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JUST IN: Arlington’s first cannabis dispensary is opening in Clarendon tomorrow

By Matt Blitz
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Arlington’s first medical cannabis dispensary is set to open tomorrow in Clarendon.

Beyond/Hello is set to open the county’s inaugural cannabis dispensary on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 2701 Wilson Blvd. The 6,820 square-foot shop with 37 parking spots is located across the street from Whole Foods and next to neighborhood staple Galaxy Hut.

There will be an official ribbon-cutting ceremony this Friday, a company spokesperson told ARLnow.

Beyond/Hello is owned by Florida-based Jushi, which owns nearly 40 dispensaries across a number of different states. This will be Beyond/Hello’s fifth Northern Virginia dispensary, including two Fairfax County locations. The shops on Richmond Highway and near George Mason University both opened last year.

ARLnow first reported a cannabis dispensary was coming to Clarendon back in July. It was initially supposed to open by the end of the year, but that got pushed back by a few weeks due to waiting on county inspections.

It’s moving into a building that Jushi bought for $7 million in late 2021, which formerly housed a Comcast service center. Arlington Independent Media (AIM), which operates radio station WERA 96.7 FM, occupies the other part of the building. Jushi has promised to allow AIM to remain in the building even as expands to a second location in Green Valley.

Metro access, a central location, and a “bustling” neighborhood are among the reasons that Beyond/Hello chose this location for its next Northern Virginia dispensary.

“Just a five-minute walk from the Clarendon Metro Station, Beyond Hello Arlington is located in a bustling part of the city, where patients can easily check out historical sites, hit the town to grab a bite, catch some live music or check out a theatrical performance,” Jushi CEO Jim Cacioppo said in a press release. “This new retail location has ample comfortable seating throughout the store along with standardized tested products for patients. We look forward to continuing to be a good business and community partner in the Commonwealth as well as delivering a retail experience exceeding expectations.”

The presence of parking was also a factor. A company official told ARLnow last summer that most of the other buildings that ownership looked at in Arlington had “zero dedicated parking spots,” while this one had about 40.

The Clarendon location is a big part of Beyond/Hello’s Northern Virginia expansion. The company is one of only four allowed to sell medical cannabis in Virginia and, by law, can only open six stores in the Commonwealth.

Beyond/Hello currently has five dispensaries in the area, with a sixth opening in Woodbridge later this year.

Last summer, a state law went into effect that removed the requirement for medical cannabis patients to register with the Commonwealth in order to purchase cannabis. Now, all patients need is a written certification for a licensed practitioner.

It’s believed that this relaxing of requirements will lead to an increase in medical cannabis sales.

While it’s legal for those over 21 to grow and possess small amounts of cannabis, non-medicinal retail sales remain illegal following last year’s failed legislative efforts. The Virginia General Assembly is likely to consider bills at its upcoming session that could set the stage for legal retail sales of cannabis by this time next year.

Jeni’s Ice Cream aiming to open soon-ish in Shirlington

By Matt Blitz
Jeni’s is coming to Shirlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The spring warm-up may herald the arrival of some cold treats in Shirlington.

Jeni’s Ice Cream is aiming to open its first Arlington location by early spring, a spokesperson tells ARLnow.

“As of right now, we are aiming to open in Q1 of this year,” the spokesperson said via email. “We’ll hone in on the grand opening date in the next few weeks.”

The Ohio-based ice cream shop is set to move into 4150 Campbell Avenue, the former home of rolled ice cream purveyor I-CE-NY. While this will be Jeni’s first location in Arlington, there are nearby scoop shops in Alexandria, Tysons, and D.C.

Signs announcing Jeni’s arrival first went up at the Village of Shirlington early last year, but until now there was only a sprinkling of details about an opening date. The location is still not listed on the company’s website.

Due to recent closings, Shirlington currently lacks a dedicated frozen treat shop. Yogi Castle shuttered last year while I-CE-NY closed in late 2021.

Jeni’s Ice Cream is not the only notable business set to open in Shirlington in the coming months. The well-regarded Greek restaurant Our Mom Eugenia should be opening soon as well as Astro Beer Hall, in the former Capitol City Brewing space.

‘Office solutions’ company may open doors on Langston Blvd after lengthy delay

By Jo DeVoe
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After two years of permitting and renovations, a business along Langston Blvd may be able to swing open its doors.

Two years ago, Page Global, also known as Page After Page Business Systems, put up signs indicating it would be moving into the old TitleMax location at 5265 Langston Blvd, the corner of Langston Blvd and N. George Mason Drive.

The company bills itself as “an award winning industry provider of office solutions, strategic communications and information technology.” On its website, it lists various government agencies as clients.

