local business | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published September 1, 2016 at 9:05AM | Updated September 1, 2016 at 9:33AM

A rabbit (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

It’s September — Bid an especially hot and sweaty August adieu, September is here. Get ready for kids going back to school, fall beer tastings, outdoor festivals, Pumpkin Spice Lattes and cooler weather. As a reminder, however: it’s still summer until Sept. 22.

Author Talk at Kenmore — Best-selling author Ann Patchett will be discussing her new book Commonwealth, which is set in part in Arlington, at an event on Thursday, Sept. 15. The event, at the Kenmore Middle School auditorium, is open to the public, with RSVP; it’s sponsored by One More Page Books and Arlington Public Library. [Eventbrite]

Around Town

Clarendon Grill Renews Lease

By ARLnow.com

Published August 25, 2016 at 11:00AM

Clarendon Grill, which has been in business since 1996, is still among the local winners. The cover band, trivia night and happy hour destination, at 1101 N. Highland Street, just extended its lease.

Owner Peter Pflug says Clarendon Grill is continuing to do well enough that he decided to extend its lease by five years, through March 2022.

Protea Diamonds: Arlington’s Exclusive Custom Jeweler Is a ‘Hidden Gem’

Published August 16, 2016 at 8:15AM

It can be called a “hidden gem” and a “buried treasure” because of its subterranean location and the nature of its business: Protea Diamonds has been creating custom designer jewelry for an educated and cultured clientele for 30 years in the same North Arlington location, in the lower level of the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center.

And, unless you have refined taste and a passion for one-of-a-kind jewelry, you most likely have never heard of Protea, until now.

Opinion

What We Learned About Arlington as ARLnow Interns

By ARLnow.com

Published August 12, 2016 at 3:50PM | Updated August 12, 2016 at 4:10PM

After interning for the past three months at ARLnow, we all had different experiences working in and learning about the area.

The three of us came in from different backgrounds: One of us is an Arlington native (Jackie Friedman), another is a New Yorker who moved last year to the D.C. area (Adrian Cruz) and the other (Omar DeBrew) commutes from Maryland.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 11, 2016 at 9:00AM | Updated August 11, 2016 at 9:23AM

Tech Firm Staying in Arlington, Expanding — Applied Predictive Technologies, which was acquired by MasterCard last year, has decided to stay in Arlington after being courted by other jurisdictions. The company plans to move to a new office in Ballston and hire 368 employees. It was offered $6 million in conditional incentives by the state and the county. [Washington Post]

Archaeological Excavation Underway — The Arlington Historical Society is conducting an archeological dig at the historic Ball-Sellers House, hoping to learn more about a section of the property that was torn down a century ago. [InsideNova]

Around Town

Fmr. Marine Creates Custom Furniture at His N. Arlington Home

By Jackie Friedman

Published August 9, 2016 at 2:40PM

Spugnardi in his home workshop

Arlington resident Jeff Spugnardi’s interest in woodworking began with skateboard ramps he built in grammar school. Decades later, after retiring from a career in the Marine Corps, he turned his hobby into a business in his Leeway Overlee home.

Since 2008, the 46-year-old craftsman has sold wood chairs, tables and other furniture he’s designed and built in his personal workshop.

Around Town

Skip the Steak, You May Be Able to Buy the Entire Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Published August 8, 2016 at 10:00AM

Given the recent restaurant turnover in Clarendon, it seems like a good time to revisit those offerings, which come from the Arlington listings of a major business broker marketplace.

Here are some of the businesses that are currently listed on the site and have either been added or updated since our last check. We are only naming the business if a name or website is provided in the listing.

News

More Clarendon Restaurant Rumors: Pete’s and Fuego

By ARLnow.com

Published August 4, 2016 at 12:00PM

Fuego in Clarendon

Amid a turbulent period for restaurants in Clarendon, there are rumors circulating about two other prominent neighborhood eateries.

Multiple sources have told ARLnow.com that Pete’s New Haven Apizza (3017 Clarendon Blvd), which opened in 2011, has been looking for another business to take over its space. One source said a deal is in the works which would bring a new Chipotle location to the current Pete’s space.

Around Town

Quinn’s in Rosslyn Coming Soon, Dudley’s in Shirlington Delayed

By ARLnow.com

Published August 3, 2016 at 12:30PM

Quinn's in Rosslyn

It’s been a busy summer for local restaurateur Reese Gardner.

Gardner has two new Arlington establishments in the works — Dudley’s Sport and Ale in Shirlington, which we first reported on in August 2015, and Quinn’s on the Corner, which we first learned about this past June, while lease negotiations were still reportedly in progress.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 3, 2016 at 9:15AM | Updated August 3, 2016 at 10:50AM

Key Bridge Marriott Lease Sold — The ground lease for the 57-year-old Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn has been sold to a luxury hotel and resort operator, leading to speculation that the hotel — Marriott’s longest continuously-operating property — may soon be replaced. [WTOP]

Sales Tax Receipts Nudge Up — Arlington received $39.68 million in sales tax disbursements from the state this year, up 0.2 percent compared to the year prior, pointing to an ever-so-slight increase in retail sales in the county despite some challenges dragging that figure down. [InsideNova]

Around Town

‘Blumen Cafe’ In Progress in Clarendon

By Lindsay Smith

Published August 2, 2016 at 2:00PM

Blumen Cafe to open soon

A new independent coffee shop is slated to open at some point in the near future in the Clarendon area.

The shop, called Blumen Cafe, is coming to the space that formerly held CD Cellar at 2607 Wilson Blvd, which is about halfway between the Courthouse and Clarendon Metro stations. Signs for the forthcoming cafe state that the business is “coming soon.”

Events

Arlington Bookshop to Throw Party for New Harry Potter Book

By Adrian Cruz

Published July 28, 2016 at 2:15PM | Updated July 28, 2016 at 3:47PM

Child’s Play at 4510 Lee Highway is scheduled to have activities for aspiring witches and wizards Saturday before “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” comes out at midnight, according to a news release from the shop. The book, which is based on a J.K. Rowling story, is the script for an upcoming London play about Potter as an adult wizard.

The countdown until the book’s release is slated to begin at 10:30 p.m. But the shop also is planning to have free activities throughout the day to celebrate the event. According to the news release, they include: