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New 7-Eleven Coming to Virginia Square

by ARLnow.com | July 7, 2011 at 12:04 pm | 2,999 views | 107 Comments

Arlington is about to get yet another 7-Eleven store.

Construction on a convenience store has just gotten underway in Virginia Square, according to a tipster. The store is located at 3461 Washington Boulevard, in the now-shuttered Georgetown Valet dry cleaners space. The new 7-Eleven will be located between Rocklands BBQ restaurant and the Casual Adventure store, directly across from a Giant supermarket.

Arlington currently has at least twenty 7-Eleven stores, according to listings on the company’s web site.

samsonite

Oh great.
- Joe Hoya
  
  I believe the phrase you’re looking for is, “Oh, thank heaven.”
  - NPGMBR
    
    LOLOLOLOLOLOL
LW

how many starbucks are there in arlington?
- NPGMBR
  
  Not nearly as many as these freakin things. I swear they are popping up just about everywhere. I don’t wanna see another one the pike. I’m beginning to resent 7/11 for its need to be in every nook and cranny of Arlington County. It needs to stop!
PotentialSlacker

Ew. This makes that area so much less appealing, it used to be quaint.

And the parking? Fahgetaboutit.
- FairlingtonD
  
  As someone who used to live in Wentworth Place (right next door), parking and traffic were terrible there. Adding another 7-11 will not help. Plus, isn’t there another 7-11 and convenience store at the VA Square Metro? I’m sure that Giant is thrilled as well.
- Westover
  
  “Quaint”? Untile Rocklands moved in it was a dump of a strip with nothing but car repair/used car lots(not that the world does not need the quality mechanics along there), an insurance office, dry cleaners, and fenced off video production facilities. While a 7-11 does not add anything to the area, it is not going to bring it down either.
  - PotentialSlacker
    
    So you yourself agree that there wasn’t/isn’t much going on in that area which some describe that as calm, quiet, or quaint.
    
    Well it is adding traffic (foot and vehicular) which makes an area more hectic (less calm). This brings the area down. And it’s not looking like anyone disagrees that this 7-11 is unwelcome. If we don’t have a say in this, hopefully somone who ownes the franchise comes across these 40+ postings of “We don’t want a 7-11 here!!”
    - Glebe Roader
      
      It’s usually only the naysayers who post here. 7-11 will decide if it’s worth having a store there by how many people use it.
    - Arlington, Northside
      
      I would say that the 7-11 is a step up from the Drycleaners, and definately a step up from it being the Ron Paul world HQ three years ago.
      
      There is nothing quite, calm or quaint about that strip of Washington Ave, except maybe the American Legion Post which is set back from the road.
      - SaveDaveMcKenna
        
        How will this affect the Testicle Festival?
  - TJ
    
    Are you sure you’re talking about the right place?
    
    Before Rocklands, there was Uptown Bakery and Casual Adventure has been there forever.
    - FrenchyB
      
      And both the bakery and the fish market that was there previously are gone. Apparently the location was a bit too ‘quaint’ for them to succeed.
    - Lou
      
      Used to love to go to the army surplus store that was there back in the 70′s.
      - Arlington, Northside
        
        It evolved into Casual Adventure, and occasionally has good surplus stuff if it is good for camping.
Mike

Isn’t there one literally two blocks away across from the Virginia Square metro? I guess like Starbucks you can never have enough of these. People needs their Slurpees.
- Westover
  
  Got to say that is a very big two blocks.
NrNy2ArlVa

There is a 7/11 on Wilson, and another on Fairfax, and now on Washington…..Oh Thank Heaven for 7/11 or is this 7/11 hell.
- BerryBerryCold
  
  This is the 3rd on a short stretch of Washington Blvd that I can think of from Lyon Park to VA Square.
Westover

