People looking to get items from furniture stores in Fairfax County say employees have told them they may have to wait weeks or months before the stock arrives.
The delays are another symptom of the supply chain disruptions that the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced across the country, affecting industries from vehicles and food to homebuilding materials.
Brian Katz bought thousands dollars worth of furniture for a Labor Day sale in Bailey’s Crossroads, but three months later, he has yet to see the purchased bed frame, sofa with chaise, and other items.
“I am still waiting to receive any piece of furniture in my order,” Katz said in a Nextdoor post to neighbors.
Katz and his wife had been getting by with a makeshift sofa made out of blankets and a bedroll, but when he heard there would still be a delay a few weeks ago, he ordered a cheap futon from Amazon. It’s serving as a stopgap measure.
Delivery delays have been an issue for furniture stores nationwide throughout the past year. The Institute for Supply Management, a nonprofit organization, found furniture and related products had the biggest increase in backlogged orders in June compared to 17 other manufacturing industries.
The biggest uptick in backlogged orders has shifted to apparel, with the furniture sector having the second-most delays of that sort from July through September before scaling back and then no longer experiencing those kinds of extreme upticks as of November, according to stats from the institute.
The American Home Furnishings Alliance, an industry trade association, has attributed the challenges to increased demand for furniture, with more people continuing to work from home, as well as the lag time needed for manufacturers to restart operations after shutting down in March 2020.
In Herndon, Furniture Max higher-ups anticipated issues early in the pandemic, ordering around a year’s worth of furniture in the summer of 2020, said store manager Ali Baderzada. Many of the orders arrived six months later.
“Instead of ordering it monthly, we ordered it all at once,” he said. “We are still…getting those.”
That preparation means the store is now in the position to offer same-day and next-day delivery. Staff say they expanded that service to most in-store items this fall.
With the delays, many people have reported complaints to the Better Business Bureau, which can assist with getting refunds and resolutions. Customers have also shared their experiences on Google reviews.
Baderzada’s store has one BBB complaint, which is marked as resolved, and a Google review rating of 4.9 out of five stars. BBB’s database contains numerous complaints against different furniture chains amid the pandemic, where people say they paid upfront and still waited months after they expected items.
For Furniture Max’s Herndon location, many customer reviews say that, while other places across the region have had limited stock, they’ve been surprised and satisfied with their experiences there.
The Town of Vienna has called off its planned New Year’s Eve celebration.
The town’s economic development office had partnered with Cedar Park Shopping Center to host a family-friendly “Noon Year’s Eve” event to usher in the new year. The party was scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Friday (Dec. 31) with games, a live DJ, a pop-up artisan market, giveaways, and more.
However, the event has now been canceled in response to rapidly rising COVID-19 cases throughout the D.C. area, including Fairfax County.
Fairfax County has reported more than 1,000 new cases for each of the past two days — the first time that has happened in the pandemic, according to Virginia Department of Health data. The only other time the county has seen over 1,000 cases in one day was Jan. 17, at the height of last winter’s surge.
“Due to an increase of COVID-19 cases in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, we have decided to cancel this event,” the town’s webpage for “Noon Year’s Eve” says. “Please call (571) 235-5705 if you have any questions.
“Noon Year’s Eve” joins a rash of nixed New Year’s Eve celebrations throughout the region.
The City of Falls Church announced on Tuesday (Dec. 21) that organizers had decided to cancel its annual Watch Night, and the City of Alexandria has canceled its First Night Alexandria party, along with its waterskiing Santa.
A popular empanadas food truck has launched a dining space in Tysons Galleria.
Empanadas De Mendoza owners Gabi and Tyler Steelman opened up the new brick-and-mortar venue on the third floor of the mall on Thursday (Dec. 16). The restaurant offers meat and vegetarian options for the handheld pastries with light, flaky crusts.
The move brings the couple full circle to when they started selling their empanadas out of a food truck to Tysons offices over five years ago, eventually expanding their operations throughout Northern Virginia.
The made-to-order empanadas (from the Spanish word empanar, meaning “to bread”) feature a variety of fillings: traditional and spicy beef, honey barbecue pork, pineapple chicken, spinach ricotta, and three cheese. Churros and sides are available, along with pastry desserts known as alfajores, featuring coconut shavings.
Gabi Steelman said Saturday (Dec. 18) that they’ve had customers trickling in, many of them regulars who follow the business’ social media channels, and an electronic menu said January dates are coming soon.
Gabi Steelman started the business in 2013 at a local farmers market in Fairfax out of a desire to share her culture and how much empanadas mean family, friends, and fun in her hometown of Mendoza, Argentina.
She soon married Tyler Steelman, and the couple quit their full-time jobs to pursue Empanadas De Mendoza.
