Paul Mitchell’s beauty school is departing Tysons Corner Center after almost two decades of providing hair care services and training at the mall.
After halting acceptances of new students, the school is observing its last day of business today (Wednesday).
“We hope to continue to serve the community and applicants at another one of our franchise locations,” Paul Mitchell Tysons said in a message on its website. “We encourage you to visit our location finder to find a school location nearest you.”
Confirming that the school isn’t being relocated, an employee in Tysons told FFXnow that the closure was “unexpected” but didn’t have any information about what led to the decision. FFXnow has reached out to Paul Mitchell’s corporate office for comment.
A Tysons Corner Center spokesperson said the mall had nothing to add beyond confirming that the move by Paul Mitchell is “a corporate closing.”
Located at 8041-L Tysons Corner Center next to Nordstorm, Paul Mitchell The School offered a range of cosmetology programs to aspiring beauticians, who could get practical experience with haircutting, coloring and styling as well as makeup, skin care and nails.
The 11,000-square-foot salon also sold hair and beauty products, such as shampoo and lotion. In the weeks leading up to the closure, all products have been available at a 50% discount.
Paul Mitchell opened its school at Tysons Corner Center in January 2006 as a partnership with Ratner Companies, the now-defunct, Vienna-based parent company of Hair Cuttery, according to a Washington Post article from that time.
The Tysons salon was the company’s only location in the D.C. area, but it does have a school in Roanoke and a partner academy in Virginia Beach.
Hat tip to Jewel Weien
Depression-Era Building in Groveton Set for Demoliton — “A historic building in Groveton will soon be demolished in preparation for the construction of the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit system. The property at 6821 Richmond Highway…is described in Fairfax County documents as a two-story Colonial Revival commercial building of domestic origin that was built in 1934.” [On the MoVe]
Virginia to Study College Policies After Protests — “The Virginia House of Delegates has formed a select committee on maintaining campus safety and allowing students to exercise their First Amendment rights, after more than 125 arrests at four of Virginia’s college campuses” where students staged protests of Israel’s war on Gaza. [Virginia Mercury]
Chanel Opens New, Bigger Tysons Store — The fashion brand Chanel has opened a new boutique at Tysons Galleria, the mall announced on Monday (May 13). “Designed by longtime Chanel collaborator Peter Marino, the new 5,000-square-foot boutique more than triples the size of the previous one, which first opened at the mall in 2004.” [WWD/Yahoo]
Glass Recycling Bin Added at Clifton School — “Fairfax County’s Solid Waste Management program is proud to announce the installation of a new glass recycling bin at Clifton Elementary School, expanding the ‘Purple Can Club’ in the region. This initiative was spearheaded by two Robinson Secondary School juniors, Shaan Agarwal and DK Nguyen, who identified the need for more accessible glass recycling options in Clifton.” [DPWES]
Springfield Sports Complex to Launch Youth Academy — “The St. James is opening an academy for young athletes at its Springfield location starting in fall. The St. James Performance Academy will combine academic instruction with athletics, conditioning, nutrition, and more for young athletes in grades 6 through 12 in a number of sports, including basketball, baseball, figure skating, golf, and swimming.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
McLean Company Rethinking GPS — Tech firm NextNav Inc. is working to make a more precise and secure complement to GPS technology,” but it needs the Federal Communications Commission’s approval. The company is seeking access to “a small part of the 900 MHz public wireless spectrum” so it can provide location services with signals from telecommunications towers instead of satellites. [DC Inno]
Memorial Day Ceremony Planned in McLean — “American Legion Post 270 will host its annual Memorial Day Service on Monday, May 27, at 11 a.m. at the Memorial Garden in front of McLean High School, 1633 Davidson Road…The public is invited to attend the service, which will last about 30 minutes.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Wednesday — Expect showers and possible thunderstorms after 2pm, alongside patchy fog from 7am to 2pm, with a high near 65. Precipitation is 80%, and new rainfall may reach up to three quarters of an inch. At night, there’s a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low around 59. [NWS]
Virginia has implemented new guidelines to establish a unified rating and improvement system to assess the commonwealth’s publicly funded early childhood care providers.
