As a 15-year-long project to rebuild Columbia Pike with wider sidewalks and underground utilities enters its last construction phase, county leaders say they are seeing early signs of a promising future.
On Thursday, the Columbia Pike Partnership held its third annual “State of the Pike,” during which Arlington County’s department heads delivered a comprehensive overview of the Pike’s housing market and local economy via Zoom.
Despite the construction’s impact on walkability and traffic flow, officials noted that the area’s retail, office and multifamily apartment vacancies fall well below the county average. Still, they say, neighborhoods on the Pike still face persistent challenges, such as addressing graffiti and revitalizing a stagnant office market.
For nearly two decades, construction along the Pike has been a constant presence for businesses, residents and commuters alike. The constant construction thrum is not likely to abate until late 2025, according to County Deputy Director of Transportation Hui Wang.
While these improvements have made the Pike more walkable and leafier, some county officials have noted that they have also hurt some businesses. At the same time, other business owners are finding it difficult to secure retail space, notes Arlington Economic Development Deputy Director Kate Ange.
“So, there is strong demand for retail, which means there’s not a lot of space,” she told attendees of the 2024 State of the Pike forum. “And that’s both an opportunity, but also could be a challenge.”
In the first quarter of 2023, the retail vacancy rate along Columbia Pike was approximately 2%, which previous studies of the Pike attributed to the Pike’s legacy businesses — now becoming a threatened breed — leasing older, less expensive storefronts. In contrast, the county’s overall retail vacancy rate was about 5%.
Ange highlighted the low retail vacancy rates as a clear sign that the local economy is on the mend post-pandemic, crediting a surge in consumer spending.
The same cannot be said for the office vacancy rate in Arlington, which was at nearly 25% as of last month. Ange acknowledged hybrid and remote work continues to affect commercial office space across the county, and Columbia Pike, which has approximately a 7% office vacancy rate, is no exception.
That being said, she noted that the demand for office space along the Pike is still “high” compared to other commercial districts.
When friends Alex Lopéz, Carlos Olarte and Ernesto Valenzuela opened Sabores Tapas Bar last year on Columbia Pike, they did not anticipate becoming a community staple so soon.
Since its debut last February — replacing a former Taqueria el Poblano location — the tapas bar was named one of the top 100 places to eat in the U.S. in 2024 by Yelp. Sabores ranked 48 on the list of 100 and was the only Northern Virginia restaurant to be featured.
Sabores was also named to Northern Virginia Magazine’s 2023 Best Restaurants list, cementing it as a new mainstay in the Penrose neighborhood.
“It was amazing news, we got really excited,” Olarte said. “It didn’t sink in completely until when it was announced and we saw the hype and started receiving phone calls from people that we knew, from customers calling us.”
Sabores samples regional cuisine from Spain and several Latin American countries, including Colombia, Venezuela and Honduras, from which López, Olarte and Valenzuela hail, respectively.
This is the first restaurant the trio has opened, though the restaurateurs have a combined 70-80 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, particularly in managing and opening restaurants, Olarte says. They worked together at a Brazilian steakhouse in Fairfax as well as Jaleo in Crystal City, which closed in 2021.
After the Yelp ranking, the business at 2401 Columbia Pike saw an immediate increase in customers, including upticks in large parties and reservations.
“We really, really welcome that push,” Olarte said. “People are being great. A lot of regulars, a lot of people coming in. It makes sense.”
As Sabores Tapas Bar welcomes more repeat customers, the restaurant become a place where “everybody knows everybody,” he continued.
“We really have become part of the neighborhood,” Olarte said.
Following the Yelp write-up, Sabores started serving bottomless brunch on Saturdays and Sundays and is working on launching a new lunch menu.
“We realize that a lot of people in the area are looking for something quick, so we’re adding more sandwiches, more salads, and also like a pre-fixe menu so people can pay a fixed price and get like three tapas of their choices so they can get in and out — something really quick and affordable,” Olarte said.
In the future, Olarte says he and his business partners are considering expanding Sabores as well perhaps opening other concepts. Right now, however, they are focusing on keeping up with the excitement at the current tapas bar.
“We’re hoping, right now especially with this, to start getting to a level that we feel comfortable that we can spare a little bit of our efforts for the new ventures,” Olarte said.
Despite these plans, the trio is still focused on serving Columbia Pike.
