Lane Bryant, the plus size women’s clothing store, has quietly closed its location in Reston.
The store, part of a national chain, had been operating at 1815 Spectrum Center for about 20 years.
The windows are completely papered over and the sign is gone as of Wednesday.
If you are a Lane Bryant shopper, there are nearby locations at Dulles Town Crossing and Fair Lakes Center.
No permits have been filed for the space.
This could be the start of vacancies at Spectrum as the shopping center prepares for a major redevelopment. The Spectrum was planned as a strip mall as a temporary measure and was always intended by developer Lerner to be a high-density, mixed-use center eventually.
While no start date for redevelopment has been set, land use-watchers have said as leases expires, watch for stores to remain vacant to prepare for redevelopment.
In early 2013, the Board of Supervisors approved changes to the plans for the Spectrum to include 774,879 square feet of non-residential use; 1,422 multifamily residential units in seven new residential buildings; underground parking; and new streets and bike trails.
Read more about plans for Spectrum on this previous Reston Now story.
Brown Bag, a local chainlet of fast casual restaurants, has opened its newest location at 11692 Plaza America in Reston.
This is the eighth store (and second in Virginia) for the company, which prides itself on using local ingredients when possible, serving hormone-free dairy products and making food from scratch.
Several of the DC locations of Brown Bag are only open for breakfast and lunch to cater to an office crowd. The Reston location will be open Monday through Saturday until 9 p.m. to offer its options for dinner as well.
Here’s what is on the menu:
Breakfast:
Locally roasted coffee, omelets, breakfast sandwiches.
Lunch/dinner:
Sandwiches, both grilled (i.e. panini style) or stuffed. Sandwich options are in the $7.95-$8.95 range.
House made soups and chili
Salads — both speciality and made to order. The specialty salads are about $9.
Noodles — Both speciality bowls (i.e. Pad Thai, pomodoro, curry) or build your own with different pasta (whole wheat, quinoa and rice noodles too) and proteins.
See the full menu on Brown Bag’s website.
Brown Bag Reston is open Monday to Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Davelle Clothiers has moved into its new location at 2 Fountain Square at Reston Town Center.
The locally owned men’s shop had been located for 25 years on the other side of the building, facing Fountain Square. Shoppers can now find them in a larger space, facing the RTC parking garages along Freedom Drive.
The new space provides more a shopping experience for men, with stone accent walls, a bar and TVs airing CNN and ESPN while you shop.
Mayuri, the Indian buffet restaurant at Hunters Woods Village Center, appears to be closed.
The restaurant originally said the shutdown was temporary. But that was more than two months ago and there have been few signs of activity at the business, where mail is piled up inside the front door.
Restaurant management put a sign on the door in May saying the location was closing for maintenance.
The restaurant has been at Hunters Woods for about 10 years.
Meanwhile, a call to Mayuri gets a recording saying the “mailbox is not in service.”
A new restaurant has signed a lease and is seeking permits for space at Hunters Woods Village Center.
King Pollo, a local Peruvian chicken chainlet, is renovating space at 2254G Hunters Woods Plaza, according to Fairfax County records.
King Pollo also has stores in Woodbridge, Alexandria, Sterling, Chantilly and Silver Spring.
The restaurant specializes in Peruvian-style wood charcoal broiled chicken. Chicken meals come with sides, including yuca, plantains, vegetables and fries. There are other South American specialities too, including beef and pork dishes and pupusas. See the menu on King Pollo’s website.
No opening date has been announced. Also, two other restaurants that signed leases for space at Hunters Woods in recent years never opened. Chinto’s Burritos was scheduled to open in 2014, but scrapped plans due to financing issues.
A Pho restaurant signed a lease for the former Cold Spoon frozen yogurt spot in September 2015. However, work has not begun and a sign on the window says the space is still for rent.
It’s free Slurpee day!
Today is July 11 (7/11), and also the day 7-Eleven stores nationwide offer free treats for all.
The chain is celebrating its 89th birthday by giving away free 12-ounce Slurpees between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. today. No other purchase is necessary.
In Reston, 7-Elevens are located at 2303 Soapstone Road and 11714 Sunset Hills Road. There are also 7-Elevens nearby in Herndon at 1111 Elden Street, 701 Van Buren Street and at the Clocktower Shopping Center.
Or check 7-Eleven’s website to find your nearest 7-Eleven location.