Approximately 75% of child care programs that received public funding previously did not participate in the state’s voluntary quality measures, according to Del. David Bulova, D-Fairfax, who co-patroned 2020 legislation that led to all publicly funded providers being required to participate.
In the following year, a pilot system known as the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five system, or VQB5, was created to improve children’s school readiness and expand access to parents and support providers. Advocates say the new system is a critical tool for the state, providers and families to gauge the effectiveness of Virginia’s early childhood education programs.
“It is always important to have the data to show where young children are so that we can make the right investments moving forward,” said Alison Gilbreath, senior director for policy and programs for Voices for Virginia’s Children. “We want all children in Virginia to be ready for kindergarten when they reach that age and we also need to know what communities are struggling the most and sometimes the data can really help us understand what is working well and what isn’t.”
Kathy Glazer, president of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, said in a statement that the organization has been supportive of the system’s developments and implementation throughout the commonwealth.
“By focusing on providing feedback to teachers regarding effective interactions with children and use of curricula that is aligned with Virginia’s early learning standards, VQB5 drives increased quality improvement across settings and classrooms,” Glazer said.
The new rating system
Last month, the Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt the system’s guidelines, which will apply to over 3,200 birth-to-five programs including child care centers, and Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
The move is in conjunction with ongoing state efforts to prepare children for school and secure affordable child care, with the well of federal funds drying up. Read More
After a successful preview at last month’s Taste of Vienna, the men behind Evelyn Rose seem confident that their upcoming restaurant will prove worthy of its location.
The brainchild of owner Sam Schnoebelen and chef Nick Palermo, Evelyn Rose is on track to open in late May at 111 Church Street NW, replacing Bazin’s on Church after the bistro ended an 18-year run on April 27.
Similar to Bazin’s, the new restaurant will have a menu that Schnoebelen describes as “New-American,” but it won’t be limited by that label, building on Palermo’s “global techniques and intense seasonality” to deliver a “diversity” of dishes.
“Evelyn Rose is my and Chef Nick’s vision of a perfect neighborhood restaurant,” Schnoebelen told FFXnow by email. “[It will be] a combination of the comfort of community and familiarity with the skills we’ve learned in a career amongst the best restaurants in the area.”
Schnoebelen and Palermo first collaborated at Clarity (442 Maple Avenue East), where they worked as general manager and chef, respectively. Palermo recently returned to Clarity as its executive chef after leaving the Wolftrappe Shopping Center restaurant when it got new owners in 2022, while Schnoebelen most recently served as general manager at The Dabney in D.C.
Schnoebelen says working at Clarity gave him an appreciation for “what a special place” Vienna is, leading him and his wife to buy a house in the area. He and Palermo had discussed opening their own restaurant since 2019, but potential spaces “came and went,” according to Northern Virginia Magazine, which first reported the plans for Evelyn Rose.
An opportunity emerged when Bazin’s owners told Schnoebelen and Palermo that they were planning to retire and suggested that the pair take over the space.
“Patrick and Julie Bazin are people we look up to, but also friends of ours, so we were ecstatic when they told us they were considering this hand off,” Schnoebelen said. “They built Bazins from scratch and did exactly what we want to do; to give the community a great space with great food that gave them and the people working with them great pride. We are completely honored to be carrying on the great legacy of this space.”
Named after its owner’s and chef’s grandmothers, Evelyn Rose will serve some dishes that may be familiar to Clarity patrons, including pasta made from scratch, Northern Virginia Magazine reported. Entrees on an early draft of the menu included mango pickled fried chicken with smoked mac and cheese and braised wagyu short rib with brown-butter rutabaga purée and caramelized heirloom cauliflower, according to the magazine.
Schnoebelen says the goal is to create “a menu that is technical yet approachable with service that is refined yet warm, and most importantly, a place for everyone.”