“This is our home,” Olarte said. “We can’t wait to see you again and again and again and again.”
Craft beer and whiskey bar Rebellion on the Pike is closing.
The bar at 2900 Columbia Pike opened in April 2019. In an Instagram post Monday afternoon, Rebellion blamed economic circumstances and said its last day would be in two weeks, on Monday, Feb. 19.
It is with great regret that we share the news of our plans to cease operations here on the Pike. The recent economic downturn has had a great effect on many people, especially around here on Columbia Pike. While we have had our fair share of struggles over the years, a global pandemic to name mention one, we have had a great run here at 2900 Columbia Pike. That time has been filled with so many great memories they are impossible to fully list here. Birthday parties, retirement ceremonies and celebrations of life for dear friends taken far too soon. This is definitely a sad day for us and anyone we have come into contact with over the last five years.
We would like to thank those of you who we became dear friends with over the years. We would like to thank our current and former staff who put in so many hours of hard labor here. Lastly, we would like to thank our partners and vendors for providing us with the high quality products you became used to here. All of those groups made this place what it was. We’ll certainly miss those relationships.
Our LAST CALL will be held on Monday February 19th. President’s Day seemed like a fitting day to shut it down. Many of you can join us for a recovery Brunch that day, as we celebrate one final Daytona 500 in that traditional Rebellion style the day before. And with it being President’s Day, we can be reminded by our very own Rebellion TJ shirts one last time, “A little Rebellion now and then is a good thing.”
Rebellion replaced another former Pike watering hole, BrickHaus, which was only open for about a year.
Infamously, in 2021 a local TikTok personality feuded with Rebellion and fellow Columbia Pike bar Celtic House — and some employees — over alleged mistreatment, culminating in criminal charges against her that were later dropped.
The incident also prompted a deluge of negative reviews of Rebellion on Yelp, though most were subsequently removed.
Hat tip to Katherine Z.
A 39-year-old man has been arrested and charged with “simulated masturbation” after an incident in Rosslyn.
Police responded to the area of Langston Boulevard and N. Oak Street shortly after 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1, for a man who was reportedly exposing himself.
From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2024-02010140, Langston Boulevard at N. Oak Street. At approximately 1:11 p.m. on February 1, police were dispatched to the report of an exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were walking in the area when they observed the male suspect allegedly exposing himself. Responding officers located the suspect on scene and took him into custody. Channing Ballinger, 39, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Public Masturbation. He was held without bond.
The exact charge is “simulated masturbation,” according to the Arlington General District Court website, which also notes that the suspect remains in custody. The suspect has no past criminal history in Arlington, though a man of the same name and approximate age was previously charged with assaulting a police officer in Western New York, per a TV news report.
There have been a number of police dispatches to Rosslyn for reports of public masturbation in recent months, including at least two in the area of the H-B Woodlawn school at 1601 Wilson Blvd, per scanner traffic.
Police tell ARLnow that no arrests have been made in the previous incidents.
“As part of the investigation, officers will work to determine if [the suspect] is linked to any other incidents in the county,” said ACPD spokeswoman Alli Shorb. “Regarding your request related to North Rosslyn incidents, no arrests have been made.”
Separately, ACPD is investigating a series of airbag thefts along Columbia Pike from over the weekend. Six vehicles — all Hondas — were damaged.
From the latest crime report:
LARCENY FROM AUTO (Series) (Late), 2024-02030091, 3800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 8:33 a.m. on February 3, police were dispatched to the late report of a larceny from auto. Upon arrival, it was determined between approximately 10:00 p.m. on February 2 and 8:33 a.m. on February 3, the unknown suspect(s) forced entry into six vehicles by damaging the driver’s side door handle and stole airbags. Tools and electronics were also reported stolen from one of the vehicles. The victim vehicles are Honda models. There is no suspect description(s). The investigation is ongoing.
Arlington officers on the weekend nightlife detail, meanwhile, reportedly made an arrest early Sunday morning following a fight outside of a bar in Clarendon.
The fight was caught on video and posted to social media by public safety watcher Dave Statter.
This appears to be from the 1 a.m. Clarendon Ballroom fight I shared this morning⏬⏬. One arrest reported. Thanks to all who shared this with me. https://t.co/Di29iaVPRu
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) February 4, 2024
Tattoo lovers from all over are expected to gather in Arlington next weekend for the DC Tattoo Expo.