In 2020, the couple got a storefront with a production kitchen in Lorton, where they also host parties, and a second food truck.
The new store’s special hours for the rest of this month are today (Dec. 23) and next Tuesday through Thursday (Dec. 28-30) from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
A Virginia State Police trooper and occupants of a vehicle that had been pulled over for speeding narrowly escaped injury last night (Wednesday) from a collision with a drunk driver, police say.
The incident occurred around 11:45 p.m. on I-495 near the exit to Gallows Road south of Merrifield.
According to the VSP report, a trooper identified as J. Weitzman had stopped a Toyota sedan that was traveling north on the interstate at 90 miles per hour:
While the trooper was standing next to the stopped Toyota, a Nissan Versa traveling north on I-495 ran off the right side of the interstate and slammed into the trooper’s marked patrol car. (The state police vehicle had its emergency lights activated at the time.) The impact of that crash forced the state police car into the Toyota. Trooper Weitzman had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck.
Meanwhile, the Nissan came to rest in the northbound lanes of I-495.
After making certain the Toyota’s driver and passenger were not injured, Trooper Weitzman ran over to the Nissan and called for rescue. The driver was trapped inside the Nissan, as the crash jammed the driver’s door shut. The trooper was able to help the driver of the Nissan out of the vehicle through the passenger side.
No injuries resulted from the crash to Weitzman, the Nissan driver, or the occupants of the Toyota.
The Nissan driver, a 65-year-old D.C. resident, was taken into custody and now faces multiple charges, including driving under the influence. Police say this is the driver’s second DUI offense within the past 10 years.
The driver has also been charged with refusing to take an alcohol breath test, driving without a valid license, and failing to move over.
“The crash remains under investigation,” the Virginia State Police said.
#VSP trooper stopped out w/speeding vehicle on I-495 in #FairfaxCounty was struck by 65 YO #DUI driver at 11:45 PM 12/22/21. No injuries, amazingly. It's the holidays, #Virginia! Pls #DriveSober #SlowDown & #MoveOver. Let's all make it home safely for the #holidays. @VaDOTNOVA pic.twitter.com/qHh5oJUF4U
— VA State Police (@VSPPIO) December 23, 2021
Health Department Adapts to Omicron Surge — With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise, the Fairfax County Health Department is changing its contact-tracing process to focus staff and resources on “higher-risk scenarios,” such as congregate settings, schools and childcare facilities, and outbreaks. Other individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be notified by text message. [FCHD]
Robb Family Comments on McLean House Fire — Children of former Virginia governor Chuck Robb and his wife, Lynda Johnson Robb, confirmed that their parents had no life-threatening injuries after a fire destroyed the McLean mansion where they have lived for nearly 50 years. The Robb family thanked the firefighters and medical professionals who responded to the incident. [Office of the Governor]
Rare Owl Spotted in Oakton — “Animal Protection Police officers in Fairfax County, Virginia, helped a rare owl get out of a tough spot last month. The Fairfax County Police Department posted about the rescue on its Facebook page Tuesday. APP officers were called to the Oakton area Nov. 17 for a report of an owl that had flown into a home under construction.” [WTOP]
Tysons Corner and Galleria Close Early Tomorrow — “Between Christmas Eve for late shoppers and post-Christmas shopping, the two malls in Tysons have adjusted hours on upcoming days. Santa photos will continue at malls through Christmas Eve. Malls and surrounding stores are generally closed on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.” [Patch]
McLean Holiday Lights Contest Voting Underway — McLean residents can now vote online for their favorite neighborhood holiday decorations as part of the Light Up McLean contest. The McLean Community Center will announce winners in three categories — best overall, most creative, and best holiday theme — on Jan. 3. [Old Firehouse Center/Twitter]
A few teenagers can’t solve world hunger on their own, but some McLean High School students are doing their part to at least make a difference on a local level.
Steven Guo and Rehan Marshall started organizing food drives in June 2020 after seeing news reports about the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying economic downturn pushing more people to seek food assistance.
“Not enough donations were going to food banks, so many food banks around the nation were running dangerously low on supplies,” said Guo, who was a sophomore at the time. “We saw this and didn’t want it to happen locally.”
Over the past 18 months, the two students’ effort has grown into the nonprofit Teens for Food Banks, which now boasts about 50 members and remains entirely student-run.
The organization has collected 7,793 pounds of food with 17 food drives held every month since June 6, 2020. The most recent campaign concluded last weekend and brought in 328 pounds, according to Guo.
With past events ranging from McLean and Falls Church to Centreville and Arlington County, Teen for Food Banks operates differently from a traditional food drive, where people bring donations to a designated site.
