The Pinemoor has reached the end of the dusty trail.
The vaguely Western-themed restaurant and bar in Clarendon, which replaced the former Clarendon Grill, is closing today, owner Reese Gardner tells ARLnow.
It opened at 1101 N. Highland Street three years ago, just a few months into the pandemic, after initially planning an ill-fated March 2020 opening.
“After opening during Covid we couldn’t find our footing with the concept or come to better terms with the landlord to continue to operate,” Gardner said. “We will be honoring all gift cards at Brass Rabbit and will be moving our popular $5 champagne brunch to Brass Rabbit and Quinn’s.”
The Pinemoor’s menu, originally described as “protein-heavy” with “family-style sides,” includes appetizers, flatbreads, wings, tacos and sandwiches, in addition to craft cocktails and special brunch offerings.
Gardner’s Wooden Nickel Bar Company owns Copperwood Tavern and Dudley’s Sport and Ale in Shirlington, Quinn’s on the Corner in Rosslyn, and Brass Rabbit Pub in Clarendon. He’s also planning to open a large new restaurant concept in Tysons this winter, as well as at least two Arlington locations of Greenheart Juice Shop.
There’s no word yet as to what might replace The Pinemoor. The large restaurant space features both an inside bar and an outside patio bar.
Photo (1) via Google Maps
The Energy Club gym in Shirlington is closing in August after never fully recovering from a drop in membership due to Covid.
The independently-owned gym in the Village at Shirlington (2900 S. Quincy Street) announced the impending closure on Aug. 15 “with a sad heart,” per an email from President Richard Mandley and General Manager Justin Greene to members. The email was shared with ARLnow and confirmed by Mandley yesterday (Thursday).
“We had hoped that our membership would return to pre-pandemic levels, but the landscape has changed, and many people continue to work from home,” Mandley and Greene told members. “Fitness habits have changed too, with people shifting to virtual workouts or exercising from home. As a small independent business with local ownership, it became increasingly difficult to compete with franchises and ‘corporate-owned’ gyms.”
Over the years, The Energy Club offered a host of social and fitness events to distinguish itself from other gyms. It attracted a significant number of commuters, who made up around 35% of members. When Covid hit, these commuting members largely canceled their memberships, Mandley told ARLnow.
“Although we have a very loyal membership who supported us throughout the pandemic, it became apparent that we could longer support our occupancy costs with the loss in membership, and we were unable to reach a new long-term agreement with our landlord,” he said.
The Energy Club had tried to negotiate for lower rent while it worked to increase membership. The landlord’s lender did not approve this request, Mandley’s email to members said. Negotiations ended in May.
A reader told ARLnow this was “sad news for many in Shirlington.”
Mandley and Greene, however, already have a plan. They say they are scouting out new locations nearby and pledged to keep members apprised of their progress.
Meantime, virtual classes continue and outdoor classes could start next month. Members will also be able to train at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria (510 Dulany Street).
Mandley and Greene say they are grateful for the 17 years they were able to serve the Shirlington community and work with talented fitness professionals.
“We are proud to say that we have changed lives and know that many relationships with the community and within the membership have been established and will continue,” they said.
Photos via The Energy Club/Facebook
A long-time Rosslyn sushi spot has closed.
Kanpai Japanese Restaurant inside 1401 Wilson Blvd and near the intersection with N. Oak Street had its last day of service on Friday (June 23), per the restaurant’s Facebook page. Additionally, online ordering is no longer available and the phone number is disconnected.
A sign is also now on the door of the former restaurant appearing to thank the owners. It reads, “Thank you, Kanpi. The best sushi. The best neighbors. The best friends. We will miss you so much.”
Kanpai appears to have been open since at least 2006, according to Yelp reviews. Its menu consisted of sushi, tempura, and other Japanese favorites.
ARLnow has attempted to reach the Kanpai’s owners about the closure, but it’s likely due to the pending redevelopment of 1401 Wilson Blvd. The building is nearly 60 years old and aging. The plan is to build newer, more modern office and retail space in its place. Earlier this month, owner Monday Properties got a two-year extension on the project.
The building’s parking garage is noted for being the spot where reporter Bob Woodward secretly met with Deep Throat during the Watergate investigation. A historical marker was placed in front of the building in 2011.
Hat tip to Matt Siniscal
Sports bar Thirsty Bernie is closing this weekend.
