Coffee drinkers will have to wait at least another month for Fairfax-based Simply Social Coffee to open in the Town of Vienna.
Owner Kathy Pao told Tysons Reporter that the new coffee shop delayed the opening plans to possibly sometime in October at BB&T’s former spot in the Cedar Park Shopping Center.
Pao said that she signed the lease for the Vienna location last November after picking the location for its drive-thru window and proximity to the Fairfax coffee shop. While Pao originally saw the drive-thru window as a “perk,” she didn’t realize that she would need approval from the town to use it for food and drinks.
Currently, Pao is seeking a conditional use permit from the town to use the former bank’s drive-in teller as a drive-thru window.
Origianlly, she was planning to open the shop and drive-thru component at the same time this month. With delays from the pandemic and uncertainty about the conditional use permit, she now plans to open the shop — but not the window — sometime in October.
“It’s not one particular delay. It’s an accumulation,” Pao said. “It just adds up.”
Despite the extra work for the drive-thru window, Pao said she sees it as an extension of the coffee shop’s focus on building community relationships.
When the coffee shop opens, Pao hopes that people will support her female- and minority-owned business during the pandemic.
“I think these days, people do appreciate the mom and pop stores a little bit more,” Pao said.
Photo via Simply Social Coffee/Facebook
Falls Church police are investigating the death of a man after his body was found on S. Washington Street.
Police said a passerby reported the body in the 500 block of S. Washington Street, which is near near the Target and Pearson Square apartments, around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday (Aug. 23).
“Police responded to the scene and called medics, but the adult male was declared deceased,” police said in a press release, adding that they will not share the victim’s name until the next of kin are notified.
Police are looking for information that can help with the investigation. People who have something to share about the incident can call 703-241-5053 (TTY 711).
&pizza Co-Founder Buys McLean Mansion — “Washington Wizards superstar Bradley Beal has sold his French Provincial-style McLean mansion to entrepreneur Steve Salis, the co-founder of &pizza, for $3.5 million.” [Washington Business Journal]
Virtual Fundraiser — “The McLean area branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is hosting an online fund-raiser to take the place of its 51st annual book sale, which was slated for September but has been canceled due to the public-health pandemic.” [Inside NoVa]
Former Lt. Gov. Dies — “John H. Hager, a moderate Republican who persevered over polio to serve as Virginia’s lieutenant governor and hold other key state and national posts, died Sunday. He was 83.” [Richmond Times-Dispatch]
Inc. 5000 List — “The number of Greater Washington companies at the top of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies fell precipitously in 2020, reversing a trend of growth from the previous few years’ lists… Vienna logistics firm Urgent.ly, which last year was Greater Washington’s highest-ranked firm at No. 12 on the list, dropped more than 200 spots to No. 221 in 2020.” [Washington Businss Journal]
Photo by Michelle Goldchain
ShowPlace Icon is now screening movies again at The Boro.
The 72,000-square-foot theater (1667 Silver Hill Drive) — the seventh for the luxury movie theater chain — temporarily closed its new Tysons location due to COVID-19 restrictions just weeks after opening. During its closure, the theater sponsored The Boro’s drive-in movie series in June and July.
The theater announced that it reopened today (Friday). Competitor AMC Theatre reopened yesterday in Tysons Corner Center.
Today and this weekend, ShowPlace Icon is screening “Inception” to celebrate the film’s 10th anniversary, “Unhinged,” “Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula” and “Words on Bathroom Walls,” according to its website.
Audience goers are required to wear face coverings. The theater is encouraging people to buy tickets and concession items in advance to reduce contact. A full list of safety measures to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 is on the theater’s website.
The theater’s 14 auditoriums can seat 1,795 people, but the movie chain said that it will have reduced seating due to the coronavirus pandemic.
An upcoming protest in Merrifield is part of nationwide mobilization at post offices across the U.S.
From Alaska to Florida, 602 volunteer-led protests are set to take place at 11 a.m. local time tomorrow (Saturday) to demand Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s resignation and “save the post office from Donald Trump.”
The protests are in response to DeJoy’s cost-cutting measures for the financially-rocky United States Postal Service, which critiques said could delay the expected surge of mail ballots for the November election.
After facing a backlash, DeJoy said he will pause the changes until after the election. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly slammed mail-in ballots, said he opposes more funding for the USPS because of mail-in voting.
The protest at the Merrifield post office (8409 Lee Hwy) will be wheelchair accessible, according to the event description. Protests will also take place in Reston and Arlington.
The nationwide mobilization is backed by several unions and organizations, including MoveOn, Service Employees International Union, the NAACP, the Working Families Party, The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, American Federation of Teachers, Indivisible and Vets for the People.
Organizers are asking participants to wear face coverings, remain 6 feet apart from each other, bring hand sanitizer and keep the protests peaceful and nonviolent.