Photo Courtesy 7-Eleven.
Lake Anne Coffee House, which was purchased by new owners nearly a year ago, may finally be ready to open by the end of the summer, said co-owner Eve Thompson.
Thompson and her husband, Rick, are Lake Anne residents who envision new life in the space that has served as a gathering place for decades. The coffee house is in the midst of a total renovation, which has taken many months due to the Fairfax County permitting process and the extensive changes, said Thompson.
“This coffee house has never had a real kitchen,” says Thompson. “All of that has to go in.”
And when it does, there will be a variety of food cooked on site, including muffins, cookies and biscuits, says Thompson. There will be gluten-free offerings, she added.
In addition to the renovations, here are some of the plans for the coffee house:
Locally sourced ingredients, including the coffee house’s dairy products and sandwich bread. “Nothing will come off a [national food service] truck,” said Thompson.
Lunch service to include soups, sandwiches and tartines.
Michael Amouri, owner of Cafe Amouri, a locally owned coffee house in Vienna, has been working with Thompson as a consultant. Coffee will come from Cafe Amouri and from Manassas’ Monument Roasters, said Thompson.
Evening “small plates” and a wine bar will eventually be added to the offerings.
“This will be another awesome place to hang out at Lake Anne,” said Thompson.
Editor’s note: Eve Thompson’s real estate business, Reston Real Estate, is a Reston Now advertiser.
PR Barbers, one of several men’s grooming salons to open in Reston in the last year, will be moving to a new location.
The salon, currently located at 11944 Market St., will move to 1826 Discovery St. That storefront has been empty since the fall of 2014, when Yogiberry frozen yogurt closed.
The new space is both smaller and backs up to PR and Partners, PR Barbers’ sister store, at 119o2 Democracy Dr.
PR Barbers began as Joe Grooming, a full-service, high-end men’s salon, last October. It was the first brick-and-morter store for Joe Grooming, the McLean-based maker of men’s hair and grooming products.
By February, Joe Grooming was taken over by PR at Partners owner Reg Laws.
There is lots of new competition for men’s styling in Reston. Roosters men’s grooming opened on Market Street in April. There is also a new barber shop at North Point, as well as other longtime salon and barber options around town.
No word on when the move will take place or whether a new lease has been signed for the Market Street space.
Photo: PR Barbers’ current spot on Market Street/PR Barbers via Facebook
Reston Station is getting a coffee house — one that will look familiar to, well, everyone.
Starbucks has signed a lease to take over newly built-out space on the plaza level of the BLVD apartments, says a Comstock spokeswoman. An exact opening date has not been announced.
Comstock is the developer behind BLVD, which began leasing earlier this year, as well as the rest of the mixed-use development adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
Also coming soon to Reston Station (and previously reported): Founding Farmers restaurant. Meanwhile, pop-up shops at Reston Station’s Urban Pop (the little glass booths on the plaza) will continue to operate.
In case you are counting, the addition of Reston Station will make seven Starbucks stores in Reston (Reston Station, Fox Mill, South Lakes, Plaza America, Reston Town Center, Spectrum, and North Point).
Want to drink local? The revamped Lake Anne Coffee House is expected to re-open under new ownership in the next few months.
MOD Pizza, Reston’s newest restaurant, will have a series of grand opening events later this week to celebrate its arrival at Plaza America.
MOD Pizza is a national franchise that serves artisan-style pizza in a fast casual setting. Customers pick the toppings (Chipotle-style) to have a personal-sized pizza to order. The Reston location will also serve salads, MODshakes (milkshakes), wine and DC Brau beer.
Pizzas are $5.27 for a 6-inch and $8.27 for an 11-inch. The price stays the same no matter how many toppings.
On Thursday, June 30, MOD Reston (11642 Plaza America) will have pre-opening service. Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 2 pm. Dinner is from 5 to 8 p.m. All sales proceeds will go to the MOD Bridge Fund, which helps MOD workers with emergency financial help.
MOD’s grand opening is Friday, July 1. Doors will open at noon. One hundred percent of pizza sales Friday go to Generosity Feeds, a nonprofit that helps feed hungry children in America.
There will also be free pizza for the first 52 people in line, a retro photo booth, and prize giveaways — including the chance to win free pizza for a year.
The FedEx Office location at Reston Town Center is moving a couple blocks away.
