new business

The nightlife power couple behind B Live talk about their burgeoning Clarendon empire

By Matt Blitz
1/6

When B Live in Clarendon opened to the public earlier this month, it was a big moment for local restaurateurs Christal and Mike Bramson.

The live music venue and restaurant is not the only venture that the married team has in Arlington. They also own several other well-known Clarendon concepts, including The Lot, Clarendon Pop-Up Bar, and Pamplona on Clarendon Blvd, plus they are planning to open a new tropical-themed bar on the roof above B Live, at 2854 Wilson Blvd, later this summer.

But B Live is perhaps the Bramsons’ most ambitious project yet, particularly with the added element that it moved into the former home of iconic watering hole Whitlow’s on Wilson.

ARLnow spoke with the couple about B Live’s debut, “tropical glam,” and the future of their other popular pop-ups. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

ARLnow: B Live has been open to the public for about two weeks now. How has been it going? What has surprised you? What challenges have you all encountered so far? 

Christal Bramson (CB): I think the initial thing that has struck us is that with very limited amounts of press and media, the community was clearly ready for us to open. There’s been an outpouring of support, which we embrace and love, but not necessarily ready yet for lines wrapped around the block.

Is there any pressure opening in the former home of such an iconic Arlington spot? 

Mike Bramson (MB): We definitely felt the pressure going in… we have big shoes to fill. We spent a lot of time on the design and really put a lot of our heart and soul into it.

CB: Obviously, Whitlow’s is an iconic place in Arlington and just want to do credit to the historic corner we are occupying.

MB: I knew the space really well, so we kind of had an idea of what we wanted to do with it. We completely changed the look of the inside, but still kept what people knew most about [Whitlow’s], which was the music and the brunch. We did add a few elements that really made it our own. So far, people’s reactions have been amazing.

What was the thought behind opening another live music venue in Clarendon? 

MB: Clarendon, historically, has had several live music venues and we saw a few of them fall away, either right before the pandemic and, then, right afterwards. The only remaining live music venue was the Renegade. They do a fantastic job and that’s a great venue, but we felt that historically there was always more than just one live music venue… there should be more than one option for live music as most towns and cities have.

(more…)

Buzzy new Middle Eastern restaurant looking to open in former IOTA Club space

By Matt Blitz
Tawle will move into 2832 Wilson Blvd next year, the former home of IOTA Club

(Updated at 12:55 p.m.) A new Middle Eastern restaurant, from the owners of one of D.C.’s most acclaimed restaurants, is preparing to open in Clarendon next year.

The kebab-centric Tawle, which means “table” in Arabic, is moving into 2832 Wilson Blvd, the former home of live music venue IOTA Club. The new casual concept plus rooftop bar is from the co-owners of D.C.’s Compass Rose and Maydan, the latter of which is Michelin-starred.

However, Clarendon diners will have to wait awhile.

The 4,000-square-foot eatery not planning to open for about a year, until spring 2023, says co-owner Rose Previte. This will be the second location of Tawle, with the first planning to start serving in the Mosaic District later this year.

Previte tells ARLnow that she and her fellow co-owner decided to take Tawle to Clarendon for a number of reasons, including their familiarity with Arlington and the neighborhood. For one, she earned her masters degree from George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government in Arlington and worked in four different Arlington County offices, including Arlington Economic Development, as part of a fellowship.

“So, it’s full circle, we are now going to be part of [Arlington’s] economic development,” she says.

During her time going to school and working, she frequented the many restaurants and bars in the Ballston, Courthouse, and Clarendon neighborhoods.

“I maybe had too much fun in Clarendon because I was 25,” she says with a laugh. “So, to think we are going to have a bar and restaurant there is very cool.”

Plus, co-owner Mark Schuster is also from Northern Virginia.

“We are both going home in a way with both of our different histories [here],” she says.

Moving into the former IOTA Club, which closed in 2017, is something that Previte is looking forward to. She says she “loves old buildings” and when walking through the space recently, she found a back wall that still had old concert posters on it.

“I asked the landlord to preserve that wall for us,” she says. “It’s the last physical sign that concerts were there… I really want to [save it]. I love having old things in new spaces and the energy they bring.”