The 13th annual event, beginning on Friday, Feb. 16, has been “completely revamped” from years prior, according to its hosts, Exposed Temptations Tattoo and Baller Incorporated.
In the past, the expo has offered contests, live entertainment and special guests from the reality show “Ink Master.” This year, attendees can look forward to more live art and entertainment as well as opportunities to shop and get tattoos and body piercings, according to the website.
“It will be the best, not the biggest, but the best show we’ve ever had,” the hosts said.
Returning guests may notice some familiar faces from previous years, including burlesque dancer Cervena Fox and sword-swallowing couple Captain and Maybelle. The Miss DC Pin Up Contest, a fashion contest that determines the best old-school pin-up fashions, will also make a comeback.
Attendees can also showcase the tattoos they came with or those they get while at the expo.
The expo will start at 1 p.m. on Feb. 16 at the Sheraton Pentagon City hotel, located along Columbia Pike at 900 S. Orme Street. It will wrap up on Sunday, Feb. 18. The full event schedule is available on the event website.
Guests can purchase tickets at the door on each day of the expo.
Police recovered body armor and multiple guns after an alert officer spotted a stolen vehicle near Columbia Pike.
It happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday, near the Dominion Plaza apartments on S. Courthouse Road.
Arlington County police say the officer “located a parked, unoccupied stolen vehicle,” then waited until three people returned to it. Two women were detained while a male suspect — who was wearing body armor — tried to run away, according to ACPD.
The suspect was taken into custody after a foot pursuit and officers subsequently found three guns, pepper spray, and possible drugs, police said. A photo of the haul, including the ballistic vest, was posted online today.
The 29-year-old suspect, a Manassas resident, is now facing an array of charges, including vehicle theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
More, below, from an ACPD crime report.
STOLEN VEHICLE (Significant), 2024-01240218, S. Courthouse Road at 12th Street S. At approximately 5:01 p.m. on January 24, an officer conducting patrols in the area located a parked, unoccupied stolen vehicle. Three individuals returned to the vehicle, during which two female subjects were detained. The third individual, the male suspect, attempted to flee the scene on foot. Officers initiated a foot pursuit and took the suspect, who was wearing body armor, into custody. During the course of the investigation, officers recovered three firearms, a ballistic vest, suspected controlled substance, and pepper spray… [The suspect], 29 of Manassas, VA was arrested and charged with Possession of a Firearm by Felon (x3), Grand Larceny Motor Vehicle Theft, Receiving Stolen Firearm, Wearing Body Armor while Committing a Crime, Carry Concealed Firearm (x2) and Obstruction of Justice. The investigation is ongoing.
Yesterday, an investigation into a stolen vehicle resulted in the recovery of three firearms, a ballistic vest, suspected narcotics, and pepper spray. Another great example of our officers keeping our community safe!https://t.co/lwPo2xiUtm pic.twitter.com/d4ZOS1OMii
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) January 25, 2024
Comedians will again battle ChatGPT in an event at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike tomorrow (Thursday).
Local comedian Rahmein Mostafavi will host the interactive comedy show “Comedian vs. Machine” at the theater at 2903 Columbia Pike. He will be flanked by two other comedians helping him “carry the funny” — Baltimore comic Josh Kuderna and D.C.-based comic Becca DiLuzio.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. for a 7 p.m. show start time.
This won’t be Mostafavi’s first time battling artificial intelligence. He hosted a comedy show against ChatGPT last September — an experience that he says taught him “what segments worked best and more about how the technology needed to be used to maximize timeliness and efficiency.”
Mostafavi, while preparing for the show, shared with ARLnow that he believes comedians can use AI and other technology to their advantage.
“As comedians, we observe everything happening in the world. Politics. Society. Self,” said Mostafavi, “AI is a new entity we are all experiencing for the first time. So as comics, we will add our [point-of-view] about it in our jokes because it’s part of our reality, ironically.”
Although AI can write essays, email newsletters and generate images, Mostafavi says that for him, the new technology is just a “fun alternative” that will not change his approach to comedy.
And while there is a great deal of concern about how AI might replace artists, or at least steal their work, Mostafavi says he believes AI does not stand a chance against him and his comic entourage.
“Human experience is a must for top-level comedy,” said Mostafavi. “AI can write basic jokes but it will never be human.”