We need a Wawa.
- Burger
  
  + 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
  - Bluemontsince1961
    
    I take it, Burger that you like Wawa just a little?
    - Burger
      
      just a little. their hoagies are awesome.
      - Bluemontsince1961
        
        Hey Burger,
        
        Both Wawa and Sheetz have great food and a lot of choices. I’ve had hoagies from both and IMO, they’re both good. I don’t get fast food often and rarely when I travel, but both have much better quality than any fast food chain (just my opinion, don’t want to get the opinion police on our case:) ). Both also have good coffee (not Greenberry, Caribou or Seattle’s best, but quite decent).
      - love WaWa
        
        And, they have fee free ATMs. A big plus when you’re travelling for business or leisure. Aren’t they mostly along big highways though?
      - Bluemontsince1961
        
        Many are along big highways, but I’ve seen them also in towns/smaller cities in NJ, PA, Southern and Western VA, MD, WV. You’re right, they do have free ATMs. No matter what the gas prices are in a particular area, WaWa and Sheetz are always a few cents cheaper.
      - NPGMBR
        
        I’ve only visited Wawa when driving to the beach and its been my experience that Wawa has much better products than 7/11. Not sure if thats true outside of the few Wawa’s that I’ve visited.
- NrNy2ArlVa
  
  Maybe Wawa will buyout 7/11
- Arlington, Northside
  
  Sheetz and Wawa!!! The rivalry of greatness in the realm of mid-atlantic convenience stores! And if Circle K wants to get back into the area, I won’t complain, The Pantry can see how they can do up here too!
  - 22205
    
    How about a Stewart’s Shoppes?
    - hl
      
      Love the ice cream!
      - VT in da house!
        
        Vermont makes it special!
    - Arlington, Northside
      
      Not familure with that Yankee institution, but the website looks like it would be a nice place. Their management might melt at their first DC/Arlington summer though.
- Bluemontsince1961
  
  Hmmmm. Maybe either a Wawa or Sheetz? When I travel, I notice Wawa and Sheetz gasoline prices are always a few cents cheaper than everyone else.
  - samsonite
    
    Yeah! And a Stuckey’s on Wilson Blvd.!
    - Hikin’ the Pike
      
      +1
    - Arlington, Northside
      
      It is a shame we lost the Friendly’s on Lee Hwy to a bank.
      - Bluemontsince1961
        
        That Friendly’s wasn’t too bad. It was a Roy Rogers restaurant before it was Friendly’s and years before that it was one of the old Tops Drive-Ins that “olds” like me remember from our childhood.
      - Lou
        
        It was Gino’s too. I used to go in for a Giant Sandwich after Hawks football practice up at Yorktown.
        
        And briefly it was Kentucky Fried Chicken.
      - Bluemontsince1961
        
        That’s right, thanks Lou. I recall it was briefly a KFC, but couldn’t recall off the top of my head what it was between Tops and KFC.
      - charlie
        
        i miss Roy Rogers the most — the “fixin bar” was the best.
        i know that heirs of the Roy Rogers chain are trying a comeback and there are three restaurant in NoVa.
        
        Gino’s, like many small businesses, sold to the big bucks of Marriott. I remember that Hero sandwich — yummy. Everything a Subway sub ISN’T. (oh wait, using caps confuses people? eh.)
      - Bluemontsince1961
        
        You said it, Charlie, the old “fixin’ bar” at Roy Rogers let people really “have it their way” long before Burger King thought it up. Those old heros from Ginos, the Mighty Mo from the old Hot Shoppes, etc. would but Subway in the dust, IMO (and I think Subway is pretty good).
      - charlie
        
        courtesy flicker
        http://www.flickr.com/photos/channaher/2815436033/in/photostream
      - Arlwhenever
        
        There are three Roys around that I know of, all just south of the Beltway — Manchester Lakes in Kingstowne, Belle Haven off the GW Parkway, and down on Route One just this side of Woodlawn Planation and Fort Belvior. Love their chicken and sour dough ham egg and cheese sandwhich for breakfast in addition to the fixings bar. Roys was pretty much decimated by a Hardees food system takeover that flopped. When independent they were a very well run company with a product that stood out from the run of the mill fast food competition.
      - PhilL
        
        Great picture. Up in that peaked roof section there was a conference room and I think a couple of small offices. My Cub Scout troop got a tour of it from the then KFC manager.
  - samsonite
    
    They’re cheaper because those are the gas prices wherever you’re traveling.
    