Both Compass Rose and Maydan have garnered their fair share of accolades, but this concept is going to be different from those fine dining establishments.

While the menu is still being developed, it will be kabab-centric, with influences from the cuisines of Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon — the latter of which is where Previte’s family is from.

Tawle will be more casual and focused on grab and go as well as delivery. The bar program will also be inspired by the region, with flavors of lime, lemon, and arak incorporated into recipes.

“[Arak] is an acquired taste. Our very talented mixologists know how to blend it correctly for the American palate,” Previte says. “It’s a licorice flavor… It’s very traditional to the region.”

With more people working from home and not necessarily going into the city as often, Previte says it was time for the owners to bring their food and dining experiences to Northern Virginia.

“A lot of our guests used to come from the suburbs, but they don’t come into D.C. anymore,” she says. “We really thought it was time to go to them and make ourselves more accessible.”

Amazon Fresh in Crystal City now eyeing summer opening

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Crystal City’s Amazon Fresh is looking at a summer opening, a company spokesperson confirms.

Back in February, a mystery was solved when it was confirmed that an Amazon Fresh grocery store was moving into the large retail space at 1550 Crystal Drive. Now, the company says that residents likely won’t have to wait too long for Crystal City’s only grocery store to open.

“We haven’t confirmed an exact opening date yet but we can confirm it will open this summer,” a company spokesperson said in an email.

In addition to traditional checkouts, the store will also have what the company calls “Just Walk Out technology,” meaning customers can exit the store without physically going to any check-out.

“Amazon’s Just Walk Out system uses ceiling-mounted cameras and artificial intelligence to track shoppers’ selections as they walk around the store and automatically charges them when they exit,” as described by Grocery Dive.

The new store will also have anti-graffiti window film, according to building permits.

Technically, Crystal City has been grocery-store-less for close to two decades, though there’s a Harris Teeter and Amazon-owned Whole Foods in Pentagon City, as well as another Harris Teeter in the Potomac Yard area of Arlington.

This will be the first Amazon Fresh in Arlington, but another location is planned less than two miles away, in the Potomac Yard shopping center in Alexandria.

The company is quickly expanding its grocery footprint across the D.C. area with three stores having opened just in the last year, including one in Fairfax last month.

There could also be a second Arlington Amazon Fresh, rumors suggest.

The Fillmore Garden Shopping Centers on Columbia Pike is set to be demolished in the coming months to make way for “The Elliott.” That new development will have 50,000 square feet of ground floor retail, a revamped CVS, and a grocery store. There is some suggestion that this grocery store will also be an Amazon Fresh.

So far, though, company officials are remaining mum.

“We don’t comment on our future store roadmap,” said the spokesperson.

Bond Vet, District Dogs set to open in Clarendon next month

By Mavis Chan
1/6

Primary and urgent veterinary care clinic Bond Vet and dog daycare and boarding facility District Dogs are set to open locations in Clarendon in June.

Both businesses are coming to The Crossing Clarendon retail center.

Bond Vet, a chain based out of New York City, will open at 2871 Clarendon Blvd on Tuesday, June 14, the company says.

Bond Vet chose Arlington as its first location outside New York City because of the “rich context” of Clarendon, Marketing Manager Brooke Goldstein told ARLnow. The shopping center is also home to Tatte Bakery & Cafe, Lululemon, an Apple Store and other higher-end stores and restaurants.

“We like to be part of a rich context with many different types of tenants, rather than going into an area where you’re only going to find soft goods or medical offices,” she said, “We felt that this was a good opportunity for that.”

The clinic also plans to open locations in Bethesda and D.C. neighborhoods, such as Capitol Hill.

An open house at the Clarendon clinic will be held between noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 12. The event will feature dogs up for adoption from The Little Black Dog Rescue Group, pet portraits and raffles.

Bond Vet provides urgent care services such as treating rashes, wound care and gastrointestinal issues, as well as primary care services like dental cleaning, neutering and planned surgeries, according to the press release. The clinic, which offers walk-in and scheduled appointments, will be open every day between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m, including on holidays.