The 15-year-old local watering hole, at the corner of N. Glebe Road and Langston Blvd, will serve its last pints on Sunday (May 21), co-owner Gobind Ghai confirmed to ARLnow. Sales have slowed since the pandemic, which led ownership to decide not to renew its lease at the Glebe Lee Shopping Center.
“I wish we could continue, but we had a great run. It’s just our time,” Ghai said. “Sales were not high enough to continue but weren’t low enough… where we had to close right away. We could wait out the lease.”
He says there are no plans to open elsewhere and does not know what will come next to 2163 N. Glebe Road.
Last summer, rumors began circulating that the sports bar might be closing come mid-2023. Those in charge denied it at the time, but it ended up being true.
Thirsty Bernie opened in 2008, with its signature Saint Bernard mascot, as a sports-centric hangout. The current ownership took over in early 2017 after whispers of a format change.
Ghai said what made Thirsty Bernie special is the diverse mix of customers.
“We had customers and patrons from all walks of life… different cultures, different communities, different races. Everyone just sitting together,” he said. “It was such a special place. A melting pot.”
Ghai called Thirsty Bernie a “family-friendly” sports bar, a rarity in Arlington, with plenty of parking. He said his staff and regular customers were “family.”
“We are sad to go but happy for the time we had at Thirsty Bernie,” Ghai said.
It appears the tap has run dry for New District Brewing, with the local brewery planning to close for good at the end of the month.
On Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved the purchase of two buildings on S. Four Mile Run Drive in Green Valley. The land will be used to expand nearby Jennie Dean Park.
New District Brewing had also bid to purchase the buildings, so that it could relocate, but the seller went with the county’s offer of $2 million. With that, New District Brewing co-owner Mike Katrivanos tells ARLnow that he has run out of options.
“This was my last shot,” he said, confirming that New District will permanently shut down operations at the end of May.
ARLnow first reported late last year an indoor dog park had come to terms to lease the building that New District Brewery was in. In January, New District confirmed that they had been unable to come to terms with its landlord to stay at 2709 S. Oakland Street. The brewery has been there since 2016, but a rent hike and other related disagreements had led to the indoor dog park getting the lease.
While Katrivanos was disappointed, he also expressed hope that the brewery would be able to purchase a 4,000 to 6,000-square-foot commercial property in Arlington.
More recently, Katrivanos said he has tried to buy three separate properties in the county over the last decade but none of them panned out.
The last shot were the buildings at 3520 and 3522 S. Four Mile Run Drive, located only a few blocks from New District’s current location. With the county purchasing those buildings, Katrivanos said he’s done looking and is making the final decision to close for good.
“We thought we had this other property lined up for purchase and that we’d be able to make a smooth transition, but that is now not the case. I just don’t know if I can go through another Arlington lease, to be honest with you. They are not favorable for long-term business,” he said.
The plan is to hold a going-away party on Saturday (May 20) with the last day of operations set for Sunday, May 28.
“We are going to be serving to the very end,” Katrivanos said.
New District also plans to honor its commitments to serve beer at the Columbia Pike Blues Festival in June and at the Arlington County Fair in August.
As an Arlington native, Katrivanos said it disappoints him greatly that he was “willingness to invest” in the community but it feels like that willingness was not reciprocated.
“It’s a mixture of emotion,” he said. “Being priced out of the area and not being able to find a permanent home for the business, it’s a very, very sad day.”
He has been thinking about what comes next but also needs more time to come to grips with the fact that this is the end for New District.
“It’s just too soon to think on all of that,” he said. “Just shutting down, getting all of this [brewery] gear out of here, and turning [the space] over… it’s just been a lot.”
(Updated at 11:50 a.m.) Bruegger’s Bagels has closed up shop in Ballston.
The long-time breakfast and lunch spot at 818 N. Quincy Street just closed, posting a sign on the door directing bagel fans to a location of corporate sibling Einstein Bagels, in Bailey’s Crossroads.
“Thank you for allowing us to make your mornings brighter & more delicious since 1986,” the sign says. “We look forward to continuing to provide you with freshly baked, kettle-boiled bagels at one of our nearby locations, 15 minutes away: 3556D S Jefferson St, Falls Church, VA 22041.”
The closure was not announced in advance, but there were signs that this Bruegger’s was not long for the sizable ground floor space that it occupied along Wilson Blvd.
