When David Brooks opened up Appalachian Spring, a handcrafted gifts and handmade jewelry store in 1990, Reston Town Center was nothing but a slab of concrete.
Now, as residential buildings touch the skies and redevelopment plans aim to revitalize the core of the area, Brooks is closing his Reston store on 1187 Market St. and shifting his focus to the Rockville location.
The business decided to not renew its lease because customer traffic reduced considerably over the last few months. Paid parking, which was instituted earlier this year, accelerated limited customer traffic, said Brooks, president of Appalachian Spring.
“We’ve seen this for a while. The parking probably accelerated it. I can’t be sure that parking is the complete reason, but a lot of customers have told us that they weren’t happy about that,” he said.
Appalachian Spring was one of the first businesses to come to Reston Town Center. It began in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. in 1968 with the goal of bring a collection of handcrafted products to the community, according to its website.
The location in Union Station (50 Massachusetts Ave.) will also close in the coming weeks.
Brooks said he enjoyed keeping his business in Reston. All items are 20 to 50 percent off in both stores beginning today. The business is expected to close by the end of January.
“We’ve enjoyed being in Reston all these years more than anything. It’s been a major part of our company. We’ve sort of grown up with the town center and the community has driven our business as it goes along. We are thankful to all of our wonderful customers for supporting us all these years,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Appalachian Spring
Recent Stories
The sun sets on Reston’s Leidos building, which is lit with green for St. Patrick’s Day (photo by Gail Crockett) Annandale House Fire Under Investigation — “Dozens of Fairfax County…
Chase Bank is seeking to add a drive-thru to a recently opened branch in the Herndon area (via Google Maps) Chase Bank is seeking Fairfax County’s permission to add a…
What do I do if school doesn’t fit my kid? That’s the question that so many of the parents and families ask when they’re looking at small independent schools like…
Fairfax County police vehicle with lights (file photo) The Fairfax County Police Department touted the county’s status as the safest jurisdiction of its size following the release of its year-end…