Following the Crystal City Underground’s closure, a longtime women’s boutique will relocate to a larger nearby space this weekend.
Crystal Boutique’s last day at 2100 Crystal Drive is Saturday. The shop first opened in 1970, focusing on evening wear and other garments for “mature and older women,” owner Joel Cohen told ARLnow.
“I would have stayed here forever, but JBG [Smith] decided it was time to close this and move on to something else, and it sort of forced me to look at all the other retail areas in the area,” Cohen said. “I decided on Crystal City, being that we’ve been here for so many years.”
Property owner JBG Smith announced plans to close all Crystal City Underground shops in April. Retailers were required to vacate the mall this month as plans for the property remain unclear.
Crystal Boutique plans to reopen next Wednesday, Nov. 6, on the third floor of 2231 Crystal Drive — another JBG Smith property about a five minute walk away. That building is home to several offices, ground floor retailers and Ruth’s Chris Steak House on the top floor.
The boutique’s new location is 7,000 square feet, double the original size.
“We’ll have a much more beautiful, elegant, spacious place for them to come,” Cohen said. “It’s all custom built. It’s beautiful, it’s clean, it’s modern, and I think that it’s just going to be a huge plus.”
The new storefront has room for additional merchandise, and the boutique will go from five dressing rooms to eight.
“Crystal Boutique has been a successful retailer in National Landing for more than 50 years and we are thrilled to relocate them within our portfolio,” a JBG Smith spokesperson told ARLnow.
JBG Smith is assessing long-term plans for the former Crystal City Underground and the corridor will remain publicly accessible in the meantime, the spokesperson added.
Amid the relocation changes, Cohen participated in the National Landing BID’s ReLaunch program, an initiative that offers technical assistance to longstanding businesses in Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard.
Along with providing social media marketing tips, Cohen said the initiative was “very active in helping me find a place,” although the business owner ultimately found his new location himself, he said.
Looking ahead, Cohen said he is excited about the challenge of growing his boutique and strengthening customer relationships.
“We get people who call us and email us that we changed their life,” Cohen said. “For people to say to you, you know, ‘You really made an impact on my life, that you changed my life, that I look good, I feel good about myself.’ That is a really big deal.”