The restaurant appears to have struggled in the wake of the pandemic, as fewer people populated local offices, thus requiring fewer catered bagel platters. The dining room, once filled with local residents and office workers sipping coffee and noshing on schmear-filled bagels, never reopened.
Bagel aficionados who don’t want to go all the way to Bailey’s Crossroads will now have Brooklyn Bagel in Courthouse as arguably the closest equivalent eatery.
In Ballston’s battle of the beer bars, Crafthouse has emerged as the survivor.
World of Beer, in the Ballston Point building at 4300 Wilson Blvd, closed up shop earlier this week.
“We’re ceasing our business operations in Arlington, Virginia starting April 17,” a sign on the door says. “Thank you, Arlington, for allowing us to be a part of this community for the last 3 years.”
The watering hole opened in October 2020 in the former Ted’s Montana Grill space. It was a return to the neighborhood for the suds-centric national chain, after a World of Beer franchise up the road rebranded as Crafthouse.
From our article on the opening:
The restaurant is not far from Crafthouse (901 N. Glebe Road), which was Virginia’s first World of Beer location from 2012 until 2017, when the owner parted ways and rebranded locations in Ballston, Reston and Fairfax. […]
The split between then-owner Evan Matz and World of Beer took a bitter turn later in 2017, when the chain sued Matz for violating the terms of the franchise agreement. In October 2018, Matz sued back.
All three Crafthouse locations, including in Ballston, remain open. World of Beer has D.C. area locations in Bethesda and Rockville.
While you’ll no longer be able to get an obscure beer from halfway around the world at World of Beer, a new beverage option recently opened in the same building: D.C.-based coffee shop Slipstream opened within the past month or so.
A new restaurant may be moving into the former home of Rincome Thai on Columbia Pike.
A business going by the name “Yoi Yoi” has applied for a permit to serve alcohol at 3030 Columbia Pike, according to Virginia ABC records. That was until recently the address of Rincome Thai, which occupied the corner space inside the Days Inn for nearly four decades. It closed in February due to the owners retiring.
Currently, Rincome signage remains up at 3030 Columbia Pike, and there are chairs, tables, and a bar still inside the space.
Details about Yoi Yoi and when it might open remain spotty. The individual listed as the owner of Yoi Yoi also appears to own a noodle and sushi restaurant in D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood called “Absolute Noodle.”
ARLnow has reached out to the owner several times but has not heard back as of publication.
Employees at the Days Inn that the restaurant is connected to were also unaware of any details about the restaurant moving in. Rincome Thai’s former owner did confirm to ARLnow that another eatery was taking over but didn’t know any other information beyond that.
Whatever is moving into the Columbia Pike space will have big shoes to fill. Rincome Thai was well-known and popular for the better part of nearly 40 years. Owned by two Korean-American sisters, the restaurant fused two cuisines together creating a unique menu that had a loyal neighborhood following.
But the owners felt that it was time to retire earlier this year.
“My sister and I can still walk and enjoy going on vacation,” co-owner Mihee Pansiri said. “I don’t want to quit when I can’t walk. Then, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
Green Valley’s New District Brewery is auctioning off its equipment, ARLnow has learned, but the door is not fully closed on the local brewery opening elsewhere.
Arlington’s only production brewery is putting items like tanks, pumps, a keg cleaning system, tap heads, and furniture up for auction.
“Everything to start your own brewing business,” reads the website.
The auction runs through May 1.
This is in anticipation of New District Brewery closing its doors at 2709 S. Oakland Street by the end of May, as ARLnow first reported earlier this year. A rent increase and a lease disagreement are the reasons behind the plan to shutter. An indoor dog park and bar set to take the brewery’s place.
Co-owner Mike Katrivanos told ARLnow at the time that he remained hopeful that New District Brewery would find another landing spot in Arlington with ownership continuing to search for properties to purchase. The equipment liquidation seemingly points to the brewery closing for good, but Katrivanos tells ARLnow that is not necessarily the case.
The auction is simply a contingency plan “running in parallel” with the brewery’s continued search for a new space. If they were to able to purchase a new property, ownership could hold back some of the equipment for sale.
Plus, many of the tanks, kegs, pumps, and furniture were specifically designed, purchased, and “geared” for the particular location at 2709 S. Oakland Street.
