A new tutoring center plans to open in Herndon soon.
Huntington Learning Center, a nationwide company the offers tutoring for K-12, will open up at 366 Elden Street.
The center also offers test preparation services for the ACT, SAT, PSAT and other standardized assessments. The company has not yet indicated when it plans to open.
Other area centers are located in Ashburn, Sterling, and Centreville. More information about the company’s services is available online.
Image via Google Maps
Crafters can now enjoy AR Workshop, a new do-it-yourself studio that opened in Herndon today (Thursday).
A grand opening party is set for 6-9 p.m. at the new location, which is located at 315 Spring Street. Attendees can take part in a free mini project and enjoy drinks, sweets, giveaways, and raffles. Guests must register online and like the Facebook page of the business.
Here’s more about the studio from co-owners Jacqueline Maglione and Michelle Shepard:
Workshop participants can construct custom wood plank signs, framed signs, canvas pillows, round signs, trays, Lazy Susans, centerpiece boxes, cake stands, canvas items, specialty projects and more utilizing raw materials, a variety of non-toxic stain and paint colors, and stencils. Attendees can also create textile items such as chunky knit blankets as well as seasonal or holiday keepsakes. Â
“We’re so excited to share our new do-it-yourself space with the Reston community,” Maglione said. “Everyone is always on the search for something fun to do and we have a huge variety of projects to make.”
The business has eight other locations across the country.
Photo via AR Workshop
Sheetz, a popular gas and convenience store chain, has plans to come to Herndon.
The company, which recently opened a location in Sterling, has submitted an application to the county for a service station, convenience food store, and restaurant with a drive-thru.
The Herndon location is planned on a roughly two-acre parcel on 13850 McLearen Road.
Here’s more from the application:
The Applicant intends to demolish the office building and surface parking lot fronting on McLearen Road, and construct the new Sheetz service station with a quick-service food store and restaurant with drive-through uses facility. The proposed Sheetz store will total approximately 6,075 square feet in size. The retail store building will be oriented towards McLearen Road, while the fuel pumps will be oriented to Towerview Road. The drive-through lane associated with the restaurant is located along the back of the building and along the southern property line to effectively manage stacking and be less visible from surrounding streets.
The application was accepted by the county on Feb. 7. No dates for a public hearing or other steps in the county’s approval process have been set yet.Â
Photo courtesy Sheetz/Facebook
The opening of LA Fitness in Herndon Centre has been delayed to March.
This is not the first time the opening date of the fitness gym, which will open in Herndon Centre (494 Elden Street), has been pushed back.
Last year, the business was expected to open Jan. 16, a few weeks earlier than originally anticipated. Then, the gym announced it would open sometime in early 2020.
Now, the Kristhian Reyes, the general manager of the location, says the “best-case scenario” is that the gym will open by the beginning of March. In any case, he hopes the gym will be up and running by the end of next month.
“We understand everyone’s concerns on our opening date, but some things have been out of our hands,” Reyes said.
The delay was caused by delays in the permitting and inspection process, according to the general manager.
“We have people working 5 a.m. to 12 a.m. seven days a week trying to make sure the gym gets finished as quickly as possible now,” Reyes said.
Anyone who already signed up to use the facility will have access to other LA Fitness locations in the area.
A cybersecurity company that was founded in Virginia has announced plans to expand in the Town of Herndon, according to a release by Gov. Ralph Northam.
Expel, Inc. will expand its headquarters at 12950 Worldgate Drive, creating 164 new jobs in engineering, customer experience, IT, marketing and sales team over the next three years.
“There’s a fantastic pool of tech talent location in Northern Virginia, and we have close proximity to strong education institutions and major tech companies,” said Dave Merkel, Expel’s CEO.
The company, which is investing $1.4 million in the expansion, offers managed security on-premises and in the cloud, including 24/7 monitoring through security operations using security tools that customers already have.
The expansion was made possible through the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, which provides consultancy and funding services to help companies create new jobs.
Here’s more from Northam’s office:
“Virginia has emerged as a national leader in cybersecurity and continues to be at the forefront of workforce development in this rapidly-evolving industry, thanks to companies like Expel, Inc.,” said Governor Northam. “We are thrilled to support this homegrown Northern Virginia business as they grow and expand and look forward to their ongoing success in Herndon.”
“Herndon and the 86th District continues to attract tech companies and workers of all backgrounds because we work hard to create economic growth while maintaining an accessible community and excellent quality of life,” said Delegate Ibraheem Samirah. “I’m excited to see the growing tech center in Herndon and hope that it solidifies Herndon’s position as the best place to live and work in the Commonwealth.”