This retail space, in a Virginia Hospital Center-owned building, used to be home to a 7-Eleven. Page Global leased the building in November 2020, per a VHC spokeswoman.

Around the same time, Augustine Roofing signed a lease and moved in next door (5267 Langston Blvd), filling a vacancy left when the decades-old Sam Torrey Shoe Service closed down.

But Page Global hasn’t been able to move in yet, due to ongoing renovation construction, according to an employee next door.

“The company won’t be open for a least another couple months,” said the employee. “They’re doing a ton of work in there… It looks amazing inside over there now — from what it was.”

He said construction has taken longer because of permitting and issues that crop up during construction. Currently, permits for electrical and plumbing work, issued early last year, are posted to the door of the building.

Page Global, headquartered in D.C. at 800 Maine Ave SW, was not immediately available for comment before publication. The company is led by James Page, high school-dropout from the Bronx turned businessman of 30 years, per a 2020 profile by the Washington Informer.

Boutique market Foxtrot in Rosslyn set to start delivering later this week

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Foxtrot’s newest location in Rosslyn is finally set to open later this week.

The boutique market, cafe, and convenience store has announced it is opening its 4,077-square-foot shop at 1771 N. Pierce Street on Friday, Jan. 13.

There will be an “opening celebration” for the new store from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, per a press release, featuring screen-printed swag, food, and live music from DJ Throdown.

The store markets itself as an upscale corner store, market, and cafe with a focus on delivery. It makes much of its inventory available for delivery in under an hour. The Rosslyn location will “feature the biggest product assortment Foxtrot has available,” reads a press release, including offering a variety of local brands.

ARLnow first reported that the company was coming to Rosslyn last spring. The initial plan was for it to open in “early fall” before getting pushed back to December. Now, finally, in mid-January, the store is finally set to debut.

The store sits on the ground floor of the relatively new Highlands development, basically next door to Fire Station 10.

“Whether it’s a renovation of an older building or a new build, the spaces are designed to blend into the neighborhood and have a sense of place,” a spokesperson told ARLnow last year about the shop’s interior design. “Foxtrot’s new DMV-area stores will continue this model, with each site uniquely designed while still supporting the brand’s day-to-night atmosphere and incorporating signature design elements like concrete floors, hospitality lighting, wood paneling, warm color palettes and local artwork.”

This will be Chicago-based Foxtrot’s sixth location in the D.C. area, including one in Alexandria that opened in early 2022. Two more are anticipating an opening in D.C. this year as well. Overall, there are currently 23 Foxtrot locations nationwide.

This also may not be the last Foxtrot to open in Arlington. When asked if there are plans to open any other locations in the area, a spokesperson that’s the goal.

“We plan to continue to expand further into Northern Virginia and Arlington,” they said. “Foxtrot hopes to have locations we can announce soon.”

Life Time fitness center aiming to open in Clarendon in the first half of 2023

By Matt Blitz
1/2

You’ll likely have to wait a few months longer to tackle those new year’s resolutions at a new gym in Clarendon.

Life Time, the self-described “luxurious athletic country club,” is set to take over much of the one-time office building at 1440 N. Edgewood Street in Clarendon, filling the multi-story, 113,000-square-foot space. The fitness center received county approval in November 2021 to allow for retail and fitness activities in the building.

The plan is to open “likely [in] the first half” of the year, a company spokesperson tells ARLnow via email.

Some signage and window stickers are already up, though, advertising that Life Time is coming to the multi-block stretch of mixed use development known as The Crossing Clarendon.

We first reported that Life Time was opening a large, upscale fitness center in Clarendon back in August 2021. It’s set to feature a spa, dressing rooms, a small cafe, two floors of gym space, and a co-working area.

Life Time also has locations in Fairfax, Reston, and Centreville, as well as a few in Maryland.

Initially, an Equinox gym was going to move into the building but the project was canceled due to the company suffering “financial hardship” related to the pandemic.

New ‘indoor dog park & bar’ says it’s coming to same building as New District Brewing

By Matt Blitz
Rendering of new indoor dog park and bar, Snouts & Stouts (image via @snouts_stouts/Instagram)

A new “indoor dog park & bar” says it’s coming to the Green Valley neighborhood, apparently moving into the current home of New District Brewing.

Snouts & Stouts announced late last week via social media and an email blast that it was set to open in August 2023 while advertising that it will be the “only indoor dog park & bar in Northern Virginia.”

It appears to be moving into an 11,000-square-foot building at 2709 S. Oakland Street, within barking distance of the outdoor Shirlington Dog Park.

However, that is also the same address as New District Brewing.