    A Sheetz in Arlington would charge as much as anyone else in Arlington does.
    - Bluemontsince1961
      
      Whatever…..All I am saying is that wherever I’ve traveled and seen Wawa or Sheetz, their prices are always cheaper than everyone else, whether in NJ, MD, southern and western VA, etc., etc. You have your right to your opinion and I have the right to my opinion.
      - Michael
        
        I agree with Bluemont, when I lived in Dale City the Sheetz and Wawa were always cheaper than the other gas stations in the area. Probably the only reason to live in Dale City is for the cheap gas.
      - Burger
        
        Wawa always has cheaper gas. They look it as a loss leader for people to come in and buy stuff in the store.
        
        About 6 years ago, MD sued Wawa because the gas prices Wawa offered was too low.
      - Bluemontsince1961
        
        Burger,
        
        I think the same may apply to Sheetz, though I don’t know if MD or any other state has sued Sheetz for having “too low” gas prices. Not surprised the PRM would sue Wawa for “too low” prices.
      - Arlington, Northside
        
        Sheetz and Wawa keep their prices low, partially by being their own distributors. Other independents have to rely on an outside party, and the franchised chains have to pay that franchise fee.
        
        Only problem I see is generally their newer store plans depend on a large lot with lots of pumps and a relatively large retail store, only location I could see in Arlington as fitting would be the corner of Washington Blvd and Lee Hwy right near the border with the City of Falls Church and Fairfax County; and that is currently an Exxon/7-11 already! Maybe should the Weenie Beenie ever fail, one could go there, but frankly I would rather still be able to get my Half Smoke with Chili and Cheese at the Beenie.
TJ

No one needs to park there anyway, right?
Mr. Brown

It’s two blocks from the 7-11 at VA square… awful.
- Ballstonia
  
  …And three blocks from the OTHER 7-11 at VA Square, the ghetto one on Wilson.
NrNy2ArlVa

Since 7-11 keeps only 30.00 in their registers after dark, with all of them so close together, you can go on a crime spree and come out with quite a haul.
G

At least it’s not another one on Columbia Pike
- Bluemontsince1961
  
  At lease none that the Examiner has noticed.
- NPGMBR
  
  Well not at least till next year. I saw a guy digging up some piles of dirt in front of the former Saah Furniture Store (that will be the new 7/11 location on the Pike) as I walked to the bus stop this morning.
PorkLoin

ghet·to/ˈgetō/Noun
1. A part of a city, esp. a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups.

Yes Ballstonia, the one on Wilson fits the description of the ghetto perfectly. It’s so far outside of the main strip of Ballston/Va square (1/2 a block). I would hate to live next door to that particular 7-11. I bet the property values are awful in that part of the city.
- Ballstonia
  
  Between the 7-11′s big parking lot, the ginormous CLEANERS sign, and the bum-infested vacant lot next to the car dealer across the street, that is probably the most unpleasant block of Wilson between Clarendon and Ballston.
  
  http://maps.google.com/?ll=38.882573,-77.101353&spn=0.004727,0.009763&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=38.882516,-77.101467&panoid=ouCCbN-skAJwh9EAKFvvIg&cbp=12,166.85,,0,10.27
  - PorkLoin
    
    http://maps.google.com/?ll=38.88289,-77.10072&spn=0.007625,0.009688&t=h&layer=c&cbll=38.883056,-77.100384&panoid=N9cuwLNUHicXvrWSmt6eJw&cbp=12,101.87,,0,7.88&z=17
    
    This is even worse. An even more ginormous Cleaners sign and a hooker infested motor inn.
    - Ballstonia
      
      The only upside to that block is the wide sidewalk in front of the random long-term business trip hotel — at least until you get to the even more random Japanese Auto Service.
      - PorkLoin
        