The driver of an SUV slammed into a building along Columbia Pike early Saturday morning.
It happened around 1:40 a.m. on the western end of the Pike in Arlington, near the massive “Pike” sculpture.
Video of the incident, posted by local public safety watcher Dave Statter, shows the SUV driving at a high speed down S. Jefferson Street before crashing into a commercial building at 5555 Columbia Pike.
No serious injuries were reported. So far, there’s no word on any charges against the driver.
Watch this: An SUV driver coming down the hill on S. Jefferson around 1:40 this morning went straight on Columbia Pike instead of turning. In its path was the two-story commercial building at 5555 Columbia Pike built in 1962. Despite ending up partially inside the building there… pic.twitter.com/LigwkPDwmu
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) January 20, 2024
A new pinball arcade on Columbia Pike is putting a spin on the traditional pay-per-play arcade experience.
Nestled inside ACME Pie Company at 2803 Columbia Pike, The Pinball Basement is a membership-based arcade that caters to both pinball wizards and newcomers to the game.
Players can enjoy unlimited gameplay without needing cash or coins for $40 a month or $10 a day.
Co-founded by pinball enthusiasts Fred Freimark and Jason Good, the arcade in Penrose is outfitted with nine themed machines, ranging from classics such as Jurassic Park to modern hits including Deadpool.
Good, who embraced the pinball world within the last decade, and Freimark, a lifelong player, first crossed paths last January while playing in a local pinball league at CarPool in Ballston.
They quickly bonded over their shared love of the game, and a few months after their initial meeting, Freimark — who owns 18 pinball machines and has a full-time job as a loan officer — shared with Good his long-held dream of opening a standalone arcade.
Good, who purchased a pinball machine during the pandemic, was familiar with how to fix the machines and suggested teaming up to turn Freimark’s dream into reality.
“Fred was running out of space for his machines, so I kind of pitched the idea; I was like, ‘Well, why don’t we open an arcade,'” Good said.
Freimark and Good envisioned a family-friendly standalone pinball arcade where pinball enthusiasts of all skill levels could gather.
They wanted to avoid opening an arcade inside a bar, where most of Arlington’s pinball machines are located. This includes Galaxy Hut in Clarendon, Highline RxR in Crystal City, Punch Bowl Social in Ballston and Quarterdeck in Ft. Myer Heights, according to pinballmap.com.
“All the other pinball places are in bars,” Freimark said. “Families and younger kids can be here, and it can be a whole new generation of people that are comfortable taking their kids to play pinball.”
Pinball is making a comeback in America. As part of this nostalgia-driven revival, Good and Freimark say they have witnessed a surge in demand for neutral venues where experienced players can hone their skills and beginners can learn the ropes.
Instead, in most venues today, playing pinball is almost an impulse decision, says Good, where players drop $1 in to play but have “no idea what they’re doing or what’s going on.”
Good wants to change that with his venue.
“I’ll be here 90% of the time… to teach people how to play,” he said. “I want it to be a hangout. I want it to be a place where people can come a couple of nights a week and learn pinball skills.”
The aspiring pinball entrepreneurs spent several months spent researching and scouting potential locations to house 50-100 machines inside but kept striking out. Then, last November, Sol Schott, the owner of ACME Pie Company approached them about leasing the space adjacent to his shop, previously home to Papillon Cycles, which closed earlier that same month.
The leasing price was too high for Freimark and Good so Schott pitched another idea: turning a section of his pie shop into an arcade.
“My whole idea with Acme was it to kind of be like, a community center,” Schott told ARLnow. “When I talked to them about the pinball thing, I was like, ‘Oh, well, that’d be really cool because I already had some pinball machines in there.”
The Pinball Basement initially let people play for free during its soft launch in December but has since transitioned to its fee-based model. The hours are the same as ACME Pie except on Saturdays, when the venue becomes an exclusive space for members from 5-9 p.m.
Since the opening, Schott reports his shop has already seen an increase in foot traffic. He noted the arcade has particularly appealed to younger audiences, including single parents with children who are teaching their kids to play while enjoying a slice of pie.
“Maybe you’ll get the occasional person sitting at the bar and get a piece of pie and a cup of coffee or soda or whatever, but it was a small percentage,” he said. “And there’s more of that now.”
A new delicatessen is slated to take over the space formerly occupied by Rappahannock Coffee on Columbia Pike.