Instead, the nonprofit follows a model similar to Food for Neighbors’ Red Bag Program. First, volunteers distribute flyers throughout a chosen neighborhood. Then, they return the following week to pick up the food and drop it off at a food bank.
So far, the food drives have benefited Share of McLean, which runs a food pantry out of McLean Baptist Church, and the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), which serves Arlington County.
“The TeensforFoodBanks group is a wonderful group of teenagers,” AFAC Associate Director of Communications Jeremiah Huston said by email. “We are always amazed to see teenagers take it upon themselves to do great things in our community. They are very self sufficient and self motivated.”
Teens for Food Banks has given AFAC about 2,000 pounds of food, according to Huston.
Guo says organizing the food drives involved “a lot of trial and error,” with navigating COVID-19 safety protocols as the top challenge. Initially, the entire process was contact-free: students picked up food without ever meeting the donors and only saw their fellow volunteers at drop-off time.
However, for Guo, the logistical demands of Teens for Food Banks have been outweighed by an “outpouring” of community support and his neighbors’ generosity. For the last food drive, one family contributed two boxes of food that he estimates weighed 60 to 80 pounds.
“These acts of kindness, especially during COVID, during a very rough year for everyone, it was very inspiring,” Guo said. “I’m also just glad to know I was able to have an impact on the community.”
Now, he hopes to empower other students to get involved in their community. Read More
Fairfax County Public Schools is preparing to level up its esports offerings, expanding an activity that started last year with a handful of rogue student clubs into a full-blown program.
The esports club at Fairfax High School started as a general-interest group while students were learning virtually in 2020. It was run from students’ homes and through an online messaging and voice website, Discord.
Students have still kept their academic priorities, but with in-person learning expanding to five days a week this fall, in-person events became more prevalent: a tournament organized last week involving Nintendo’s Super Smash Brothers drew dozens of students.
“It’s the largest club in our school,” said Fairfax High School English teacher David Greene, the club’s advisor, noting that the group has over 200 active members. “A lot of the students who came into the room were not even part of the room yet and were asking how to sign up.”
FCPS plans to make esports available this spring for all 25 high schools and has spent the past few months recruiting coaches.
The expansion will require some adjustments for students in the existing clubs, which include one at Centreville High School.
Where Fairfax High School offered a variety of video games for students to play, FCPS has said its esports program will be limited to the soccer-like car-driving online game Rocket League. The Virginia High School League, which is exploring whether to make esports an officially sanctioned activity, has three titles for its pilot year that started this fall.
Greene says he has advocated for FCPS to consider incorporating two games that his students have been playing, either through the club or on their own: Super Smash Brothers and the multiplayer online battle arena fantasy game League of Legends.
FCPS also intends to have students participate at school facilities rather than remotely, and the introduction of a countywide program will make esports more like other extracurricular activities with coaches, teams, and formal competitions.
Greene says Fairfax High’s esports club gave students a social outlet during the pandemic, as participants talked incessantly on Discord. The games remind him of people watching sports on TV, where people understand the rules and know who they’re rooting for.
“Most students are going to be going home and playing these games anyway,” Greene said. “It’s something that they’re passionate about.”
Though research suggests gaming can improve mental health, extensive screen time remains a concern for many parents and doctors. In China, youth are now restricted to three hours of gaming per week.
Greene says overall screen usage can be a health concern, especially after online schooling launched screen time to new levels, but parents shouldn’t dismiss the intellectual and developmental benefits that activities like video games can provide.
“When I was growing up, parents very much thought of video games as a negative, a dead-end thing, something that you didn’t develop skills by playing,” he said. “And I think that parents should realize that you’re actually developing critical thinking skills when you’re playing these games. I have not seen a student who’s playing these games who doesn’t eventually develop skills to understand, to communicate, [and improve] their fine motor skills.”
As the holidays approach, here are a number of closures to keep in mind in the area.
Fairfax County Government offices officially close at noon tomorrow through Friday. Offices will also be closed on Friday, Dec. 31 for the New Year’s holiday. But some facilities are open and schedules may differ.
All library branches will be open from 10 a.m. to noon on Christmas Eve, but will remain closed on Friday, Saturday, Dec. 31, and New Year’s Day. Fairfax County Public Schools are closed through Jan. 3. The school system is encouraging the school community to reach out to address mental health concerns.
The Fairfax Connector will operate on Saturday service schedules tomorrow and Friday.
The county’s Circuit Court will be closed on Thursday and Friday, along with Dec. 30 and 31.
Residents should contact their trash and recycling collection for service changes due to the holidays.
All recreation centers operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority are open tomorrow from 5 a.m. to noon, but closed on Christmas Day. The George Washington Recreation Center, however, will be closed both days.
All county parks and recreation facilities will be closed on Christmas.
