As businesses around Tysons reopen after being shut down for coronavirus concerns, personal care services such as nail salons are making customer and employee safety protocols their top priority.
Tysons Nail Lounge has reopened for business following Northern Virginia’s transition into Phase 1 of reopening on Friday, May 29. The nail salon located in The Boro is taking customers by appointment only.
“We’ve been pretty impacted by the shutdown because we’re a personal-care business,” said Emily Tran, the owner of Tysons Nail Salon. “Since we opened, business has picked up a lot. Customers feel safe.”
While most of Virginia reopened on May 15, localities in Northern Virginia requested extra time “to meet the health metrics,” according to Gov. Ralph Northam. After granting the delay, Northern Virginia finally entered Phase 1 on Friday. Previously, Virginia had been under a stay-at-home order since March 30 due to the coronavirus and is now under a safer-at-home directive.
Tysons Nail Lounge is taking precautions to make sure their customers feel safe. Customers are required to wear masks — if they don’t own one, the salon will provide disposable masks, according to Tran.
Additionally, the salon is taking customer temperatures at the door with a no-touch thermometer while also requiring their employees to take their temperature prior to each shift. Plexiglass sneeze guards have been installed at each station and are designed with a slot for customers to slide their hands through.
“Our goal is to keep customers and staff healthy with maximum sanitation and disinfection procedures. We are taking necessary precautions so customers feel safe,” said Tran.
Tysons Nail Lounge is a relatively new business. The salon made its grand opening in January of this year after a few months of delays from their original opening that was slated for November 2019. Their services include manicure and pedicure services, waxing, massages and more, according to their website, which also provides an extensive breakdown of how they plan to keep their patrons safe.
“We are very happy we’re open again. Customers have been in quarantine for a while and are more than joyful that we’re open,” Tran said. “We’re prepared, and we’re definitely ready to take on customer demands.”
Photo courtesy of Tysons Nail Lounge
Once a week, Jayesh Edwards, a high school student in McLean, lathers up his pet hedgehog with unscented soap for babies. He uses a toothbrush to clean her quills, bathing her in lukewarm water in a sink.
“Her stomach is like fur, and you brush it all over. She really likes it,” Edwards told Tysons Reporter. “It’s like she’s getting massaged.”
Outside of bath time, Serena Quilliams — a twist on the famous tennis player’s name — can be found munching on her favorite treat of carrots or sleeping in Edwards’ sweatshirt pocket.
“Hedgehogs are normally [the size of] a soda can,” Edwards said. “She’s like 1.5 soda cans. She’s pretty big.”
She is now one of several pet hedgehogs in Fairfax County after the Board of Supervisors approved legalizing them — along with chinchillas and hermit crabs — as pets in January 2019. The City of Falls Church followed shortly after, allowing pet hedgehogs as of last June.
Hedgehog legalization in both the county and the city followed prickly debates focused on their high levels of maintenance as nocturnal animals — like requiring a room temperature above 70 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent hibernation, according to the Hedgehog Welfare Society.
Members of the county’s Animal Services Advisory Commission and Humane Society, along with Falls Church’s animal warden and police chief, argued against pet hedgehogs, calling them expensive pets that are challenging to care for and expressing concern that legalization could fuel the exotic pet trade.
“We’re going to open up our city to invasive species again,” Rebecca Keenan, the animal warden for the city, told city officials last June.
There’s also the health concern: hedgehogs can spread salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pet hedgehog advocates were quick to point out that cats, dogs, frogs, hamsters and many other animals can also carry the bacteria.
The salmonella concerns weren’t a surprise to Edwards, because he’s had a monitor lizard for nearly a decade and a turtle for the last three years. “My mom is allergic to dogs,” he said. “Hedgehogs don’t shed.”
Edwards said he was “really upset” when he found out in sixth grade that the county didn’t allow the exotic animals as pets. Undeterred, he decided to push for legalization by writing to and meeting with Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust.
“I did so much research. I was kind of prepared for anything,” Edwards said.
In January 2019, Edwards, who was then a Longfellow Middle School student, shared his extensive research by testifying before the Board of Supervisors.
He shared how hedgehogs — like his monitor lizard — require heat lamps and a specific temperature range. They can spread salmonella but the risk isn’t higher than many other pets, he said.
“Another thing is that they fight, but if you had done any research on owning a hedgehog, you would know that you don’t keep them in pairs, because they fight,” Edwards said, adding: “And if you don’t want baby hedgehogs, you would definitely not keep a male and a female hedgehog together.” The board erupted in chuckles.
Later that day, the board approved the legalization.
“As soon they allowed hedgehogs in Fairfax, we sort of jumped on it,” Mindy Thomas, a Fairfax County resident, told Tysons Reporter.
Earlier this spring, her 12-year-old son Rhett finally got his hedgehog, which he named Band-Aid. “He’s a lazy, fat boy,” he said.
