local business | ARLnow.com

Wag More Dogs Seeks Appeal of Mural Lawsuit

Published June 27, 2011 at 3:26PM | Updated June 28, 2011 at 6:39PM

In February, a U.S. District Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit against Arlington County filed by Wag More Dogs (2606 S. Oxford Street). With the assistance of the the Institute for Justice, a Ballston-based libertarian public interest law firm, Wag More Dogs owner Kim Houghton had claimed that the county’s crackdown on the store’s colorful wall mural, which faced the Shirlington dog park, was unconstitutional.

Today, Houghton and the Institute for Justice announced that they have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to take the case — which revolves around the method by which Arlington County decides what is ‘art’ and what is an impermissible commercial sign.

News

Arlington Second Only to Manhattan In…

By ARLnow.com

Published June 27, 2011 at 9:30AM

The connection between Times Square and N. Lynn Street pretty much stopped at the WJLA news ticker, but there is one actual similarity between Manhattan and Arlington as a whole.

Among U.S. counties nationwide, Arlington is second only to Manhattan in terms of average wage per job.

News

Sandwich Board Signs, Sidewalk Cafe Umbrellas Making a Comeback?

By ARLnow.com

Published June 22, 2011 at 12:57PM

Zimmerman said that he expects to see an initial draft of a rewritten sign ordinance next month, with final Board approval by the end of the year.

Addressing the substance of the sign ordinance, Zimmerman said he wants an ordinance that “at a minimum, ends the prohibition on A-frame signs [and] relaxes restrictions on the umbrellas used for sidewalk seating.”

News

Clarendon Alliance Names New Executive Director

By ARLnow.com

Published June 20, 2011 at 9:33AM

Matt Hussmann is taking over the top spot at the neighborhood booster group. Hussman’s resume includes gigs with the Downtown Nanaimo Partnership Society, in British Columbia, Canada, and more recently with the Downtown DC Business Improvement District.

“I’m delighted and excited to begin work in Clarendon,” Hussman said in a statement. “This is a terrific neighborhood with a lot of attractions. It’s growing and changing, but I think it still retains its character as an urban village. The Clarendon Alliance has a long and successful tradition, and I’m proud to have the opportunity to work to make a great organization, and a great commercial district even better.”

Around Town

New Office Buildings Planned for Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published June 17, 2011 at 2:13PM | Updated June 17, 2011 at 5:16PM

New details have been released about a major office development in Clarendon.

Real estate investment firm Penzance says it’s about to complete its final site plan filing with Arlington County for the block bordered by Washington Boulevard, 11th Street, N. Highland Street and N. Garfield Street. Penzance wants to turn the block — which currently contains a bank, a bar, a used car dealership, a cemetery monument manufacturer and other small businesses — into a 300,000 square foot office development, complete with a 10-story office building, an 8-story office building, ground-level retail and a four-level underground parking garage.

News

Cadillac Crashes Into Lee Highway Beauty Salon

By ARLnow.com

Published June 13, 2011 at 1:05PM

The scene wasn’t pretty, but thankfully nobody was injured when a Cadillac crashed into a Lee Highway beauty salon this morning.

The crash happened just before 11:30 a.m., when an elderly female driver lost control of her vehicle in a strip mall parking lot. The car slammed through the front into Saira’s Beauty Salon, at 5117 Lee Highway, coming to rest partially inside the store. The driver then backed out of the store and into the parking lot, leaving broken glass, twisted metal and smashed bricks in the car’s wake.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Groupon Return Visits

By ARLnow.com

Published June 9, 2011 at 9:35AM | Updated June 9, 2011 at 10:08AM

While consumers only see the great money-saving bargains — for instance, $40 worth of food at a local restaurant for $20 — merchants have to accept that running a Groupon-type deal is probably going to be a money-losing proposition in the short term. Since Groupon typically gives merchants 50 percent of its deal revenue, that means that Joe’s Restaurant is only receiving $10 for giving away $40 worth of food. Low-margin businesses like restaurants will often lose money on that — and the losses will add up, since Groupon can sell hundreds or even thousands of coupons at a time.