It remains unclear what exactly is happening to the well-known, local brewery. The building has been publicly posted for lease. Snouts and Stouts and New District Brewing are not owned by the same people, we’re told.

New District ownership informed ARLnow that they are “not ready to comment yet” but hope to be able to provide more information in a few days.

ARLnow has reached out to both the contact information listed on the lease advertisement and Snouts & Stouts but has yet to hear back as of publication.

In an Instagram post on Friday, the new canine-centric business posted a video rendering of what the space could look like when it opens.

There was also a message along with the video that alludes to “obstacles” that had to be overcome that “impacted our location and opening date announcement.” Additionally, the message noted that the business will be occupying the whole building in “late spring” with construction set to begin then.

Admittance for dogs Snouts & Stouts will be membership-based, per the website. While dogs require a membership, “humans always enter for free.” There will be also doggy daycare, boarding, bar, and private events.

Perhaps answering the question as to why opening an indoor dog park essentially next to the county’s biggest outdoor dog park, the website notes the reliability of staying indoors:

As dog owners who frequent the dog park, the biggest concern is always the weather. Rain? No dog park. Intense heat? No dog park. Intense cold? No dog park. Even if the weather is fine, our dogs always come home dirty and need a bath.

Well at Snouts & Stouts weather and dirt is never a concern! Our massive indoor dog park, with specialized K9 turf, means that no matter the weather, your dog will be able to play and not need a bath afterward.

As for the claim to be the region’s first indoor dog park and bar, that might be a bit dubious with Backhaus in Alexandria opening two years ago. The business recently has had some issues with neighbors complaining about the “inescapable barking” coming from the facility.

As for New District, earlier this year the brewery purchased a new canning line and again set up a beer garden at the Arlington County Fair in August. When it opened in 2016, New District was “Arlington’s first production brewery in one hundred years.”

The brewery is set to celebrate its sixth anniversary early next month.

Rendering of the interior of Snouts & Stouts (image via @snouts_stouts/Instagram)

Arlington’s first medical cannabis dispensary now set to open early next year

By Matt Blitz
Future Beyond/Hello medical cannabis dispensary in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A new medical cannabis dispensary coming to Clarendon is delaying its opening to early next year.

Beyond/Hello is hoping to open Arlington’s first medical cannabis dispensary — and its fifth in Northern Virginia — in the “first half of January,” though that depends on county inspections, a spokesperson told ARLnow.

The dispensary at 2701 Wilson Blvd was initially slated to open its doors prior to the end of the year, but that has been slightly delayed.

Florida-based Jushi, which owns Beyond/Hello, bought the building at 2701 Wilson Blvd, across the street from Whole Foods, for $7 million about a year ago. Jushi chose that location because of its central location and 45 dedicated parking spots, an executive told ARLnow over the summer.

The dispensary is moving a space that was formerly a Comcast service center. Another part of the building is occupied by Arlington Independent Media (AIM), which operates radio station WERA 96.7 FM.

The plan is to allow AIM to remain in the building, even as it expands to a satellite location in Green Valley.

Over the last two years, Beyond/Hello has opened locations in Fairfax, Alexandria, Manassas, and Sterling. Another location is coming to Woodbridge sometime next year.

Beyond/Hello is one of four companies allowed to sell medical cannabis in Virginia but is legally limited to opening six stores in the Commonwealth.

This past July, a new state law went into effect that removed the requirement that medical cannabis patients had to register with the Commonwealth in order to purchase cannabis. Now all patients need is a written certification from a licensed practitioner.

It’s legal for those over 21 in Virginia to possess and grow small amounts of cannabis. But recreational sales are still illegal due to the failure of a legislative effort this past year to create infrastructure for retail sales.

For now, retail sales of cannabis are expected to remain illegal in Virginia until 2024 at the earliest.

A stretching studio expects to open soon in Courthouse

By Matt Blitz
StretchLab in Courthouse (photo courtesy of StretchLab)

A stretching studio is opening in Courthouse later this month.

Los Angeles-based StretchLab is stretching itself to open by late December at 2200 Wilson Blvd, at the corner with N. Wayne Street. It will be in the same building in Courthouse as Sweet Leaf Cafe.

Founded in 2015 in Venice, California, StretchLab calls itself “the industry leader in offering one-on-one assisted stretching.”

There are nearly 300 locations nationwide, per a company spokesperson, but this would be the first StretchLab in the D.C. area. There are plans for additional expansion locally, we’re told.

“StretchLab has gathered a team of experts already certified in an array of related fields — physical therapy, chiropractic medicine, yoga, Pilates, and more — and brought in the world’s leading authority on stretching and flexibility to deliver on the promise of having the finest team of stretching professionals gathered anywhere,” reads a statement provided to ARLnow.