FedEx Office, current located at 11811 Freedom Dr., has filed permits to renovate 11904 Market St. The Market Street address is currently home to Davelle Clothiers.
Davelle, meanwhile, is moving to a new space in the same building. The storefront will face the parking garages rather than the Mercury Fountain.
Fed Ex’s move is the latest in a series of vacancies near Market Street/Presidents Street as it prepares for demolition.
The AT&T Store on that part of Market Street recently moved to Library Street at Reston Town Center, and Brighton Collectibles closed its doors in May.
Boston Properties plans to construct a 17-story office building with ground-floor retail and underground parking at Market and Presidents Streets.
The redevelopment was approved last year. A Boston Properties spokesman said the start date for the project has not yet been determined.
Photo: FedEx Office at Reston Town Center/Credit: Joe Bissmeyer
Bechtel, Hidden Creek Country Club and Around Reston magazine are some of the Reston businesses that have earned honors in this year’s Great Reston Chamber of Commerce Awards for Chamber Excellence (ACE).
Winners were announced at a lunch last week. The honorees are companies and individuals who demonstrated excellence as Chamber and community members throughout the year.
ACE Award Winners
- Committee of the Year: GovCon Committee
- Small Business of the Year: Around Reston Magazine
- Medium Business of the Year: Hidden Creek Country Club
Large Business of the Year: Bechtel - Member of the Year: Iris Britt, Iris Britt Consulting
- New Member of the Year: Intelice Solutions
- Volunteer of the Year: Roman Blazauskas, SpeedPro Imaging
- President’s Award: Charles Kapur, Access National Bank
- Pinnacle Award: Cynthia Hyland
The Chamber also announced its new officers. Outgoing Chairman Michael Bradshaw (Google) passed the gavel to Incoming Chairman Charles Kapur (Access National Bank).
Charlene Wheeless (Bechtel) was elected by the membership as the Chair-Elect. Dee Kakar (M&T Bank) was elected to serve as the Treasurer for 2016-2017. Matt Clary (Law Office of Matt Clary) was selected to serve as General Counsel for 2016-2017.
Soapstone Cleaners will close its doors on June 30.
The dry cleaners, located at the Soapstone convenience center, has a sign posted in the window:
CLOSING
It is with a heavy heart that I must inform after nearly three years in business, Soapstone Cleaners will be closing and shutting down on June 30.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS
If you have cleaning at Soapstone Cleaners, pick it up by Thursday or call the business at (571) 323-0400.
Pick up a new pet buddy — and some of his gear — this weekend at Pet Valu North Point Village Center’s Grand Opening celebration.
The new store has been open at 1422 North Point Village Center for about month, but will celebrate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 25.
Several pet rescue groups will be on site with pets to adopt. Here is the schedule:
- 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Little Buddies Adoption and Humane Society
- 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. DC Shiba Inu Rescue
- 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. New Love Animal Rescue
- 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. SPCA of Northern Virginia
Guests can enjoy fun with a face painter and clown, as well as games, raffle prizes and complimentary refreshments.Canine visitors will also have the opportunity to bob for tennis balls.
The first 50 customers who make a purchase will receive a special goody bag with fun animal supplies.
Just 18 months after closing his longtime Tall Oaks Village Center restaurant and relocating to Herndon, former El Manantial owner Humberto Fuentes has closed his newer restaurant, Europa.
Fuentes operated El Manantial at Tall Oaks for 11 years, bringing a high-end Mediterranean restaurant to the center. He closed El Manantial in the fall of 2014.
Fuentes told Reston Now in 2014 that he signed a five-year lease, rather than a 10-year lease, in 2009, when he noticed that Tall Oaks was losing much of its vibrancy and tenants.
“I realized this center is not going to get any better,” he said. “I want to operate in a better location.”
Fuentes then leased space on Station Street in downtown Herndon and opened under a new name.
Fuentes said early on that “business is better here than in Reston.” Locally owned Europa received mixed, but mostly positive, reviews from customers.
Europa closed on April 30, Fuentes said.
Meanwhile, Tall Oaks’ future as a retail center looks to be limited. Owners Jefferson Apartment Group will present its plan for a new residential with about 8,500 square feet of convenience retail/restaurant, to the Fairfax County Planning Commission July 14.
Photo: Europa Restaurant/Courtesy Europa
