A web development and marketing firm has moved into bigger offices in Reston.
Orpheus, a company that offers web design, web development and digital marketing services, has opened at Plaza America. The firm is also increasing its footprint by 50 percent.
Benjamin Portman, lead developer at the company, said that the new office space provides a “quality experience” for staff who are not working remotely.
“A building complex like Plaza America has convenient access to Dulles Toll Road Road for employers to easily get to work and an abundance of amenities that they can enjoy making this building an ideal location.”
The business was founded in 2014. It will be located 11710 Plaza America. Orpheus was previously located
Photo via Orpheus
Here’s a nod to your sweet tooth: A new gourmet cookie chain that has taken social media by storm is coming to Reston.
Crumbl Cookies, a gourmet cookie chain, plans to open a location at 11686 Plaza America Drive, a county permit shows. It appears to be the location occupied by Sprint.
The Reston location is expected to open on Jan. 14, a company spokesperson tells Reston Now.
Two Utah cousins started the company in 2017. Since then, the company has slingshotted across the country with more than 263 locations in 36 states.
Cookies are made from scratch in the store and delivered or sold in the store. Customers have 60 different flavors to choose from, but flavors are available only on a rotating basis every week.
Cousins Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley hoped to create a business that would allow customers to see their cookies being mixed, balled, baked and dressed in real-time. Cookies are packaged in a pink box that has become iconic on social media.
Photo via Crumbl Cookies/Facebook
A new restaurant that offers sushi and Thai cuisine has taken up residence at Plaza America in Reston.
SAAO Thai and Sushi will open its doors in late May, according to Naruedon “Don” Senatham, a partner on the restaurant.
It is located in Suite 105 at 11730 Plaza America Drive, taking the place of Nikko Sushi and Hibachi. Other tenants in the building include The Melting Pot and NCI Information Systems Inc.
This will be the fifth restaurant in the D.C. area for the ownership team, which also operates Teak Wood Thai & Sushi, Kruba Thai & Sushi, and The Regent Thai in downtown D.C. as well as Galae Thai in Alexandria.
Senatham told Reston Now that the restaurant team became interested in expanding into Reston after seeing the area grow over the past 10 years. Plaza America’s proximity to key transportation hubs like the Dulles Toll Road, Metro Silver Line, and Dulles International Airport suggested it had “great potential” for doing business.
“Over 15 years, we served millions of dishes of our Thai and Sushi culinary expertise in D.C.,” he said by email. “Now, we are offering Reston residents [the chance] to enjoy the dining experience with 2 cuisines in 1 place.”
The Thai menu features several staple dishes, such as pad thai, tom yum soup, and panang curry. There is also a Japanese menu with sushi, sashimi, and ramen.
According to Senatham, SAAO takes its name from the Northern Thai word for “twenty,” and its logo incorporates the number 20 in Thai numerals, a nod to the fact that it was intended to be established in the year 2020.
Inside, the restaurant has been furnished with woodcarvings and decorations made in Thailand.
“Saao Thai and Sushi offers an authentic Thai dining experience,” Senatham said, noting that the restaurant will use freshly sourced produce. “From smooth, aromatic curries to fresh salads and perfectly balanced pad thai, our menu provide an insight into the best of Thai and sushi cuisine.”
Photo courtesy SAAO Thai and Sushi
A Review of Bonchon in Plaza America — “Locals can now celebrate the reopening of area restaurants, and for Reston residents, a big culinary–and exotic–treat has opened in Plaza America, a few doors down from Whole Foods. That’s Bonchon, a Korean restaurant group that offers both traditional and modernized Korean chicken dishes, plus much more. For anyone who craves chicken in any way, shape, or form, Bonchon is an ideal destination.” [Reston Connection]
Lasagna Love Helps Fight Food Insecurity — An association manager professional from Reston is using her love for cooking to help feed people facing food insecurity to the pandemic. [Reston Patch]
New Pumping Carving Contest Comes to Reston —Â Reston Association is challenging residents to create designs on pumpkins in “The Greatest Pumping Carving Contest.” Winners will be announced on Oct. 30. Registration is required. [RA]
More Time to Register to Vote— A federal court has extended Virginia’s voter registration deadline after an accidentally clipped fiber optic cable took down the Department of Elections website on Tuesday for hours on the final day of voter registration. Voters in Virginia will now be able to register until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, in person or online. [NPR]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Bonchon, a chain that serves Korean double-fried chicken, will open a location in Reston this year.
The restaurant will be located at 11652 Plaza America. County permits indicate a permit for interior changes was recently approved.
A company representative told Reston Now the restaurant is expected to open in June. The company — which announced plans to grow by 20 percent this year — also has a location in Herndon.
Photo via Bonchon
Macedon Technologies, a privately-held software company, plans to invest $1.65 million to expand its corporate headquarters in Reston.
The expansion is expected to create 147 jobs, according to a Thursday press release by Gov. Ralph Northam.
The company, which is an Appian platform partner and provides programs for managing workflow and business, plans to lease 12,000 square feet at 11694 Plaza America Drive, next to its current offices at the shopping center.
File photo
It’s been more than seven months since Modell’s Sporting Goods at Plaza America closed its doors.
The departure of the store leaves a major vacancy at the retail center. It’s unclear if the space will follow in the footsteps of Champps’ former location at the plaza.
What would you like to see in the space? Tell us in the comments below.
File photo
UFC Gym officially opened its doors in Plaza America on August 28, nearly a week after the original opening date.