The studio offers memberships, one-on-one instruction, and group classes.

Construction is nearly finished on the space, a spokesperson said. Next week, on Monday, Dec. 12, the studio will be open for a preview and “free demonstration stretches.” The studio is set to fully open to the public later in December.

New Clarendon vintage clothing shop owned by W-L grad set to open next week

By Matt Blitz
1/2

A new vintage clothing shop owned by a Washington-Liberty grad is looking to open in Clarendon next week.

People’s Place Blvd is opening up at 3179 Wilson Blvd, a prime spot near Clarendon Ballroom and Spider Kelly’s. The plan is to open on Saturday, Nov. 12, co-owner Fabricio Gamarra tells ARLnow. The store will specialize in buying, selling, and trading vintage clothing.

Gamarra is a 2018 graduate of Washington-Liberty High School and grew up in Arlington. He was previously the manager of the People’s Place location in Manassas but is partnering with that store’s ownership to open his own shop closer to home. It will feature his brand Forbiiidden Vintage.

He’s also the founder of the Barcroft-based pop-up flea market Euphoria, which was so popular two years ago that it went viral on TikTok and resulted in traffic jams in the neighborhood after people flocked to the market from miles around.

Gamarra soon realized the popularity of what he was doing and wanted to expand to a brick and mortar storefront. He found one in the hole-in-the-wall, office and retail space above Spider Kelly’s.

Clarendon is a great place to open his new vintage shop, he said, because of the clientele.

“The area is a popular scene for a lot of kids who are into fashion,” Gamarra said. “Obviously, there’s a lot more income [here]… than in Manassas.”

While he was previously doing plenty of business online and at other local markets, the pull of opening a brick-and-mortar location was too much.

“Having a flea market once or twice a year is cool, but I wanted to open up more opportunities… I like to have that face-to-face connection with other people,” Gamarra said.

There are relatively few vintage clothing shops in Arlington. There’s Current Boutique, which advertises itself as a consignment shop and is located about a half mile away from where People’s Place Blvd is opening. There’s also Amalgamated Costume and Design on Langston Blvd, which is both a store and a rental provider for film, TV and stage productions.

Gamarra said that with more customers turning to small businesses and the “fast fashion” trend waning, people are looking for vintage clothing shops where they can buy and trade back clothes when they are done wearing them.

“People will be able to stop by and recycle their clothing or trade it in for other clothing that they are buying,” he said. “I think buy, sell, trade [shops] are vital.”

Upscale corner store Foxtrot aiming for December opening in Rosslyn

By Matt Blitz
The new Foxtrot store in Rosslyn (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

Boutique market Foxtrot‘s newest location in Rosslyn is aiming to open in mid-December.

With window stickers now up, a company spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow that the Foxtrot at 1771 N. Pierce Street in Rosslyn could open its doors within six weeks.

“We are looking at the second week of December,” District Manager Adriana Stavreva wrote in an email.

The initial estimate for the store’s opening right off of Wilson Blvd, basically next door to the year-old Fire Station 10, was “early fall,” but that’s been pushed back by at least a couple of months.

Chicago-based Foxtrot is a delivery-focused upscale corner market and cafe. It makes much of its inventory — everything from a rainbow-sprinkled crispy cake to non-alcoholic whiskey — available for delivery within an hour.

ARLnow reported in April that the company was opening a Rosslyn location, part of a local aggressive expansion that includes several other planned stores in the region. A Foxtrot location opened in Old Town Alexandria earlier this year and another is currently open in Georgetown.

Compass Coffee’s first drive-thru location is now open on Langston Blvd

By Matt Blitz
1/4

Compass Coffee has opened its first drive-thru location.

The D.C.-based coffee chain has officially started brewing at its newest location at 4710 Langston Blvd in the Waverly Hills neighborhood.

The shop’s hours are 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

This is Compass’s third Arlington location, joining Rosslyn and Ballston. The company also opened a cafe in Fairfax back in March. Its first location was in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood, opening back in 2014.

Compass’s decision to open its first drive-thru was driven by the pandemic and changes in locals’ working habits, per the Washington Business Journal. The location also has an indoor cafe, similar to the other 14 Compass locations spread out across the region.

Construction started earlier this year on the new, approximately 2,700-square-foot space that formerly housed a SunTrust Bank. The bank closed in 2020.

This is not the only coffee drive-thru on Langston Blvd. Just about a mile from the new Compass, Starbucks has its own drive-thru, also located in an old bank. It attracted long lines throughout the pandemic and closed for renovations earlier this month.

Hat tip to Mike W.

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