“Individual hosts are responsible for compliance with their own local laws and event requirements (including orders limiting the sizes of events),” the event description said.
Image via Google Maps
Former Governor Eyeing Run for Seat — “Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe filed paperwork with the State Board of Elections Thursday to seek the governorship in 2021 but has not made a decision yet whether he will actually run for office. In the paperwork, McAuliffe listed himself as a Democratic candidate for governor.” [Patch]
Unemployment Update — “After two successive weeks of significant drops, initial claims for unemployment benefits increased slightly in Northern Virginia last week.” [Inside NoVa]
Traffic Alert for Gallows Road Over I-66 — “Installation of bridge beams for the new Gallows Road Bridge over I-66 will require reducing Gallows Road over I-66 to one travel lane in each direction from 11 a.m. Saturday, August 22, through 8 a.m. Monday, August 24.” [Virginia Department of Transportation]
Lender Could Seize Vienna Hotel — “A portfolio of 48 hotels nationwide, including one in Vienna and several others in Virginia and Maryland, could be seized in a $780 million foreclosure lawsuit.” [Washington Business Journal]
Unemployment Benefits Bump? —Â “Virginia is applying for federal funds made available by President Donald Trump to supplement state unemployment benefits by $300 a week, Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration said Wednesday.” [Inside NoVa]
Photo by Michelle Goldchain
The ASPIRE HOUSE McLean Designer Show House opens this weekend, giving people an inside look at a 9,600-square-foot custom home decorated by dozens of designers.
The house (952 Mackall Farms Lane) features 30 rooms created and decorated by more than two dozen designers and architects, according to the event description.
Originally supposed to open in May, the event got pushed to June and then to late September. Now, the show house is set to open this Saturday (Aug. 22) to the general public through Sunday, Sept. 13. The show house will be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
People can take house tours with up to 12 people every 15 minutes, with admission for the last tour starting at 4 p.m., and tour the rooms online.
Safety protocols for the in-person tours due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic include hand sanitizing stations around the show house, face masks required for entry and advising people to stay 6 feet away from each other.
Tickets cost $50 for adults and $45 for military and seniors. The proceeds will go toward a scholarship fund that will support aspiring design talent from underrepresented communities.
Hairstylist Daniel Bechara is looking to raise money ahead of his plans to help repair damaged homes in Lebanon, where he was born and raised.
Bechara, who owns Salon Daniel (6828A Old Dominion Drive) in McLean, started a GoFundMe to raise $50,000. So far, the fundraiser has netted more than $7,000 in six days.
Bechara’s fundraiser joins a growing list of local businesses in the Tysons area that are supporting relief efforts following a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, on Aug. 4.
“August 4, 2020 was a day that shattered my heart, the hearts of my fellow Lebanese people, and the rest of the world,” Bechara wrote on the fundraiser’s page. “Lebanon has experienced dark times, but nothing as devastating as the effects of COVID-19 followed by the massive explosion.”
Bechara shared that he moved to the D.C. area in 1985 and has been providing support to his family and parents in Lebanon, as the country grapples with economic turmoil.
Bechara said he plans to head back to Lebanon in early September to repair homes with the support of the mayor of Dekwaneh, a suburb near Beirut.
“$500 can put a house back into working condition (ie- repair broken glass and provide basic necessities like a microwave, pots, pans),” Bechara wrote, adding that he pledges to make contributions from his own wallet to rebuild four homes.
Photo via Salon Daniel/Facebook
One person has been taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a crash in McLean today (Thursday), according to Fairfax County police.
Police received the call shortly after noon for a collision involving two vehicles at the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Swinks Mill Road, police spokesperson Tara Gerhard told Tysons Reporter.
One person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Gerhard said.
As of 12:50 p.m., traffic is backed up a short distance along both roads near the intersection, according to Google Maps. Gerhard said that she was not notified of any road or lane closures.
Map via Google Maps
The McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) is looking for students to submit entries for the upcoming Children’s Art Walk.
In previous years, the Children’s Art Walk was an open-air gallery, but due to the pandemic, the juried show will take place virtually. The New Dominion Women’s Club of McLean is sponsoring the exhibit, which is a part of MPAartfest.
Students in the Langley and McLean public school pyramid, as well as students at private and parochial schools, can participate, Bethany Nguyen, MPA’s marketing consultant, told Tysons Reporter.
Entries will be accepted between Aug. 24-Sept. 6. MPA asks students to submit art related to one of three themes: “Abundance,” “Small Stories” and “Natural Inclinations.”
MPAartfest is scheduled to take place Oct. 4-18. People will be able to view the exhibit, which will also include art made by kids during MPA’s summer art camps, online during the duration of the festival.
Last year’s Children’s Art Walk featured work from more than 150 students, according to MPA.
Photo via McLean Project for the Arts/Facebook
