than 120 property owners and office tenants have signed up for Arlington County’s inaugural Green Games competition. The Games challenge local businesses to cut energy and water consumption over the course of a year for a shot at awards and recognition. [Arlington Green Games]

Lyon Hall Beer Dinner Reviewed — Lyon Hall in Clarendon held its first beer dinner last week. The French-inspired brasserie paired Belgian-style brews with artfully-prepared small plates for a group of lucky beer enthusiasts. Another beer dinner is planned for April 8. [We Love DC]

Spa Replaces Book Store in Shirlington — A spa is coming to the space formerly occupied by Books-A-Million in Shirlington Village. [Shirlington Village Blog]

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Power Expected to Be Restored This Afternoon — As of 1:00 a.m., Dominion was reporting that about 16,700 customers in Arlington — nearly 20 percent of all customers in the county — were without power. That number is now down to 13,350. Throughout Northern Virginia, 138,000 Dominion customers lost power after the storm. The company expects to have power restored to most locations in Arlington between 4:00 and 6:00 this afternoon.

Pike Gym Opens at Last — The World Gym at Columbia Pike and South Walter Reed Drive has opened after a three-week delay in construction and permits. [Pike Wire]

Lee Center is No More — The Lee Center shopping center, at Pershing Drive and Route 50, has been torn down. [TBD]

Photo courtesy Steve Buttry

Gym Coming to the Pike, At Last

By ARLnow.com

The rapidly developing Columbia Pike corridor is finally getting a commercial gym.

An outpost of the World Gym franchise will be opening next month at 1058 South Walter Reed Drive, on the ground floor of the Halstead apartment building.

The 11,000 square foot facility will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“The neighborhood has been waiting for a gym forever,” said Connie Pappas, the wife of one of the gym’s co-owners, who was manning the gym’s next door sales office today as a steady stream of curious potential patrons walked through the door armed with questions about equipment and pricing.

Currently, the closest comparable gyms for Pike residents are the Bally Total Fitness on Pentagon Row or the Gold’s Gym on South Glebe Road. There’s also a large membership-based fitness center in the Thomas Jefferson Community Center at 3501 2nd Street South.

World Gym may not be the only gym in the area for much longer, however. There are rumors that an XSport Fitness club is coming to the Siena Park apartment building at 2301 Columbia Pike in mid-2011. (Update at 4:30 p.m. — Staff at Siena Park say the rumors are true.)

Pappas says the World Gym’s main selling points are the modern equipment and friendly staff. Certainly the hours can’t hurt, either.

The gym is still under construction, but Pappas says she expects it to open the week of Jan. 11. The parking arrangement for gym customers is still being worked out, but Pappas hopes to reach a parking validation deal with the manager of the Halstead’s underground parking garage.

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Outsource Your Life’s Mundane Tasks

By ARLnow.com

Save yourself some time and help support ARLnow.com by outsourcing your home cleaning, laundry and dry cleaning to the professionals.

A new local company called CityCentric is your one-stop shop for services that will make your life easier. CityCentric offers on-demand laundry and dry cleaning service, picked up and delivered directly from your home. Plus, the company is offering low-cost home cleaning that you can manage online. All employees are fully bonded and insured and licensed to work in the U.S. Satisfaction is guaranteed.

For a limited time, get $10 off when you use the code ARLnow.

Learn more about CityCentric’s services here, or call 202-905-2489 (CITY).