While an exact opening date remains to be determined, the team offered a sneak peek at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department’s Taste of Vienna fundraiser on April 27. Evelyn Rose’s booth served sliders and a couple of drinks, including San Pellegrino.
“Taste of Vienna was exactly what we wanted it to be — a party,” Schnoebelen said. “So many familiar and friendly faces, these people showed out for their community in the rain proving a devotion for small businesses and local philanthropy and helping prove our theory that this is one of the great communities in our country.”
Schnoebelen says the restaurant will post updates on its website, where those interested can sign up for a newsletter, and through its Instagram account.
Police arrested two people over the weekend for allegedly stealing merchandise worth thousands of dollars from Tysons Corner Center and Fair Oaks Mall.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, detectives with its Tysons Urban Team (TUT), which focuses on retail theft and other mall-related crimes, received an alert at 1:07 p.m. on Saturday (May 11) that a “retail theft crew” had been spotted at Fair Oaks Mall (11750 Fair Oaks Mall).
“After committing a larceny at Fair Oaks Mall, the crew traveled to the 1900 block of Chain Bridge Road in Tysons where additional larcenies were committed,” the FCPD said yesterday (Monday) in a news release.
Two individuals — a 56-year-old man from New York and a 43-year-old woman from New Jersey — were located and arrested, but one person fled the scene, the police department said. The person who fled has been identified as a 45-year-old woman from New York. She’s now wanted for conspiracy to commit larceny, though detectives are in the process of obtaining additional warrants.
Police uncovered over $15,000 of stolen merchandise in a search of a vehicle used by the group, according to the FCPD, which says the trio have been linked to five larcenies since February, including the two on Saturday that led to the arrests.
Four of the incidents occurred in Tysons, where larcenies were previously reported on Feb. 24, March 23 and April 13. In total, the “spree” involved the theft of $27,000 worth of merchandise, police said.
The New York man has been charged with four counts each of grand larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny and larceny with intent to sell, and one count of possession of a burglarious tool. The New Jersey woman faces five counts each for the same larceny charges and a count of possession of a burglarious tool.
Both of the arrested suspects are in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center with no bond.
The arrests came a day after the FCPD reported that a different “retail theft crew” had been taken into custody at Tysons Corner Center after $24,000 worth of merchandise was found in their vehicle. The goods mostly consisted of underwear stolen from Victoria’s Secret in Prince William County, police said.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told the Board of Supervisors this spring that larcenies and thefts increased in 2023 compared to 2022. The FCPD took steps to crack down on retail theft last year, including by enhancing the presence of officers at local malls, “in response to a nationwide surge in organized retail crime since 2021,” the department said in its annual report for 2023.
However, actual data on retail theft in the U.S. is limited and unreliable. The Council of Criminal Justice found shoplifting incidents did spike in some cities, particularly New York City and Los Angeles, since the pandemic began, but most cities reported decreases compared to 2019.
In December, the National Retail Federation retracted an earlier claim that attributed nearly half of the $94.5 billion in losses reported by retail stores in 2021 to “organized retail theft” after Retail Dive questioned the accuracy of the widely cited statistic. At least one economist estimated that organized groups are likely responsible for just 5% of lost merchandise.
Facing lower-than-expected revenue from the county and state, Fairfax County Public Schools is considering a proposal to reduce staff pay raises.
Under Superintendent Michelle Reid’s new proposal, presented at last week’s school board meeting, all school employees would receive a 3% pay increase instead of the initially planned 6%, which would’ve made starting teacher salaries in Fairfax County the highest among surrounding jurisdictions.
“The focus of our budget proposal had been to catapult beginning teacher salaries and again the beginning masters teacher salaries to number one in our region,” Reid told the school board during its meeting last Thursday (May 9). “However, as a result of the significantly lower-than-requested funding levels, our improvement in beginning salaries will be a bit more measured, moving from seventh place out of eight to sixth place out of eight.”
The revised proposal came after the Board of Supervisors adopted a fiscal year 2025 budget on May 7 that increased the county’s real estate tax rate by 3 cents to support pay raises for county and school employees.
Back in February, Reid requested an additional $254 million for FCPS from the county, primarily to fund staff pay raises. But the county’s newly adopted budget, which will take effect on July 1, allocates $165 million after the Board of Supervisors raised concerns about further raising property taxes to compensate for state underfunding of schools.
According to Reid’s presentation, FCPS will get about $102 million less from the county and state than what the superintendent had sought in her proposed budget.
Gov. Youngkin signed a new two-year budget yesterday (Monday) that will be effective from July 1 and last until June 30, 2026. Approved with near-unanimous bipartisan support, the budget includes more than $2 billion for K-12 public education and provides 3% pay raises for teachers and state employees.
Although it was not immediately clear if FCPS will receive additional funding from this deal, Reid told the school board she will amend her proposal if more funds become available.
“If that money or monies should become available, I’ll likely be recommending the restoration of as much of the originally planned salary increase as possible,” she said.
Citing a recent study by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission of Virginia (JLARC), Reid emphasized that the state’s underfunding of FCPS by $568.6 million annually is a major reason for the school system’s continuous requests for more county funding.
“[The $568.6 million] would enable us to do a lot of amazing work and make sure that our educators benefited from a salary that would enable them to continue to live or afford the cost of living here in Fairfax County,” Reid said. “Unfortunately, the General Assembly has essentially delayed action on these recommendations by continuing to request further study.”
At the meeting, Hunter Mill District School Board Representative Melanie Meren attributed the worsening shortfall in K-12 school funding to Youngkin’s tax reduction policies and criticized the county for not advocating more vigorously on behalf of the school board.
“It’s now a pattern, and the governor continues to hold school boards like ours accountable for providing some services and yet does not allow us the time to actually plan as best as we can,” she said. “…I’d like to know what our county partners are doing to actually help us resolve this.”
The school board will hold a public hearing on its proposed budget today (Tuesday) that could be extended to tomorrow (Wednesday), followed by a work session on Tuesday, May 21. Adoption of a final budget is scheduled for May 23.
Feedback Sought on National Airport Noise — “Alexandria, Fairfax County and Prince George’s County have hired Vianair Consulting to spearhead a collaborative effort with members of the community and staff from various airport agencies to recommend changes to DCA airspace and flight procedures. Vianair is currently running a survey of residents south of DCA.” [ALXnow]
Gov. Youngkin Signs New State Budget — “Weeks of Virginia state budget drama ended Monday with pledges of bipartisan goodwill as the General Assembly passed a compromise two-year spending plan that boosts funding for education and other priorities without increasing taxes.” [Washington Post]
Foo Fighters Singer Shouts Out Fairfax County Roots — “@foofighters Dave Grohl shops at Tysons too! Superstar and DC-area local Dave Grohl was honored [on May 8 at] the @TheNationalMall’s Ball for the Mall. He gave shoutouts to @TysonsGalleria and to his mom who worked as a Fairfax County Public Schools teacher for 35 years.” [Washingtonian/Twitter]
Truck Traffic Ban Proposed for Lorton Roads — “The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is accepting public comments through June 10 regarding a proposed restriction of through truck traffic on Gunston Cove Road and Lorton Market Street from Richmond Highway to Lorton Road.” The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors requested a study by VDOT after residents “testified that trucks were speeding through the neighborhood.” [On the MoVe]
Hair Salon Coming to Annandale — “A salon and barbershop is coming to the old Tony Moly space next to the 7-Eleven on Hummer Road…A sign on the vacant storefront says Adela’s Salon and Barberia is coming soon. Tony Moly, a shop specializing in Korean cosmetics, opened in 2014 and closed last summer.” [Annandale Today]
Tennis Court Renovation Planned at Mason District Park — “Contractors will mobilize on site in early June, with work expected to begin on Wednesday, June 12. The project will include the replacement of old asphalt surfacing, fencing, gates, net posts and footers. New sealcoat, color coat and playing lines will also be applied to the courts.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]
County Attorney Honored for Affordable Housing Efforts — “Deputy County Attorney Cynthia Bailey was recently awarded the A. Robert Cherin Award by The Local Government Attorneys of Virginia…As the Deputy County Attorney, Ms. Bailey has steadfastly guided the Office’s legal efforts on affordable housing matters including public-private partnerships.” [FCRHA]
It’s Tuesday — Expect showers and potential thunderstorms after 5pm, accompanied by cloudy skies and a high of 72°F. There’s a 70% chance of precipitation. Tuesday night brings more showers, possibly a thunderstorm, with a low of 62°F and a 90% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
The Town of Vienna is moving ahead with plans for a second mini roundabout, this time at an intersection where a pedestrian was seriously injured in a crash last month.