Vaccination clinics at the Fairfax County and South County Government Centers will remain closed from tomorrow through Dec. 26, as will the county’s COVID-19 call center.
The Tysons Community Vaccination Center will be closed from tomorrow through Dec. 27 and from Dec. 31 through Jan 2. Between the 28th and 29th, the center will be open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Dec. 30.
Plan Ahead! 2021 Christmas and 2022 New Year’s Holiday Schedule: https://t.co/7byPWvItbj pic.twitter.com/G97H8jyksL
— Fairfax County Government
(@fairfaxcounty) December 21, 2021
Public health officials are also encouraging residents to maintain social distancing measures in order to minimize hospitalizations during the winter surge of cases.
Photo via Tim Mossholder/Unsplash
(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) A large fire burned down a house in McLean last night (Tuesday) that property records indicate belongs to former Virginia governor and senator Chuck Robb.
Units from the Fairfax County Department of Fire and Rescue responded to the 600 block of Chain Bridge Road before midnight and remained on the scene at least through 2:20 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, the two-alarm house fire was visible throughout the house’s first floor, the FCFRD said. It required assistance from the Arlington and Montgomery county fire departments.
Around 2:10 a.m., the fire was under control, and investigators were on the scene to determine the cause of the blaze. Two people were transported to a hospital with injuries considered non-life-threatening, but there were no reported firefighter injuries.
Fairfax County police closed all lanes on Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) from Merrie Ridge Road to North Glebe Road due to the fire department activity, eventually reopening the road around 9:30 a.m.
FCFRD spokesperson Bill Delaney told Tysons Reporter the cause of the fire has not been determined yet. The severity of the damage means the investigation could take weeks to complete.
Outgoing Gov. Ralph Northam expressed condolences to Robb and his wife, Lynda Johnson Robb, the daughter of former president Lyndon B. Johnson, for the fire.
Units currently on scene of two alarm house fire in 600 block of Chain Bridge Road in McLean. 1st arriving units reported fire throughout 1st floor of a large home. Two persons transported to hospital w/non-life-threatening injuries. @ArlingtonVaFD and @mcfrs assisting. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/jUStCUVtKt
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 22, 2021
2-ALARM FIRE RIGHT NOW AT HOME OWNED BY ***Sen. Charles S. Robb and his wife, Lynda J ***. 2 occupants are safely out, but fire has spread and firefighters are going to an external attack. Location: 600 blk Chain Bridge Rd in McLean, Va, Fairfax Co. H/T @HCBright10 #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/5od574qqYE
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) December 22, 2021
Update – two alarm house fire in 600 block of Chain Bridge Road in McLean. Fire is under control. Crews hitting hot spots. No reported firefighter injuries at this time. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/4RGQGHyUVq
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 22, 2021
Update – two alarm house fire in 600 block of Chain Bridge Road in McLean. Second alarm units returning to service. Fire Investigators on scene to determine cause. Photos from earlier in Fire. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/k6KGjULXh4
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) December 22, 2021
Pam and I were deeply saddened to learn of a fire at the home of former governor Chuck Robb. Our thoughts are with Chuck and Lynda as they recover from this tragedy.
— Governor Ralph Northam (@VAGovernor73) December 22, 2021
COVID-19 Infections Contribute to Metrobus Driver Shortage — “More than 50 Metro bus routes are experiencing delays and increased wait times due to a driver shortage across the city. WMATA cites the spread of new COVID variants, such as delta and omicron, as one of the causes of the shortage, as employees take sick leave to recover.” [WUSA9]
County Urges Awareness of Unhoused People — As the winter solstice, last night (Tuesday) was the longest one of the year, prompting Fairfax County to acknowledge its 1,000-plus residents who experience homelessness every winter. The county advises community members to call its Department of Public Safety Communications at 703-691-2131 if they see someone in need of shelter, and the annual Hypothermia Prevention Program is now underway. [Fairfax County Government]
Nearby: Mary Riley Styles Library Goes Virtual — “Due to concerns about the recent increase in COVID-19 transmissions in the area, all in-person library programs and use of library conference rooms are suspended until mid-January 2022. Group study rooms may still be reserved, but are limited to groups of three or less.” [City of Falls Church]
Transit and Amenities Drive Fairfax County Office Demand — “New office buildings in transit-oriented mixed-use developments in Tysons and Reston have generated leasing and investor interest as office tenants court young workers. But as these projects soak up the pandemic-weakened demand for new leases, the older suburban-style office buildings have suffered.” [Bisnow]
Student Mental Health Support Staffing a Concern in FCPS — “Many Fairfax County Public Schools students were experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression even before the pandemic struck nearly two years ago and county officials are struggling to maintain adequate mental-health staffing to address those concerns.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