The silver lining for businesses that use Groupon — and the entire premise of ‘daily deals’ in general — is customer acquisition. The idea is that by getting a whole bunch of people to try your food (if you’re a restaurant) or services (if you’re, say, a yoga instructor) you can get a certain percentage of those deal purchasers to come back later and pay full price.

Around Town

Pricey Rent at Ballston Common Mall

By ARLnow.com

Published June 7, 2011 at 11:15AM

Arlington County leases a 3,119 square foot store, on the second floor near the entrance to Macy’s Furniture Gallery, to house the Woodmont Weavers program. The privately-run but publicly-funded program allows adults with cognitive disabilities to learn how to weave, to sell their creations (placemats, pillows, totes, scarves, hats, etc.) and to earn a wage in the process. The county subleases the space to St. Coletta of Greater Washington, which runs the program on behalf of the Department of Human Services, for a nominal $1 rent.

On Saturday the board is expected to approve a lease and sublease renewal for the mall storefront. According to the staff report, the base rent for the store from Nov. 1, 2011 to Oct. 31, 2012 will be $67,528.80 per year. Add in taxes and utilities, and the expected annual cost rises to $93,911.40.

Around Town

Boccato Gelato Expanding with Boccato Lounge

By ARLnow.com

Published June 1, 2011 at 10:42AM

The new “Boccato Lounge” will serve as a “place for families and the community to gather,” according to co-owner Cristian Velasco. Featuring beer, wine and live entertainment, the lounge will similar to Tryst in Adams Morgan — a hybrid coffee/alcohol hang-out spot.

Velasco says the lounge will allow Boccato to give its coffee and espresso program the attention it deserves, while giving customers more room to enjoy their drinks. There will, of course, be free WiFi.

Around Town

Online Fundraiser Seeks New Router for Pike Coffee Shop

By ARLnow.com

Published May 31, 2011 at 10:11AM

Gooljar wants to raise $200 to get local, independent coffee shop Rappahannock Coffee & Roasting (2406 Columbia Pike) some new WiFi gear. It seems that the cafe’s existing wireless router is slow, outdated and can barely accommodate more than four simultaneous WiFi users. To remedy the situation, Gooljar is asking customers to make donations to help update the equipment.

“It’s a small coffee shop and the owners don’t make that much to be spending it on things like this but people are here all the time and we could benefit from a new router!” he wrote on ChipIn.com, a web site that helps users conduct grassroots fundraisers.

Around Town

Moon-Linked Sheraton National Hotel Sold

By ARLnow.com

Published May 27, 2011 at 7:30AM | Updated May 27, 2011 at 8:57AM

The hotel, located just off of Columbia Pike at 900 S. Orme Street, had been owned by National Hospitality Corporation, a company linked to Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church.

HEI Hotels and Resorts purchased an ownership interest in the hotel for an undisclosed sum. The company owns 39 hotels in 16 states, including the Sheraton Crystal City.

News

Colony House Furniture to Become Hotel

By ARLnow.com

Published May 26, 2011 at 9:36AM | Updated May 26, 2011 at 10:18AM

The recognizable building has been sold to the B.F. Saul Company, the Bethesda-based developer behind the recent Clarendon Center project. Last week representatives from Saul presented their redevelopment plan to the North Rosslyn Civic Association. Under the plan, an eight story extended stay hotel will be built on the 1.2 acre site at the corner of Lee Highway and N. Quinn Street. The hotel will include eight stories of guest rooms on top of two stories of above-ground parking.

(The parking must be built above ground since the site sits on solid rock. The building will technically be ten stories high from the Lee Highway side, but will only be considered eight stories due to the steep elevation near the rear of the site.)