Around Town | ARLnow.com

Podcast: Local Developer Kevin Shooshan

Published September 28, 2016 at 5:15PM

If you were to pull up a mental image of a developer, you might think of the old NIMBY cliche of a “greedy developer” who swoops in to a community, builds a bunch of really tall buildings, leaves with bags of money, and goes home for a dip in a gold coin swimming pool.

This week’s 26 Square Miles podcast guest, former Arlington Chamber of Commerce Chair Kevin Shooshan, does not fit that image. The family-owned development firm for which he works, Shooshan Company, is based in Arlington and has projects in the works in Ballston and Clarendon.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for New Pop-Up Library in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published September 28, 2016 at 11:05AM

The pop-up library in Crystal City at its opening in 2016 (file photo)

The Crystal City Shops shopping center at 2100 Crystal Drive hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning for one of its newest tenants: an Arlington Public Library branch.

The temporary, pop-up library is located near TechShop, a high-tech workshop that’s popular with startups, students, hobbyists and tinkerers. Dubbed “The Connection,” the compact, one-room library has adopted a tech and tinkerer theme, with free WiFi internet, books about coding, puzzles and games for rent, and gadgets like GoPro cameras and iPads for online magazines.

Cosi in Courthouse Has Closed

By ARLnow.com

Published September 27, 2016 at 3:35PM | Updated September 28, 2016 at 4:44PM

The Cosi restaurant in Courthouse has closed.

Lunch-goers hoping for a Cosi sandwich or salad found instead a locked door. A sign posted on the door said the restaurant is closed.

Photos: Clarendon Apple Store Reopens

By ARLnow.com

Published September 27, 2016 at 11:25AM

The Clarendon Apple Store (2700 Clarendon Blvd) has reopened after nearly six months of renovations.

The store first opened in 2001, making it one of Apple’s oldest retail locations. With the renovations, the store is now among the locations sporting Apple’s next generation store design.

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published September 23, 2016 at 3:45PM

It was a warm mid-September week in Arlington, with a couple of spectacular sunsets to salute the official end of summer and start of fall.

Feel free to discuss the change of seasons or any other topic of local interest in the comments.

Lyon Village Residents Thank Cops With Free Dinner

By Andrew Ramonas

Published September 23, 2016 at 2:30PM

Arlington County Police Department officers got free cold-cut sandwiches, cookies and iced tea last night as a thank-you for their work in Lyon Village.

The Lyon Village Citizens’ Association gave the dinner to about 20 cops at the neighborhood’s community house during the officers’ breaks, said John Carten, a member of the organization’s executive committee.

Podcast: Comedian David Koechner

By ARLnow.com

Published September 22, 2016 at 6:30PM | Updated September 22, 2016 at 11:35PM

You know comedian David Koechner as “Champ” from Anchorman, but you might not know that in addition to his film and TV work he still travels the world performing standup comedy.

David is in Arlington this weekend, performing a total of five shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse on Columbia Pike. Tickets are $25 and are still available online.

Clarendon Apple Store Planning Reopening Saturday

By ARLnow.com

Published September 20, 2016 at 4:45PM

Arlington won’t be temporarily without an Apple Store, after all.

In an email sent to local customers this afternoon, Apple said its Clarendon store, which has been under renovation since April, will reopen this weekend. A grand reopening is planned for Saturday, Sept. 24 starting at 10 a.m.

China Garden in Rosslyn is Planning to Close, Permit Application Suggests

By ARLnow.com

Published September 20, 2016 at 3:35PM

China Garden restaurant in Rosslyn

China Garden restaurant is terminating its lease, a permit application on this week’s County Board agenda suggests.

The long-time Chinese restaurant, at 1100 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn, is perhaps best known for its weekend dim sum lunches.

Fort Myer to Hold Active Shooter Exercise Today

By ARLnow.com

Published September 20, 2016 at 7:00AM

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall is holding an active shooter training exercise this morning.

The exercise is being held from 9 a.m. to noon. Locals should expect at least one of the base’s gates — the one near the Sheraton hotel along Columbia Pike — to be closed periodically during the exercise.

Photos: Park(ing) Day in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published September 16, 2016 at 1:35PM

Park(ing) Day 2016 in Clarendon

Park(ing) Day 2016 is in full swing in Arlington.

Described as “an annual international event where the public collaborates to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into small parks to elicit a reconsideration of the designation of public space,” Park(ing) Day is taking place on the side of the road in five separate locations in Arlington this year.

Podcast: Commonwealth Joe Co-Founder and CEO Robbie Peck

By ARLnow.com

Published September 15, 2016 at 11:55AM | Updated September 15, 2016 at 12:15PM

From left to right: Robbie Peck and Chase Damiano (Photo courtesy Commonwealth Joe)

Robbie Peck has the kind of founding story for his company that reinforces the artisanal cred that is fueling its growth.

Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters, which owns Java Shack in Courthouse and is opening a new flagship cafe in Pentagon City, started as a mom-and-son operation in Culpeper, Va., a coffee shop where Peck was the barista and his mother was the chief coffee roaster.