Fill This Space: Small Storefront at Lake Anne Plaza

Lake Anne Plaza is about to have a remodeled coffee house and its first nanobrewery. What should go in this small Washington Plaza space?

Cindy Williams, owner of Lake Anne’s PetMAC, says she recently purchased the 700-square-foot space, formerly home to New Family Naturals.

She has been putting the word out the community to help find the right fit.

Says Williams:

The space is about 700 square feet and is located right next to the soon-to-open Lake Anne Brew House, a nano brewery. They are going to be brewing their beer on site and thus, will not have space to offer any food. I would love to find a tenant for my space who can provide “walkable” food that would go along with beer.

Lake Anne has three other restaurants and a coffee house, but no good take-out type food [such as] sausages/brats, panini, hand pies, etc. Something savory and heavy enough to be a dinner with beer. There is no hood or exhaust, so cooking is limited to methods that do not require that — panini press, convection oven, induction burners, etc.

Not only would this location have a built-in customer base from the Brew House, but there are 1,600 people living within a five-minute walk of the lake, and the Saturday Farmers Market is the largest in Fairfax County, bringing between 2,000-3,500 people each Sat. Delivery would also be a great option when the weather turns cold.

Williams also says “some sort of upscale, but locally owned retail shop would be a great asset to the merchant community at the Plaza.” Meanwhile, the space is hosting crafters in a pop-up market starting Saturday.

Check out the full listing and rental price on this Craigslist post.

Given the suggestions, what do you think should open here?