As an initial safety measure, the town will install stop signs at all three sides of the Church Street and East Street NE intersection, which currently only requires drivers on Church Street to stop, Vienna Public Works Director Brad Baer told the town council at a meeting on May 6.
The new signs are expected to be in place by the end of this week, according to Vienna Public Information Director Karen Thayer.
In the long term, however, redesigning the T-shaped intersection as a roundabout will make it safer and more efficient, reducing traffic backups that can extend to Maple Avenue, town staff said.
“Some of the benefits here are a counterclockwise flow around a central island that provides a traffic calming effect, lower speeds, less conflict points,” Baer said. “…Pedestrians don’t have to look both ways and have shorter distances to cross with center islands in the middle…There are disadvantages as well, but mainly, it’s the growing pains, and at first, people need to gain familiarity with the roundabout concept.”
Vienna drivers have gained familiarity with roundabouts — or traffic circles, as Councilmember Roy Baldwin argued they should be called because “this is America” — since one was installed at Park Street and Locust Street SE in 2016.
After some initial issues with drivers on Park Street treating the roundabout like a straight road and nearby residents complaining about honking, the roundabout now appears to be “operating the way it’s supposed to,” according to Vienna Police Chief Jim Morris.
In addition to relieving congestion, the roundabout hasn’t seen any pedestrian crashes in at least three years, based on data that Morris shared earlier in the meeting. Vienna has had 16 crashes involving pedestrians since 2021, when there were seven crashes, followed by four in 2022, three in 2023 and two so far this year.
In the most recent crash, a driver turning left from East Street onto Church hit a woman around 6:43 p.m. on April 24. The woman sustained “pretty serious injuries” and remained hospitalized, as of last week’s town council meeting, according to Morris.
“It sounds like she’s improving, but she’s not able to communicate or anything yet,” the police chief said, adding that the crash is still under investigation.
Under consideration since 2015, the Church and East street roundabout was included in the 2024 Capital Improvement Plan and has $550,000 in available funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation and Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), though more will be needed for construction, Baer said.
The town council voted 5-2 last week to approve a $379,129 design contract for the Maryland-based engineering firm Rummel, Klepper & Kahl LLP. The opposing votes came from Baldwin and Councilmember Sandra Allen.
After Baer confirmed the NVTA funding could be repurposed for another project that meets the same criteria, Baldwin questioned if the roundabout is the best use of that money, especially when the project would be “condemning people in that area to a long construction period.”
Baer estimates that the design process will take two years, followed by three to six months of construction, Thayer told FFXnow.
“I’m unconvinced at this point that the traffic circle is the only remedy that is available for the cost that we would have to spend,” Baldwin said.
Other council members expressed support for the roundabout based on their experiences using the one on Park Street. In light of the April 24 crash, they stressed that the design team should carefully consider where crosswalks are placed and include signage, lighting or other measures to ensure pedestrians are visible to drivers.
The approved design contract for the Church and East street roundabout requires a lighting study and the inclusion of street lights — an element left out of the Park Street roundabout, Mayor Linda Colbert noted.
A project to add street lighting at the existing roundabout is in the works. The town submitted designs to Fairfax County, which will operate the lights, in October and anticipates construction taking place this fall.
