Vernon Miles | ARLnow

Survival, Not Success, on the Menu for Courthouse Restaurant Sweet Leaf’s Reopening

Published May 13, 2020 at 5:15PM | Updated May 13, 2020 at 10:14PM

(Updated at 10:15 p.m.) Like other local business owners, Andre Matini feels like he’s building his franchise back from the ground up.

Andre Matini and his sister Arita are the cofounders of Sweet Leaf Cafe, a bowl and sandwich-focused local restaurant with a handful of regional locations. The store’s Courthouse location (2200 Wilson Blvd) is set to reopen Thursday for takeout and delivery, with orders ideally placed online or — if necessary — with walk-ins.

News

Arlingtonians Recycling Glass at Record-Shattering Rates

By Vernon Miles

Published May 13, 2020 at 1:30PM

Arlingtonians have recycled over a million pounds of glass at the drop-off center since January, a record likely to keep up if everyone stays bottled up in quarantine.

Last April, Arlington County ditched its curbside glass recycling program as separating out and recycling glass had become overly expensive. Instead, Arlingtonians were asked to drop off their glass recycling at dedicated containers that were then taken to Fairfax County for reuse in construction, building, and — more recently — recycling into new glass products.

Around Town

Mexicali Blues, Other Local Restaurants Reopen for Takeout

By Vernon Miles

Published May 12, 2020 at 2:20PM

Mexicali Blues is the latest Arlington restaurant to pivot to takeout and delivery during the coronavirus pandemic.

The long-time eatery at 2933 Wilson Blvd in Clarendon reopened Monday with a new ordering and delivery system on its website. The restaurant is offering dinner from 4-8 p.m. daily, and is also delivering via Uber Eats and Doordash (which are, as of today today, in merger talks.)

News

County Board Considers Mask Mandate but Hamstrung by Dillon Rule

By Vernon Miles

Published May 11, 2020 at 5:20PM | Updated September 23, 2020 at 11:20AM

In an online town hall meeting on Friday, County Board members decried the plan to partially reopen Virginia as premature for Arlington and discussed further restrictions, like a requirement to wear a mask when in public.

“If we consider the closing of bars and restaurants, if just one locality were to loosen restrictions and allow bars to reopen before other jurisdictions,” County Board member Christian Dorsey warned, “those establishments would become magnets for patrons who could access them, which is very easy with our limited regional geography and great connectivity in the transportation network. This could result in spread across many jurisdictions and make it more difficult for public health officials to do the necessary testing and tracing to control outbreaks.”

News

Walk-In COVID-19 Clinic to Open on Columbia Pike Tomorrow

By Vernon Miles

Published May 11, 2020 at 2:20PM | Updated September 23, 2020 at 11:20AM

Arlington County is planning to open a walk-up COVID-19 testing site tomorrow at the Arlington Mill Community Center (909 S. Dinwiddie Street).

The sample collection site is part of a partnership between Arlington County, the Arlington Free Clinic and the Virginia Hospital Center. The center is scheduled to open tomorrow (Tuesday) and will be open every weekday between 1-5 p.m.

Feature

Local Oil Change Startup Looking For Mechanics to Help Bounce Back from COVID-19

By Vernon Miles

Published May 11, 2020 at 1:30PM

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties remains firmly committed to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, tenants and community. This week, Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1000 and 1100 Wilson (The Rosslyn Towers).

With on-demand services businesses finding new customers during the pandemic, local startup Mechaniku is hunting for local car mechanics and willing to pay to get new mechanics trained, if necessary.

Around Town

Crystal City BID Bringing Artwork to Local Storefronts

By Vernon Miles

Published May 11, 2020 at 11:45AM

Art on Commonwealth Joe (photo courtesy Crystal City BID)

The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) is working to enliven some of the local storefronts during the pandemic.

A new art initiative called #LoveNationalLanding is adding a little color to some of the local businesses across Pentagon City, Crystal City and Potomac Yard, an area that was collectively branded as “National Landing” when Amazon announced its move into the area. The Crystal City BID was also recently approved for a name change and boundary expansion to encompass the entire area.

Around Town

Lee Highway Pharmacy Homebrewing Hand Sanitizer and Buying Kabobs for the Hospital

By Vernon Miles

Published May 7, 2020 at 4:45PM

Preston's Pharmacy and Arlington Kabob staff (photo courtesy Preston's Pharmacy)

An Arlington pharmacy and a neighboring kabob restaurant have partnered to help feed hospital workers.

Preston’s Pharmacy (5101 Lee Highway) sits directly across the street from Arlington Kabob (5046 Lee Highway). While business during the pandemic has been active at Preston’s, an essential business, pharmacy owner Frank Odeh said he could tell it’s been hard on Arlington Kabob.

Around Town

Coronavirus Closes Saffron Dance Studio Near Clarendon

By Vernon Miles

Published May 7, 2020 at 1:30PM

The show has ended Saffron Dance, a belly dance studio at 3260 Wilson Blvd in the Clarendon area, at least for now.

Founder and owner Saphira the studio said in an email that it would be going “on a hiatus” at the end of its current semester. After the last classes on June 7, Saphira said the studio’s leadership will take the summer months to consider their future.

News

Local Running Store Donates Shoes to Virginia Hospital Center

By Vernon Miles

Published May 6, 2020 at 4:45PM

Pacers donating shoes to VHC (photo courtesy Pacers)

Two local running stores and a Swiss shoe company have come together to donate shoes to local frontline workers and regional organizations.

Regional running retailer Pacers announced today (Wednesday) that it is partnering with competitor Potomac River Running Store and Switzerland-based ON Shoes to donate 5,000 shoes to those working during the pandemic, including dozens donated to the Virginia Hospital Center (VHC).

Around Town

New Ballston Quarter Promotions Aim to Support Restaurants and Food Banks

By Vernon Miles

Published May 6, 2020 at 1:30PM | Updated May 6, 2020 at 1:50PM

Ballston Quarter (4238 Wilson Blvd) has launched a pair of initiatives to try to help restaurants hold on through the pandemic.

First, the mall is offering anyone who orders $50 worth of takeout or delivery from a Ballston Quarter restaurant and submits an itemized receipt a $20 prepaid Visa card as a reward.

Around Town

Joe’s Place on Lee Highway to Reopen This Afternoon

By Vernon Miles

Published May 5, 2020 at 12:30PM

After a run of bad luck, Joe’s Place Pizza and Pasta at 5555 Lee Highway is planning a comeback starting this afternoon (Tuesday).

As if a global pandemic that has battered the restaurant industry wasn’t enough, the topping was when the main oven at Joe’s Place suffered a serious breakdown in mid-April that required waiting on both parts and repairs.