District Dogs, which provides daycare, spas and overnight boarding services for dogs, is set to hold its grand opening on Monday, June 6. The storefront at 2820 Wilson Blvd is also the company’s first location in Virginia.

There will be playrooms, full-service pet spa services, and behavioral training workshops. Customers can also rent private dog playrooms at the store.

Clarendon currently has a variety of pet care businesses, including two other veterinary clinics, Clarendon Animal Care and Caring Hands Animal Hospital, along with Chippin, a locally based dog food brand.

District Dogs is planning to open another Arlington location in Pentagon City, at Amazon’s HQ2, which is currently under construction but set to open its first phase next year.

Greek restaurant Our Mom Eugenia to open in Shirlington, aiming for fall

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Our Mom Eugenia, a popular Great Falls-based Greek restaurant, is opening a new outpost in Shirlington.

The family-owned Greek eatery is aiming to open by the fall, a press release announced. It’s moving into the 3,604 square-foot space at 4044 Campbell Avenue, next to CHIKO which opened late last year.

Our Mom Eugenia appears to be replacing Aroma Indian Cuisine. In early 2020, that restaurant moved from next door into the larger location. Prior to that, 4044 Campbell Avenue was the location of Hula Girl Bar and Grill but that restaurant closed in 2019.

There’s no word yet on when or if Aroma will be closing to make way for Eugenia.

This will be Our Mom Eugenia’s third location, with the original opening in Great Falls in 2016. The second location in the Mosaic District started serving in August 2020.

The restaurant is owned and named after Eugenia Hobson. A long-time local chef, she was born and raised in western Greece. She cooked at a number of other area Greek restaurants, before opening her own business a few years ago with her two sons.

“Eugenia learned the secrets of Greek cuisine from her grandmother for whom she is named,” notes a press release.

The menu consists of traditional Greek fare, like avgolémono soup, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), pastitsio (Greek lasagna), grilled octopus, lamb chops, spanakopita, and saganaki (fried cheese).

Our Mom Eugenia is the latest in a line of other notable restaurants and businesses looking to open later this year in Shirlington. Astro Beer Hall is moving into the former Capitol City Brewing space and is aiming for a fall 2022 opening as well. Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls is also potentially looking at an early fall starting date. Last month, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream also announced its move into Shirlington, though the company only provided a sprinkling of details beyond that.

NEW: Four more local businesses coming to Amazon’s HQ2

By Brandi Bottalico
1/5

Amazon has announced four more local businesses that will open at the first phase of its HQ2, known as Metropolitan Park, in Pentagon City.

HQ2 will be home to Arlington’s second Conte’s Bike Shop, a South Block, the second location of Vienna-based Social Burger and the first brick-and-mortar location of HUSTLE — a high intensity cycling workout business.

The businesses will join the two that were already announced — District Dogs and RĀKO Coffee.

South Block’s Met Park spot will be one of four new planned locations that will open in the next two years, South Block’s Vice President of Marketing Lindsey Parry told ARLnow.

“For us, it’s always been about our community first and so the opportunity to build new blocks and to be a part of HQ2 to us is just really establishing those local roots, continuing to grow,” she said.

A common thread among the businesses is making an impact in their communities.

South Block owner Amir Mostafavi started nonprofit Fruitful Planet that gives fresh fruits and vegetables to food insecure communities and people in need. And at Social Burger in Vienna, 40 meals a week that its customers purchase go to Lamb Center, a homeless shelter.

Social Burger Owner Denise Lee said she’s looking forward to showcasing the business and bringing the burger spot to a bigger setting.

“I’ve been there several times through the construction phase,” she said. “It’s amazing. I’m excited to be part of that. It’s going to be a beautiful campus when the time comes.”

The restaurant will be larger than its original, with a planned 38 seats, and some outdoor seating, Lee said.

HUSTLE co-founder Sunny Miller started the online workout platform during the pandemic to continue connecting with the community she had built through cycling classes. HUSTLE later began pop-up classes at the Wharf in D.C., but to have a permanent space for the business is something special, Miller said.

“This space is going to mean so much for my team and the community because we finally have a place where they can come on a regular basis,” she said.