“I am proud to see that the Town of Herndon continues to attract and retain the best and brightest companies like Expel, Inc.,” said Senator Jennifer Boysko. “Working to recruit a diverse and talented workforce continues to strengthen our robust economy. I welcome Expel Inc.’s expansion in the 33rd Senate District.”
Image via Google Maps
VB Juice Bar, which serves up a variety of fresh juices, opens in Herndon’s Junction Square neighborhood today (Tuesday).
The owners told Reston Now they pride themselves in serving clean juices without unnecessary sugars and processed ingredients.
VB Juice Bar offers a selection of cold-pressed juices — from “beet it” to “black detox” — as well as ginger and turmeric shots. Customers can also purchase smoothies and nut milk like strawberry almond milk, vanilla chaser milk, and cocoa almond milk. Other products include toast and a dragon fruit bowl.
The business is located at 702 Elden Street).
Photos via VB Juice Bar
LA Fitness plans to open in Herndon by late February, according to a company representative.
The gym, which has more than 700 across the country and Canada, originally expected to open by Feb. 1 in the Herndon Centre. But the opening date was delayed due hiccups in the permitting process.
Equipment — which is expected to arrive in early February — will require one week for set-up, the representative said.
The business expects to open between Feb. 15 and 26. Pre-sale rates are expected to end on Feb. 1.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
A new business has opened up shop in Woodland Park Crossing in Herndon.
US Taekwondo College is offering classes and programming at 12950 Highland Crossing Drive, Suite 8. A grand opening celebration took place last month.
Here’s more from Myers Public Relations, which represents Rosenthal Properties:
 The USTC instructors are champion Taekwondo practitioners with years of experience, offering classes and programs for adults, children, and families. USTC also has Spring and Summer Camps and an After School Program that offers pick-up at 15 elementary schools in Reston and Herndon. Children can enjoy martial arts classes and have time to read, play games, and/or do arts and crafts, all under the watchful eyes of highly qualified staff.Â
The business is located above Visionworks in the mixed-use center, which is anchored by Harris Teeter.
In recent months, the retail mix in the center has been in flux. In 2018, four businesss left Woodland Park Crossing in Herndon.
Photo courtesy
A new studio to make wooden art is opening early next year in Herndon.
AR Workshop Reston, which currently has a location in Loudoun County, plans to open at the Reston-Herndon Business Park (315 Spring Street) in January.
Co-owners Michelle Shepard and Jacqueline Maglione, who have been friends for more than a decade, said the Herndon location is currently under construction. They hope to create a space where friends and families can come and create together.
Patrons can make home decor like wood signs and centerpiece boxes at the studio. The business offers more than 900 deign options. Bookings for kids parties and other group events are available.
“We empower our guests to be creative and learn how to use power tools. Each project begins with a stencil and raw wood, but leaves as a gorgeous new piece of Home Decor the guest will be proud of,” they said.
The business is currently hiring part-time instructors.
The co-owners met through their children. They look forward to launching the new location in the coming year. An exact opening date has not been set yet.
Photos via AR Workshop Reston
Motorcyclist Deaths at Decade High — State officials are reminding motorcyclists to wear their helmets. This year, seven motorcyclist deaths occurred in cases where the rider was not wearing a helmet. [Virginia of Department Motor Vehicles]
Herndon-based Company Secures $50 Million Loan — BlackSky, a satellite imaging company, has secured a loan from Tysons-based firm Intelsat. The two companies are also establishing a commercial partnership to develop data and imagery products. [Space News]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Local police are looking for a male suspect involved in a robbery at a business on the 1300 block of Worldgate Drive.
Officials from the Herndon Police Department said the business was robbed at around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Police did not disclose the name of the business.
Surveillance video shows that a man entered the business through a back door and took cash from two registers. There were no signs of forced entry.
A description for the suspect has not been issued. The case is under investigation.
File photo
The last thing Army veteran Paul Olsen and his brother Kenny wanted was another pretentious coffee shop in Herndon.
After spending two years learning the fine art of roasting coffee beans in Paul’s backyard, the brothers — embracing their self-described weirdness– opened the first coffee roaster in Herndon.Â
Their business, Weird Brothers, quickly took off after modest beginnings as a mobile coffee bar on wheels in early 2015.
Now, the locally-owned coffee shop has two brick-and-mortar locations: the first shop and roastery at 321 Sunset Park Drive and a new coffee bar that opened — at the request of the property owners — at 12825 Worldgate Drive.
But with each big step, the family-run business experienced hiccups along the way.
Shortly after the first Weird Brothers location opened, co-owner Kenny and the expert barista and go-getter of the brothers’ duo, died unexpectedly. Then, a few months before the second location’s opening, Paul’s father, Daryl, a retired businessman and teacher at a California High School who helped the business start-up, also died.
Despite difficult times in the family, Paul says the coffee shop has remained committed to brewing coffee and community spirit.
“We just keep pushing forward,” Paul said, describing the business as a family affair, “We have to make Kenny and my dad proud.”
Weird Brothers prides itself in selling a product that is unpretentious and different from corporate coffee.
The owners were inspired by the coffee culture on the West Coast and Paul’s experience traveling the world in the Army. After retiring from the Army in 2009 and with six years of government contracting experience, Paul decided to launch the business.
Having little roasting experience of their own, the brothers, who grew up in California with their parents, worked on their technique.
Now, as the business expands, they hope to create a place where people can experience the whole process of coffee from the bean to the cup.Â
For the Weird Brothers, coffee has always been about fostering community and personal connections. Olsen and his family — including three children — live in Herndon.
“We take our coffee seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Paul says.
Every Sunday, 15 percent of the day’s proceeds are donated to the charity of the day.
Even though Paul prides the now growing list of flavors the business serves, he concedes a simple truth that he often tells customers about:
“The best coffee is the coffee that you enjoy the most,” he says.
Photos by Jay Westcott
This story is part of a recurring feature on independent businesses in Herndon and Reston. To submit suggestions on businesses to profile, email us at [email protected].
A new cafe is coming soon to Dulles Corner Park, an office park located at 2411 Dulles Corner Park.
County permits indicate a cafe by the name of Bytes has been approved for a new tenant permit. The approval, which lists 13820 Sunrise Valley Drive as the address, was issued on Oct. 9.
So far, no signage has been put up at the property. The contractor behind the project declined to disclose information about the business.
Photo by Jay Westcott
Some of the area’s largest cybersecurity companies are located in Herndon and Reston, according to a ranking by the Washington Business Journal.
Three companies in Reston and Herndon topped WBJ’s list, which ranks the largest cybersecurity companies in the Greater DC area by the number of employees, total revenue last year, and total Metro-area revenue.
More information on the local companies is below:
- Carahsoft Technology Corp. (Ranked #1): The company, which helps the public sector manage and reduce cybersecurity risks, has 1,282 employees, including 948 in the Metro-area. Last year, the company brought in $5.4 million in total revenue.
- Iron Bow Technologies LLC (Ranked #2): Located at 2302 Dulles Station Boulevard, the company boasted $1 billion in revenue last year. It has 680 total employees, 510 of which are based in the Metro-area.
- ThunderCat Technology LLC (Ranked #3): The company, which is located at 1925 Isaac Newton Square, brought in $503 million last year, roughly $289 million of which was in the Metro-area. The company has 84 employees.
Overall, 18 of the region’s 25 largest cybersecurity companies are located in Fairfax County.
Photo via Unsplash
Virginia Tire & Auto is now open at 199 Elden Street in Herndon.
The company, which has 16 locations and first opened up shop in 1976, offers automotive maintenance, repair and tire services.
The 11-bay facility will be Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It includes a kids’ play area, free WiFi, refreshments and a waiting area.
Mike and Julie Homles, CEOs of the company and also husband and wife, say they’re excited about expanding their footprint in Fairfax County.
Here’s more from Virginia Tire & Auto:
One of Virginia Tire & Auto’s hyper-local community initiatives is an automotive internship program for students at Fairfax County Public Schools. They also run Wheels for Work, a program offering free automotive repair service to low-income families through Shelter House, a Fairfax County-based non-profit organization that offers services to homeless families and victims of domestic violence.
Virginia Tire & Auto is also committed to keeping its youngest customers safe through hosting monthly Car Seat Clinics. During the clinics, certified Child Passenger Safety technicians inspect car seats and teach parents how to properly install and use child restraints.
Virginia Tire & Auto plans to host its next Car Seat Clinic at Virginia Tire & Auto of Herndon on November 12, 2019. The clinic is by appointment only. For more information about the Car Seat Clinic or to make an appointment, email [email protected].
To celebrate the opening of the Herndon location, the company is offering $20 off oil changes through Nov. 30 using the code HD20LOF.
Photo via Virginia Tire & Auto
