local business | ARLnow.com

BREAKING: Vornado to Spin Off Local Business, Merge with JBG

Published October 31, 2016 at 4:40PM

The combined company would have both office and residential properties throughout Crystal City, Pentagon City and the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Among JBG’s properties in Arlington are the under-construction Central Place project in Rosslyn and the iconic “Bob Peck” office building at 800 N. Glebe Road in Ballston.

In 2014, Vornado’s properties in Arlington were assessed at $3.8 billion, or 5.7 percent of the total assessed value of all property in the county, according to the Washington Business Journal. JBG’s properties in Arlington were assessed at $1.31 billion.

Around Town

Luna Grill Closed, Perhaps Temporarily, in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com

Published October 17, 2016 at 12:15PM

Luna Grill and Diner (4024 Campbell Ave) in Shirlington has been closed since last week, but there are no signs or announcements explaining the closure.

The restaurant remained closed during lunchtime today. Chairs were still placed atop tables and nothing looked amiss, save the fact that it wasn’t open as usual.

Around Town

Pace of Restaurant Openings Slowing in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published October 11, 2016 at 10:45AM

Several indicators of the pace of restaurant openings in Arlington are pointing down this year.

It’s been a tough year for eateries in Arlington, with at least seven restaurants closing in the Clarendon area alone — the latest of which is Park Lane Tavern.

Feature

Crystal City Company’s White Noise App Seeks to Be Social Network for Sound

By ARLnow.com

Published October 10, 2016 at 5:45PM | Updated January 5, 2017 at 3:20PM

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

TMSoft, a small software company based in Crystal City’s 1776 space, released version 7.0 of “White Noise,” its flagship app, over the summer. The update pushes the app in the direction of being a social network, of sorts, for ambient sound.

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Two New Restaurant Closures in Clarendon: Fuego and Spice

By ARLnow.com

Published October 6, 2016 at 5:55PM

Spice in Clarendon

The rumors were true, unfortunately: Fuego Cocina y Tequileria in Clarendon is closing.

The restaurant confirmed in a press release this evening that its last day will be Sunday, Oct. 16. Fuego opened four years ago, in October 2012, at the corner of Clarendon Blvd and N. Fillmore Street.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 4, 2016 at 9:15AM | Updated October 7, 2016 at 1:16PM

Gun Store Has New Owner — Lyon Park gun store Nova Armory has reportedly been sold to one of its employees. Shawn Poulin, the store’s manager, says he is now also its majority owner. The previous owner, Dennis Pratte, at one point claimed that the store was actually owned by his 16-year-old daughter. Poulin says the store is profitable and he plans to expand it to a second floor, “with a showroom to feature rifles, tactical gear and an expanded clothing line.” [Washington Post]

New Bishop for Arlington — Updated at 9:25 a.m. — The Catholic Diocese of Arlington is getting a new bishop. Bishop Michael Burbidge, 59, is transferring to Arlington from Raleigh, N.C. Burbridge is scheduled to be installed as bishop on Dec. 6, replacing current bishop Paul Loverde, 76. Some local Catholics have been pushing for a new bishop who will take the diocese in a different direction than Loverde, a traditionalist who decried the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage. Burbridge was critical of North Carolina’s HB2 “bathroom” law, which was seen as anti-LGBT, though he was also against an anti-discrimination ordinance in Charlotte that HB2 was intended to undo. [Fox 5, InsideNova]

A Cleaning Service: Three Decades of Independent Service

Published October 3, 2016 at 7:45AM

Over the years Beatriz Sampaio has seen the residential and commercial cleaning industry evolve. And over those years her own company, simply called A Cleaning Service, has evolved as well.

Founded in 1985, A Cleaning Service has been providing high-quality, competitively priced and diligently performed cleaning to residences and businesses in the Arlington and Washington, D.C. area for more than three decades. It’s a business that Beatriz has devoted her life to, but it was never her first idea.

MightyMeals: Healthy, Locally-Sourced Meals, Home Delivered

Published September 26, 2016 at 8:45AM

Imagine your meals being prepared by fitness trainers who eat like gourmets.

No, plain chicken breast and steamed broccoli are not on the menu. But you would expect good, clean protein, a lively variety of vegetables and fruit, all of it seasonal and flavorful and sourced at local farms that eschew chemicals.

Ballston Therapeutic Massage: Bringing the Art of Eastern Massage to Arlington

Published September 20, 2016 at 8:15AM

When Olivia Davison opened Ballston Therapeutic Massage in 2012 in Ballston, she had just five tables for her clients and considerable competition from better-funded national massage chains.

Flash-forward to today: Ballston Therapeutic Massage has 10 tables, a dedicated roster of certified masseuses, and a loyal clientele that could not care less about the big massage chain locations that surround Olivia’s business.

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California Tortilla Has Closed in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published September 7, 2016 at 4:30PM

California Tortilla closed in Crystal City

The California Tortilla location in Crystal City location has closed.

The locally-based Mexican fast casual chain opened the location at 2450 Crystal Drive in 2012. It apparently closed this week.

News

County Rolling Out Stringent New Recycling Requirements for Businesses

By ARLnow.com

Published September 7, 2016 at 1:15PM | Updated September 7, 2016 at 5:56PM

Last November, the County Board approved changes to the county’s garbage and refuse ordinances, along with a resolution supporting a “zero waste” goal of increasing its recycling rate.

Putting the changes and goals into action, on Jan. 1 the county began requiring that businesses, in addition to property owners, create and implement recycling plans. Like commercial and multifamily properties — those who manage office buildings and apartments — local businesses are also now subject to an annual inspection by an “Arlington County Recycling Outreach Specialist” and a $66 fee to pay for that inspection.

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Bluemont’s Pupatella Pizza to Expand

By ARLnow.com

Published September 6, 2016 at 4:45PM | Updated September 6, 2016 at 5:52PM

Enzo Algarme of Pupatella Pizza (courtesy photo)

Pupatella, the humble but very well-reviewed Neapolitan pizzeria in Bluemont, may be on the verge of a major expansion.

Originally founded as a food truck, Pupatella opened its current Bluemont location, at 5104 Wilson Blvd, in 2010. Co-owner Enzo Algarme is now teaming up with the partners behind Elevation Burger to expand via franchising.