The gym, which is located 11710 Plaza America Drive, is above the Panera and offers classes for all fitness levels. Programs include boxing, kickboxing, functional training, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and personal training. More information about classes and schedules is available online.
The fitness franchise has more than 70 locations spanning the country, along with a handful in Canada. The gyms offer a range of mixed martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing classes for individuals and groups, along with standard gym equipment like ellipticals, bikes and treadmills.
Photo via UFC Gym
Locals looking to diversity their workout options will soon be able to do so at Plaza America, which welcomes a new fitness business this month.
UFC Gym plans to open on August 19 at 11710 Plaza America Drive, Suite 40, a company representative told Reston Now.
The business, which joins Gold’s Gym around the corner, has 70 locations across the country.
The newest location in Reston will offer a mix of mixed martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing glasses for individuals and groups.
UFC Gym is also located at Woodland Park Crossing at 12971 Highland Crossing Drive, Suite 6.
Locals getting or staying in shape can expect new work out options like jiu-jitsu and boxing at Plaza America.
UFC Gym recently signed a lease for a 4,834 square-foot space at 11710 Plaza America Drive, Suite 40.
The fitness franchise has more than 70 locations spanning the country, along with a handful in Canada. The gyms offer a range of mixed martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing classes for individuals and groups, along with standard gym equipment like ellipticals, bikes and treadmills.
Currently, there is a UFC Gym in Woodland Park Crossing at 12973 Highland Crossing Drive, Suite C.
Photos via UFC Gym Reston Herndon/Facebook
The SunTrust branch inside the Safeway at Hunters Woods Plaza recently closed.
The branch at 2304 Hunters Woods Plaza shut its doors on Tuesday, Jan. 29, Hugh Suhr, a spokesman for SunTrust, told Reston Now.
The closure is unrelated to the recent announcement that BB&T will buy SunTrust Banks for about $28 billion, Suhr said.
While the spokesman did not confirm that the branch was getting demolished, a torn apart space and posted permit indicate just that.
Locals can find nearby SunTrust locations at Plaza America, South Lakes and the Safeway in Herndon.
Performance Bicycle Shop is closing at 11634 Plaza America Drive in the Plaza America Shopping Center.
The Reston location’s plans to shut down comes nearly two months after its parent company filed for bankruptcy in November.
An employee at the store was not able to share any information about the closing date. The store currently has sales with 30 to 50 percent off items.
Performance Bicycle Shop started as a bicycle catalog company in 1982. Currently, the national chain sells bikes, bike gear, accessories and cycling apparel in more than 20 states across the country.
Image via Google Maps
(Updated at 9:15 a.m.) The education technology company Blackboard Inc. announced today (Jan. 2) plans to move its global headquarters from D.C. to Reston this year.
“The new location will combine the company’s existing D.C. and Reston offices into a new modern office in the heart of Northern Virginia’s tech corridor,” according to a press release.
Blackboard, currently headquartered at 1111 19th Street NW, will relocate to the Plaza America complex (11720 Plaza America Drive), where its Reston office is already located, Washington Business Journal reported.
The company’s D.C.-area workforce is currently divided between its D.C. and Reston offices.
“We are excited to bring our Metro D.C. area workforce together into a new global headquarters in the vibrant Northern Virginia tech corridor,” Blackboard Chairman, CEO and President Bill Ballhaus said in the press release.
Ballhaus said that the new office space will offer “convenient access” to dining, shopping and transportation.
“We are delighted that Blackboard chose Fairfax County for its global headquarters and will expand its footprint here,” Catherine Riley, the interim president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, said in a press release.
Riley added that Blackboard’s decision to be based in Northern Virginia’s “technology corridor” is “an additional confirmation of the value of Fairfax County for innovative companies from across the technology spectrum.”
Blackboard joins several other tech companies that have recently decided to move their headquarters to or expand in Reston, including IDEMIA, Refraction and 1901 Group.
I look forward to welcoming Blackboard's global headquarters to Reston this year! https://t.co/z9QevkLt4f @RestonNow @FairfaxEDA
— Sharon Bulova (@SharonBulova) January 3, 2019
Image via Google Maps
As fall season descends onto the area, Plaza America will host a fall fest in the retail area of the plaza this weekend.
The event is set for Saturday (Nov. 3) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Plaza America (11700 Plaza America Drive).
The second annual event will include sweet treats, fall-themed arts, and crafts and a petting zoo. Other activities include pumpkin bowling and face painting.
The event is free and open to the public.
Photo via Plaza America/Facebook
Foulger-Pratt plans new development — The Potomac-based developer has submitted plans for a 1.5 million-square-foot development near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station. Plans include up to 907 units, an assisted living facility and an office building with ground-level retail. [Washington Business Journal]
Outdoor movie postponed — Plaza America’s outdoor movie night has been postponed to Friday, September 14. The featured movie is Despicable Me 3 and the movie will begin at 8:45 p.m. at the SunTrust Bank. [Plaza America]
If you’d rather avoid DMV offices — A wireless office for the DMV will be on-site at Reston Town Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Services offered include driver’s license and ID applications and renewals, driving records, vehicle titles, license plates, decals and more. [Reston Town Center]
Creative response tonight — Kimberly Battista leads this month’s creative response at the Greater Reston Arts Center. Creative responses allow a creative professional to respond to work on view in the gallery. [Greater Reston Arts Center]
Yoga workshop this evening —Â Local yoga and wellness coach Rupa Shah discusses the ins and outs of yoga at this free event at Reston Regional Library from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Attendees will also get to practice a few techniques. [Reston Regional Library]
Flickr pool photo by vantagehill
