local business | ARLnow.com

Leonsis: Ballston Could Be a Haven for the ‘Creative Class’

Published January 14, 2013 at 1:45PM | Updated January 14, 2013 at 2:49PM

Ted Leonsis, the billionaire owner of the Washington Capitals and Wizards, says Ballston could soon be known as a haven for entrepreneurs and the “creative class.”

Leonsis made the remarks at a launch event Thursday night for the new Ballston Business Improvement District, which has announced a new campaign to brand Ballston as “home to some of the world’s brightest minds and most innovative industries.” The campaign will capitalize on the fact that the community is home to the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Virginia Tech Research Center, and various science and technology-related companies.

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No Reopening Date Yet for Potomac Yard Harris Teeter

By ARLnow.com

Published January 14, 2013 at 9:45AM

The store closed last May after it was flooded with raw sewage — an incident caused by a clog at the nearby Arlington County Water Pollution Control Plan. It has yet to reopen.

A Harris Teeter spokeswoman said the store will not reopen until the company can be assured that measures are in place to prevent another catastrophic sewage incident.

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Ballston Rebranding: ‘Where Minds Meet’

By ARLnow.com

Published January 7, 2013 at 1:45PM | Updated January 7, 2013 at 3:41PM

The BID, formed last year after the Arlington County Board approved its creation in December 2010, is busy shaping Ballston’s identity around the area’s strength in the science and technology sector. It’s emphasizing entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity as part of its new branding campaign.

“Ballston is home to an impressive roster of influential, innovative organizations including DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Project Agency], NSF [National Science Foundation], Accenture and Virginia Tech,” the BID said in a press release. “Ballston is the place where innovation and entrepreneurship converge. Where the best ideas are discovered and thrive with the support they need to flourish.”

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Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt Store Now Open in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Published January 4, 2013 at 11:20AM

The new Tutti Frutti store is located in Pentagon City on the 1300 block of S. Fern Street, near the U.S. Post Office and Epic Smokehouse. The store is the second Tutti Frutti in Arlington, after a location at 2439 N. Harrison Street, in the Lee Harrison Shops.

As reported in July, the location is only a couple of blocks from a Yogiberry frozen yogurt store on Pentagon Row, but the franchise owner of Tutti Frutti isn’t very worried about the competition.

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Fire at Courthouse Dry Cleaning Shop

By ARLnow.com

Published January 3, 2013 at 9:00PM

Firefighters battled a small but smoky fire at Highland Shoe Repair (2020 14th Street N.) Thursday night.

A fire broke out around 7:15 p.m. in the back room of the shop, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl. The blaze was quickly extinguished after firefighters arrived on scene, but not before it generated a considerable amount of acrid-smelling smoke.

Around Town

New Coffee Shop Coming to Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published December 6, 2012 at 12:55PM

Caffe Aficionado is hoping to open at 1919 N. Lynn Street, near the main entrance of the Corporate Executive Board building, at some point in April or May 2013. Owner Adiam Berhane, who spent part of her childhood in Italy, says she’s going for an Italian vibe, eschewing the laid back “Northwestern” vibe of Starbucks and other coffee chains, while serving American coffee.

“America beats Italy in coffee,” Berhane said. “I probably won’t be allowed back in the country after saying that.”

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 4, 2012 at 8:35AM

Arlington Mill Goes Over Budget — The Arlington Mill Community Center on Columbia Pike has gone $600,000 over its $31.6 million budget. The County Board is expected to approve additional funding for the project at its meeting this coming Saturday. [Sun Gazette]

New Coworking Space in Clarendon — A new coworking space has opened at 3140 N. Washington Street in Clarendon, on the second floor of the Wells Fargo bank building. Link Locale will house startup companies, entrepreneurs, freelancers and teleworkers. It’s the second coworking space to open along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor this year. [Patch]

Around Town

Black Lime Now Open in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published November 29, 2012 at 4:10PM | Updated November 29, 2012 at 4:48PM

(Updated at 4:20 p.m.) The flagship location of a new Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurant concept opened in Crystal City this week.

After some initial delays, Black Lime Café opened its doors at 2450 Crystal Drive on Monday. The quick casual restaurant serves a largely lunch time crowd, and owners tell us they’re encouraged by the response from customers so far.

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Oakley, Sperry to Open, Lucy to Close in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Published November 29, 2012 at 1:00PM | Updated November 29, 2012 at 1:23PM

(Updated at 1:20 p.m.) Two new stores are coming to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, while another is closing at Pentagon Row.

A new Oakley store and a new Sperry store are both under construction on the second level of the shopping mall. The stores are directly adjacent to one another. Oakley is best known for its sunglasses, while Sperry is best known for its boat shoes. Oakley also sells clothing and Sperry sells other types of footwear.

Around Town

2012 ABBIE Award Winners Announced

By ARLnow.com

Published November 27, 2012 at 3:45PM | Updated November 27, 2012 at 8:34PM

The contest organizer, Arlington Economic Development, said residents cast more than 5,000 online votes for their favorite local businesses. The nominees in each of the 17 categories can be found here.

The big winner today was Mark Fedorchak, co-owner of Liberty Tavern and Northside Social, who walked away with three awards. ARLnow.com also won an award.

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Obama Visits Local Book Store: A First-Hand Account

By ARLnow.com

Published November 26, 2012 at 3:35PM | Updated November 27, 2012 at 8:35PM

President Obam and his daughters shop at One More Page Books in East Falls Church (White House photo by Pete Souza)

The visit coincided with the post-Thanksgiving shopping day known as Small Business Saturday. With daughters Sasha and Malia in tow, and after several checks of the shopping list on his Blackberry, the president purchased 15 children’s books as Christmas presents.

We asked One More Page owner Eileen McGervey about the experience of hosting the Commander in Chief as a customer.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 26, 2012 at 8:45AM | Updated November 26, 2012 at 1:55PM

President Visits Arlington Bookstore — President Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia stopped by One More Page Books (2200 N. Westmoreland Street) on Saturday afternoon, on a holiday shopping trip that coincided with Small Business Saturday. The independent book store is located in the East Falls Church neighborhood. [Associated Press, Us Weekly]

Yorktown Season Ends With Loss — The Yorktown High School football team’s first loss of the season came on Friday, as the Patriots gave up a 22-point lead to fall to Stone Bridge 69-50 in the Northern Region 5 championship game. Yorktown also lost last year’s regional championship after an undefeated season. [Washington Post, YouTube]