HUSTLE has already started running free strength classes in Long Bridge Park, Miller said. And they will also be starting cycling classes there every Saturday, beginning in June.

Conte’s Bike Shop co-founder David Conte said the approximately 4,000-square-foot space will feature a mezzanine with a studio for seat fitting, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a coffee bar similar to the one at its Navy Yard location.

“For us to have an opportunity to literally be on the ground floor with an organization like Amazon that’s going to serve the community and the county really quite fabulously, is really humbling and it’s a real privilege,” said Conte’s co-founder Wayne Souza.

“Amazon is excited to bring these businesses and more to HQ2, helping to build a vibrant, buzzing neighborhood,” the company said in a blog post this morning.

Asian street food chain Hawkers in Ballston eyeing August opening

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Hawkers, the Asian street food restaurant chain, is now aiming for a mid-August opening in Ballston.

The eatery was initially supposed to open back in spring 2021 and, then, June of this year, but supply chain issues have delayed it now twice, the company says.

“Because so much of our equipment is incredibly specialized to fit our concept — for instance, our wok stations are all completely customized to our menu, and our electrical panels are customized to handle our neon signage installations — the supply chain constraints delayed our construction timeline,” writes a company spokesperson. “Our manufacturers and suppliers worked as quickly as they could, but they could only build as specific parts and electrical components became available.”

The growing chain first announced it was opening a location at 4201 Wilson Blvd, on the ground floor of the Ballston Exchange office complex, nearly two years ago in July 2020.

Orlando-based Hawkers was founded in 2011 when “four best friends joined forces (like the Avengers, but better) to bring the streets of Asia to the streets of Orlando, Fla.” The restaurant has about a dozen open locations in several different states. That includes a Bethesda outpost — the first in the D.C. area — which opened in late 2020.

The menu highlights street food from across the Asian continent, including dim sum, baos, chicken wings, pad Thai, noodle dishes, and fried rice.

When the new Ballston location opens in a few months, it will be the first Hawkers in Virginia and the first to have a take-out window.

“The Ballston community is vibrant, full of energy, and incredibly social — all of which are qualities that align perfectly with the Hawkers brand,” the spokesperson said, when asked why the company chose the neighborhood. “We cannot wait to open our doors and get to know the Ballston community on a deeper level.”

The restaurant is currently hiring servers, bartenders, line cooks, hosts and dishwashers.

A sneaker restoration business and a customized hoodie retailer are now open in Pentagon City

By Matt Blitz
1/2

The growing cadre of tech employees working in Pentagon City and Crystal City now have new places to go for their sneakers and hoodies.

Two new stores recently opened at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall on S. Hayes Street. SneakerMat is on the second level near Nordstrom and specializes in sneaker cleaning, restoration, and repair. It also has a collection of footwear for purchase.

The shop is local to the D.C. area and independently-owned, with its only other location in Hyattsville, Maryland.

“I became very proficient in shoe care and restorations [because] of a passion to always keep my shoes clean,” Nathan Hawkins, the shop’s co-owner, wrote on its website. “Growing up there were times I had to wear the same shoes an entire school year; so making sure my shoes were clean and could last was very important to me.”

Custom World, located next to the GameStop on the mall’s food court and Metro level, is a customized hoodie and t-shirt retailer. The store claims that it can “customize everything in 15 minutes” — something, presumably, that fast-moving startups may appreciate.

The stores join other recently-opened retailers at the Fashion Centre, including Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage X Fenty. Back in September, a cereal bar, a Levi’s store, a furniture store, and an LA-based luxury goods seller all set up shop there.

The mall, popular with local shoppers as well as out-of-town tourists, is located only a block from Amazon’s under-construction HQ2.

Compass Coffee’s first drive-thru is under construction along Langston Blvd

By Matt Blitz
1/2

Compass Coffee is planning to open a drive-thru location along Langston Blvd in Arlington this summer.

The D.C.-based coffee shop chain is currently in the midst of construction of its first ever drive-thru location at 4710 Langston Blvd, in the Waverly Hills neighborhood, a company spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow.