        That Japanese Auto Service usually has the cheapest or 2nd cheapest gas in the area. But it’s a hole. That empty lot behind the car dealership was bought by Ditmar to build apartments. Soon there will be even more 20-30 year old people in the area to annoy me. Sweet!
      - Ballstonia
        
        Guilty as charged.
    - John Fontain
      
      Hooker infested? That’s pretty funny!
    - Loocy
      
      The highlander is hooker infested? Omigosh, my parents made us all stay there once.
    - ArlingtonNative
      
      Don’t go bustin’ on the Highlander now …
      Without that joint, those of us dining al fresco at Mario’s would have nothing to entertain us during out meal!
- Anon
  
  Uh there are regularly homeless people sleeping/pan handling in that store or just outside of it. The area around it is nice, but that store is from from it.
  - PorkLoin
    
    Go to the 7-11 in Ballston, that place is a homeless person’s heaven.
    - KalashniKEV
      
      The Bum invasion has made lots of nice areas into “heaven” for vagrants, sex offenders, and drug users. The sick thing is that there are those out there who encourage and embolden such behavior by acting as enablers.
      
      IT’S TIME FOR A BUM ROUND-UP!!!
    - Anon
      
      In fairness, they call the cops on the more aggressive ones at the Ballston 7-11. And I have never seen them allow someone pass out INSIDE the store.
      - KalashniKEV
        
        I almost had to round house kick a Bum at Corner Bakeshop Cafe last weekend who was harassing customers who were too scared to do anything about him.
        
        Eventually he lost interest… and had himself a seat and a smoke!!
        
        The young ladies who work there were clearly disturbed by his presence, but didn’t call the cops… and I don’t think their wage is worth a violent altercation with a dangerous person.
      - Lily
        
        The Subway next door to that 7-11 provided my children with their first-ever sight of a passed-out bum. I tried to turn it into a teachable moment. “Don’t do drugs, kids…”
      - Joe Hoya
        
        “This is what happens to children who didn’t eat their vegetables.”
KalashniKEV

I’m not against another 7-11 so long as the franchise permits it, but I think it’s funny how the county gestapo will steal your sign if you’re an honest guy with a chalkboard outside your business but they let the Rosslyn 7-11 put up that ugly fluorescent sign… I mean ugly among other 7-11 signs!
- samsonite
  
  Yes, it is funny. But now you either support allowing ugly signs or you support quashing signs just like the Board. Which is it?
  - KalashniKEV
    
    I’d just like to see even application of the standard, but I personally don’t think signs (and certainly not murals!) should be as closely regulated as they are by local Gestapo forces.
Tre

7 eleven should merge with Zap Tat and slowly rid the world of tattoos and late night munchies.
Steve

I like how 7/11 in the UK has some decent sandwiches, and in Japan you can get decent japanese food in them, even soba noodles, tempura stuff, etc, but here, it’s just horrible.
- PikerShorts
  
  The Cheeseburger is amazing when properly covered in diced onions and mustard (chili and cheese after 1AM)
- PikerShorts
  
  Cheeseburger Big Bite that is
- ClarendonBlvd
  
  +1, The sushi in the 7-11′s in Japan are better than 90% of the restaurants here in the US.
kingindc

this is literally in our backyard, and I’m very disappointed. this is not the kind of development we were hoping for in that plaza.
JimPB

Apparently there is sufficient potential business to justify the investment required for this new 7-Eleven. Will it thrive? The marketplace will determine.

Businesses that thrive tell a lot about what people want, not as indicated by a mark on a paper ballot or a verbal response to a survey or in forums such as this, but by handing over their money.
- Steve
  
  Come on, if that 7-11 can survive on Lee highway just up from Rosslyn but before the spout run giant, then this 7-11 will do fine.
- PotentialSlacker
  
  “Businesses that thrive tell a lot about what people want”
  
  But do people always know what they want/need? Americans seem to be more unaware than most other countries.
  