“The crossings are at unusual places. I do remember when they presented the roundabout to us, they said…it’s safer to do it that way, which I understand,” Colbert said. “But I think having it well-lit is important to a lot of kids, and people of all ages are going to be out walking.”
Image via Google Maps
Pre-Dawn Northern Lights Glimpsed in D.C. Area — “Because of pesky clouds, the D.C. area initially missed out on a rare and magical opportunity to the see the northern lights Friday night. But during the pre-dawn hours Saturday, between about 4 and 6 a.m., the skies opened up just enough for an exceptionally rare view.” [Washington Post]
Local Judge to Decide If Embryos Can Be Property — “A trial is underway in Virginia that will determine whether state law allows frozen embryos to be considered property that can be divided up and assigned a monetary value. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Dontae Bugg heard arguments Thursday from a divorced couple who disagree over the ex-wife’s desire to use two embryos that they created when they were married.” [NBC4]
Man Convicted of Fairfax City Murder — “A man was convicted of second-degree murder on Thursday in the killing of a Fairfax City man who authorities said was left in a trash receptacle hours after he had asked the defendant to have sex.” Aaron James Anthony Robertson, 31, could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison after being found “guilty in the June 10, 2023, killing of 50-year-old Luis Barahona Reyes.” [Washington Post]
School Board Approves Cell Phone Storage Pilot — “The Fairfax County School Board approved a proposal to launch a pilot program for storing student cellphones during the school day.” The pilot allows high school students to get their phones back at the end of each class, but middle school students have to wait until the end of the school day. [NBC4]
Father of Crash Victim Proposes Renaming Lee Chapel Road — “A year-and-a-half after his daughter died in a crash on a treacherous stretch of Lee Chapel Road in Fairfax County, Virginia, a grieving father is petitioning to change the road’s name to reflect his daughter’s role in upcoming safety changes.” [WTOP]
Biden Campaign Opens Office in Annandale — “Pumped to welcome @DouglasEmhoff to Annandale for the opening of the first Biden-Harris campaign office in Virginia! Virginia is ready to keep our Commonwealth blue this November and send @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris back to the White House!” [Tim Kaine/Twitter]
Three Arrested in Tysons With Allegedly Stolen Underwear — “Three men were arrested in connection with several thefts in multiple jurisdictions, which included over $24,000 worth of product from Victoria’s Secret that was mostly underwear, the Fairfax County Police Department said.” [WJLA]
It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies today with a high near 76, as a light south wind blows 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Tonight, there will be a slight chance of showers after 2am, under partly cloudy conditions and a low around 59. The south wind will continue at around 8 mph, and the probability of precipitation is 20%. [NWS]
Photo by Ed Schudel/Twitter
Fairfax County leaders have given the go-ahead for a new shared-use path and planting strip along Shreve Road at the Falls Church border.
On Tuesday (May 7), the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to begin the project’s design, land acquisition, and construction that will extend from the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail to Route 7 in Idylwood.
According to a county staff report, the $6.9 million project will include a crosswalk near the intersection of Shreve Road and Gordon Road, benches near the entrance to the W&OD Trail, and stormwater management and drainage.
“While it’s a small connection, I know it will benefit my community, the Dranesville community, the Falls Church City community, and all those who use the W&OD Trail,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said during the board’s May 7 meeting.
Additionally, Palchik highlighted the necessity of the project, which was developed in conjunction with Falls Church City after a pedestrian was fatally struck by a truck at the intersection of Shreve Road and Hickory Street in 2019.
“The engineering piece of pedestrian safety is often the most expensive, but also the most effective,” she said.
The project is part of a broader initiative to enhance connectivity to Falls Church City’s West End, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, the Meridian High School campus and the West Falls Church Metro station, per the report.
According to the report, the City of Falls Church plans to reimburse the county for construction costs using $6.9 million in funds awarded by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. The city authorized the arrangement, which makes the county responsible for design and construction, in February.
Construction is slated to start in the fall of 2026 and finish in the spring of 2027.
Image via Google Maps