The hope is to open late this summer.

The nearly 2,700-square-foot space formerly housed a SunTrust Bank, which closed in 2020. A building permit was applied for in February that called for a new build-out and interior demolition.

In addition to the drive-thru, which was first reported by the Washington Business Journal, the space will also have an indoor cafe, similar to other Compass Coffee locations.

This will be the company’s third Arlington store, joining existing cafes in Rosslyn and Ballston. Compass also just opened a location in Fairfax back in March, furthering its reach into Northern Virginia.

Overall, Compass Coffee currently has 14 open locations.

In terms of coffee drive-thrus, there’s some buzzy competition just down the road. A mile away from the new Compass Coffee, Starbucks has its own drive-thru — also a repurposed bank. The Starbucks has attracted long drive-thru lines, sometimes extending out to Langston Blvd, particularly at the height of the pandemic.

New cafe hoping to open this summer on Crystal City’s restaurant row

By Matt Blitz
1/4

A new cafe and lounge is hoping to open in Crystal City within the next couple of months, the owner tells ARLnow.

Crush Cafe at 546 23rd Street S. comes from Yoseph Abegaz, who owns Flirt Lounge next door. It’s filling a space that was once occupied by a dry cleaners and shoe repair shop. The location was first rented last June and a building permit to alter the interior was first applied for in September.

The new cafe is set to serve coffee, Abegaz tells ARLnow, as well as beer, wine, and mixed alcoholic beverages.

Abegaz described the new cafe as essentially an “expansion” of Flirt Lounge, a hookah bar and lounge that opened in 2016. He declined to give an exact timeframe about when his newest venture may open, only that they are still in the midst of licensing and permits.

It will be at least a “couple of months” before Crush Cafe can open, Abegaz said.

That strip of 23rd Street S. is known as “restaurant row.” With Amazon HQ2 moving in down the road and extensive development happening in the neighborhood, there remains some questions of the aging, low-slung retail strip’s long term viability.

Nonetheless, much like Crush Cafe, new eateries continue to set their sights there.

Beauty Champagne & Sugar Boutique just started serving bubbly earlier this month at the corner of 23rd Street S. and Fern Street. A halal restaurant franchise is hoping to open a new concept by the end of the year on S. Eads Street, just around the corner from Crush Cafe’s new home. A half block down, a Korean rice dog eatery was planning for an early 2022 opening but that appears to be delayed, with the restaurant’s website still not accepting orders.

Permits have been filed for a new Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse

By Matt Blitz
1/2

Late night chalupas and booze appears to be coming soon to Courthouse, with Taco Bell preparing to open its newest Cantina location.

A permit was filed earlier this week for a new Taco Bell at 2039 Wilson Blvd, county records show. The location is likely to be the fast food chain’s restaurant-bar combo, Taco Bell Cantina, as reported by the Washington Business Journal.

The permit notes that work is being limited to the first floor and will include a new HVAC system, electrical, plumbing, furniture, and kitchen equipment. A single-use restroom will also be part of the construction.

The space at 2039 Wilson Blvd was formerly after-work staple Guarapo Lounge, which closed nearly six years ago after being open for a decade and a half. Next door is a post office.

It appears that Taco Bell will be just filling the space’s 2,166-square-foot first floor, leaving the second floor open for another tenant.

The restaurant’s dining room will have an occupancy of 48 and the queuing area of a dozen, per the Washington Business Journal.

It’s unclear when the new eatery might open.

“We don’t have any details to share currently,” a Taco Bell spokesperson told ARLnow.

If this new Courthouse location does end up being a Taco Bell Cantina, it will be the third regional location of the fast food spin-off. This includes eateries in Old Town Alexandria and in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of D.C.

The main difference between a regular Taco Bell and a Cantina is that the latter sells alcohol, including beer, wine, sangria, and “Twisted Freezes.”

This would notably be a return to the neighborhood for the chain. More than a decade ago, there was a Taco Bell on the hill between Rosslyn and Courthouse — alongside the late, lamented bar Dr. Dremo’s — before the old buildings were demolished and a new mixed-use development at 2001 Clarendon Blvd went up.

View More Stories