  Let’s relate this to a Wal-Mart coming to town (and yes, I know that we’re on a MUCH smaller scale in actuality). Plenty of people will shop there, but there are some unwanted affects that come with it (hopefully you know the small business shutdown, more traffic, more crime story blah) but in the end, is that what people really want? No, but they just don’t notice it yet.
  
  Here, people can already tell you that they don’t want this.
  - JimPB
    
    Potential Slacker asserts that “Here, people can already tell you that they don’t want this.”
    
    I’ll grant that there are such people. BUT, I doubt seriously doubt that 7-11 would invest the money required to build an open the store at issue without pretty convincing data that there are sufficient people who will come to and buy there to make this store financially viable. We will see who is right: Potential Slacker, who arrests that “people … don’t want this…”, and so, presumably won’t shop at the 7-11 at issue, and the people 7-11 identified as potential customers and who, 7-11 believes, will spend enough at the store to make it financially viable.
    
    In a free country, the people decide about businesses with their votes of where and how many of their dollars (which have real power) they will spend.
  - Mr. Brown
    
    “But do people always know what they want/need? Americans seem to be more unaware than most other countries.”
    
    Dumbest Comment of the day.
    
    Do you realize they have crap shops in other countries, right? Have you ever been to any large cities in Europe, Asia, Central or South America? There’s a crap store on every block. Don’t try and act clever by blaming this on “Americans.” All the 7-11s around here are run by strangers to our shores. You can ask them how unaware they are.
  - FrenchyB
    
    Right, like more ‘aware’ consumers in Europe and Asia who shop at Tesco.
  - PotentialSlacker
    
    Jim – Sadly though, I agree that 7-11 has done their research and I believe this store will stay above water. And most of the people who voice their opinion are the disatisfied ones, so my data is highly skewed….I guess I was hoping to insipre some +1s.
    
    Mr. Brown – I don’t think my comment was the “dumbest of the day” and especially not with your “other countries do stupid stuff too” reasoning. I love America and can understand why you seem so defensive but you aren’t coming to grips with reality if you’re not aware that America is the land of excess. People are just attracted to shiny new things and easily forget about what they truly need, it’s in our nature. Just seems that this is more so with Americans, that’s all.
    - Arlington, Northside
      
      The entire Western World, and now Asia, has become a land of excess. There is nothing unique or greater about that in America over Europe or much of Asia.
      
      While I would prefer someone other than 7-11 setting up shop at this location, I welcome a convenience store in the neighborhood, while I will still do 99% of my shopping on that block across the street at Giant where I will save 5-15% and get a dime off a gallon of gas everytime I spend $100 there.
      - PotentialSlacker
        
        Really? Because I think Texas is pretty unique.
      - Arlington, Northside
        
        Texas has no greater consumption problem than does Saudi Arabia. You do not help your arguement.
      - PotentialSlacker
        
        “Everything is bigger in Saudi Arabia”
At least…

…the selection of sunlamp-warmed, nitrate-enpinkened franks will taste better than the “barbecue” abomination served at Rocklands.
- curious george
  
  BBQ Abomination tastes better than anything Rocklands puts out.
  
  So sad since Rocklands always smells good.
YTK

Happy to hear about that.
Artie Fufkin

No more 7-11s. We need a Kum & Go.
- KalashniKEV
  
  You mean Artisphere?
  - Bluemontsince1961
    
    ROFL!
MC

Outrageous. 7-11 is colonizing Arlington,
charlie

it will be nice to have that space occupied by a going business.
and at least it has plenty of parking.
obviously 7-11 will close if it isn’t successful.
othersideoftheriver

We need a Tim Hortons.
- KalashniKEV
  
  I just got back from 5 weeks consulting in Nova Scotia. I say NO.
Shooter

I just grabbed one at my local 7-11. Once the free 7.11oz slurpee hit my lips it was so good!
Mr. Clarendon

I’ll admit that I love a Slurpee on a day like today, but with every new 7 Eleven the average weight of those living/working in Arlington goes up by two pounds…

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