Gi Lee, the longstanding owner of the coffee shop, announced his retirement last month, marking the end of a two-decade run.
Previously, ARLnow reported that another café was expected to succeed Rappahannock, with the building’s landlord predicting a December opening.
But in a surprising twist, Jose Lopez, the new tenant, revealed that the former coffee shop, located at 2406 Columbia Pike, will instead be serving up deli fare, from Philly cheesesteaks to club sandwiches. There will still be coffee, however.
Barring any delays in receiving his permits from the county, Lopez, a Maryland resident and co-owner of the Honduran restaurant El Catrachito in Olney, says he plans to open the deli around the end of the month. Its official name will be “Columbia Pike Deli.”
The former Rappahannock Coffee signage has been taken down, and in its place, a “Coming Soon” banner now adorns the entrance. While the space will look largely the same as it had under Lee, Lopez said he plans to give the walls a fresh coat of paint and install new flooring.
When asked about his decision to open a deli, Lopez, who immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras in 1999, shared that he previously spent 16 years working at a deli in Maryland before opening his own restaurant.
“It’s my passion,” he said. “I enjoy working with the customers, working with a co-workers and I like to to cook.”
The new deli will join several other restaurants that have opened within a half-mile stretch of Columbia Pike over the last year, including Mpanadas, the Spanish tapas restaurant Sabores and Japanese restaurant Ryu Izakaya.
Another, 2910 Kitchen & Bar, is expected to open sometime this month.
A 26-year-old Virginia man is facing several charges after a dispute over a parking space over the weekend.
The incident happened Saturday afternoon, in the area of Penrose Square. Police say the man flashed a gun during the altercation.
More, below, from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.
BRANDISHING, 2023-12300122, 2400 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 2:46 p.m. on December 30, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim and male suspect became involved in a verbal dispute over a parking space which escalated into a physical altercation during which the suspect allegedly brandished a firearm. The suspect fled the scene in his vehicle and was located by responding officers. A firearm was recovered. [The suspect], 26, of Stafford, VA was arrested and charged with Brandishing, Assault & Battery and Concealed Weapon Violation.
In other notable incident, which took place one day prior on Friday afternoon, a 31-year-old Virginia man is accused of kicking a police officer and trying to grab the gun of another.
From ACPD:
ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-12290134, Fairfax Drive at N. George Mason Drive. At approximately 2:45 p.m. on December 29, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person with a knife. The preliminary investigation determined the victim was stopped in her vehicle when the male suspect allegedly ran towards her driver’s side door while displaying a knife. The victim drove away and called police. Responding officers located the suspect in the 4800 block of Fairfax Drive and attempted to take him into custody. The suspect refused to comply with the officers’ commands and actively resisted arrest. With the assistance of additional officers, the suspect was taken into custody during which he kicked an officer in the chest. The suspect provided officers with false identifying information but was subsequently positively identified. During a search incident to arrest, the suspect grabbed the holster of an officer’s firearm. Knives were recovered on the suspect. [The suspect], 31, of Manassas, VA was arrested and charged with Assault and Battery, Assault on Police, Attempt to Disarm Law Enforcement Officer of their Firearm, Identity Theft and Obstruction of Justice.
The evening of New Year’s Day, meanwhile, a man’s Canada Goose jacket and wallet was reportedly stolen by a teen boy at the Pentagon City mall. The teen was later apprehended near the Metro station, according to police.
GRAND LARCENY, 2024-01010144, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 5:58 p.m. on January 1, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was sitting with his jacket on the back of his chair when the juvenile male suspect ran by, grabbed his jacket and continued running out of the building. Responding officers canvassed the area and observed the suspect in the metro. The suspect then ran from the officers and, following a foot pursuit, he was taken into custody in the 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. The victim’s jacket, which contained his wallet and cash, was recovered. Petitions were obtained for the juvenile suspect for Grand Larceny and Obstruction of Justice.
17:58hrs: CANADA GOOSE JACKET LARCENY w arrest at taser point.
1100 S Hayes St, Arlington VA (Pent City Mall). Victim's jacket was taken while on a chair. @ArlingtonVaPD quickly located suspect fleeing towards Metro & taken into custody.@alanhenney @ARLnowDOTcom @STATter911 pic.twitter.com/z6kO5SGZSV— Matthew Young (@matthewyoung31) January 2, 2024