“A chunk of it won’t work in other spaces… we would need to retool if we were to move,” says Katrivanos.
New District continues to be in the market for a 4,000 to 6,000-square-foot commercial property. Katrivanos says the brewery is only currently looking in Arlington. That may limit choices, he acknowledges, but it’s where the brewery’s customer base is and where Katrivanos grew up.
“If I can’t make it work in Arlington, we will shut down permanently,” he says.
There are potentials that may be in the works and it might all be sorted out within a few weeks, Katrivanos suggested. Until then, New District will continue to prepare for its closing in two months.
While it has not been fully planned out, there will be farewell gatherings and events at S. Oakland Street. Katrivanos says he’s thinking about doing special trivia nights, a major sale of some sort, and a “big thank you party for the community.”
Plus, the brewery “fully plans to honor” its commitments to serving New District beer at the Columbia Pike Blues Fest in June and the Arlington County Fair in August, with the help of several partner breweries.
Katrivanos is hopeful it will all work out and New District will remain in the only place it has ever called home.
“I want to continue to invest in Arlington and keep the business open. We’ve got to cover ourselves [with this auction] in case, God forbid, we shut down permanently,” he says. “We are all waiting to see how it all shakes out.”
After more than 10 years in business, Oby Lee Winery and Coffee Shop has closed in Clarendon.
When it opened in 2012, we described the eatery at 3000 Washington Blvd as the “inland version of the small chain of eponymous coffee shops owner Oby Lee once ran along the Delaware Shore.” Its website says it specializes in crepes, wine, coffee and Polish food.
A sign on the door suggests that the business was purchased — it appeared to be for sale this past fall — and that a Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon Bistro, will be taking its place.
This will be a bit of a trend reversal from previous decades. Clarendon was once known as Little Saigon for all of the Vietnamese restaurants and businesses that opened after mass migration during the Vietnam war. Many of those eateries and shops closed after Metro opened in 1979 and the neighborhood redeveloped.
Asked about the closure, Oby Lee sent the following statement to ARLnow.
Our Clarendon location is our 7th successful business location of our small chain which commenced in 1989, and like the others, we have been so fortunate to garner a loyal community following over our eleven years at The Reserve At Clarendon Centre.
For as much as we have loved this space, we were approached with an offer that we simply could not refuse, to sell this location!
We wish to thank the wonderful community for welcoming us into their lives. We’re really going to miss seeing everyone each week, or everyday for many! It’s not going to be the same for awhile, without the daily Gluten Free crepes for Michael, the Matt & Ilona signature Latte’, Chai Tea for Lee, seeing John reading his books, enjoying long conversations with Sandy & Douglas, and preparing VeryBerry for Lauren & Ed, jokes with Gearred and Pietro, Alan never missing a Wednesday Prix Fixe, Brunch with the McCabe family and solving all the worlds problems with Ginny & Ted, in addition to the many, many honored patrons we will always keep close to heart. Over the years we’ve witnessed many of you getting married, sending your kids to college, getting a new puppy, buying a house, or moving across the states. We feel we have become much more than just a restaurant, but a part of the Arlington family. We thank our committed staff, namely our manager Mr. Bo Smulskyi, from Ukraine, who opts to stick with us as forever family to follow his dreams and build his life in the USA.
The next chapter begins…
We don’t say goodbye~ but see you later friends!
The Oby Lee Team
Hat tip to Ray Caputo
(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) The building that hosts a Ballston area pet store is being offered for lease.
A leasing flyer says the 4,666 square foot, circa-1925 commercial building at 3902 Wilson Blvd is available for new a tenant starting in January 2024. That suggests that the existing tenant, Unleashed by Petco, will be closing later this year after its lease is up.
Unleashed opened in the space in September 2013, about nine-and-a-half years ago. It replaced the quirky, homegrown burger-and-hot-dog restaurant Wiinky’s.
The flyer notes that the free-standing building was renovated in 2013, when Petco moved in, and that the property has 19 parking spaces.
The only other remaining Unleashed store in Arlington is located at 5400 Langston Blvd. It opened in 2011. A Pentagon City location closed in 2021.
Among other pet-related businesses along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, the Loyal Companion pet store at 2509 Franklin Road in Courthouse just closed but is expected to be replaced soon by Dogma Bakery & Boutique.
Hat tip to Ray Caputo