Like Edwards, Thomas said he did his research and was prepared for Band-Aid’s night-time activity — “I’m a really sound sleeper [so] he doesn’t bother me too much” — but still had some surprises.
“The thing about hedgehogs is, a lot of videos say that the quills — you get used to them, which you do,” Thomas said. “They are pokey.”
And then there’s Band-Aid’s love of scrambled eggs without salt, in addition to his regular diet of cat food, which his cat Lucy tries to steal, along with mealworms as treats. The food’s exit looks “like little jelly beans,” he added.
The Thomases and Band-Aid inspired another Fairfax County family to become “hedgie” parents, with 17-year-old Steven Eckloff’s detailed 20-page PowerPoint winning his parents over to the idea.
Eckloff got his hedgehog Ollie on March 28 — two days before Gov. Ralph Northam announced the stay-at-home order due the pandemic.
To maximize his time with Ollie, Eckloff has adjusted his hours — waking up around 11 a.m. to stay awake later and then going to bed around 2-3 a.m. “I hear the little pattering of his feet when he’s running on the wheel at night,” he said, adding that Ollie likes to play with toilet paper rolls.
Since a ban was placed in the 1990s on the importation of wild-caught African pygmy hedgehogs — the most common type of hedgehog pet — to the U.S., prospective owners have to find their pets at breeders or shelters.
Many of the websites for hedgehog breeders in Northern Virginia that Tysons Reporter viewed included resources and guides for how to keep the pets safe.
Riddle’s Hedgehogs, a small to mid-scale breeder in Frederick County, asks for people’s addresses when they fill out their online applications and Christie Riddle told Tysons Reporter that she has caught people trying to skirt the law.
“Unfortunately, a couple of times I have had potential adoptees fill in an invalid address and go through the entire adoption process, arrive to pick up the hedgehog, only then to find out that a driver’s license is required to pick up the hedgehog,” Riddle said.
Riddle tells people she cannot sell to them if pet hedgehogs are not legal in their area, noting that appropriate veterinary care is often hard to find in those areas.
Additionally, Riddle screens applicants for certain warning signs.
“As a breeder, I look for red flags such as if it is intended for a young child,” Riddle said. “Hedgehogs are difficult for young children to handle. I look for stable homes that can care for a hedgehog long-term.”
“It is not a starter pet,” Caitlyn Maltese told Tysons Reporter, adding that she’s seen a lot of pet hedgehogs gaining traction on TikTok. “The most important thing for me is that people don’t get them unless they know what they are walking into.”
Maltese shared the less glamorous side of hedgehog ownership: a dirty wheel that she cleans daily, spending at least 30 minutes socializing them every day so they don’t get grumpy and a possible hefty price tag for care.
Maltese, who is part of a Facebook support group for hedgehog owners, said she’s “seen some horrific stuff” including rotting feet and stories of abandonment.
“It is not a starter pet,” Maltese said, adding that she researched extensively before deciding to become an owner.
She was living in Maryland when she got Albus, but then moved to the Mount Vernon District of Fairfax County right after the legalization, landing a shorter commute to her job in Alexandria.
Albus is “a complete sweetheart” and “very well socialized,” Maltese said. Unfortunately, he’s had a variety of health issues from teeth falling out that required Maltese to grind up his food to heart disease that meant she had to syringe feed him medication.
When she recently took him to the Stahl Exotic Animal Veterinary Services in Fairfax, COVID-19 precautions prompted a new drive-thru service where staff brought Albus into and out of the facility while Maltese waited in the car.
Maltese, who has hedgehog insurance, said that the medical bills have reached hundreds of dollars. Through the highs and lows, she insists Albus is completely worth it.
“He’s like my first child,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of other pets, but he’s the one that has required so much… They are such wonderful creatures to have.”
Maltese added that she loves that he’s nocturnal because he’ll cuddle with her while she works during the day. “He’ll squeak when he’s dreaming.”
Maltese found a community of fellow hedgie parents on Facebook and also through her Instagram account for him. She’s also met people at Hedgie-Con, an annual convention for hedgehog owners in the U.S. and Canada.
“They were amazed by how friendly he was,” Maltese said about her Hedgie-Con 2019 experience. “It’s super nerdy.”
Albus walked away with 1st place in adult standard males and reserve grand champion of adult males. “He’s an award-winning hedgehog,” his proud mom noted.
One of the central arguments against hedgehog ownership was a concern about people struggling to care for their pets, leading to abandonment and surrenders.
Since Fairfax County legalized them, the county’s Animal Protection Police haven’t received any reports of abandonment. The one request to surrender ended up with getting the hedgehog re-homed so it never went to the shelter, according to information provided through Police Spokesperson Erica Webb.
Webb said that the Animal Protection Police did not have information to share regarding whether pet hedgehogs are affecting the exotic pet trade.
Neighboring counties have had similar experiences. “We have not had any hedgehogs come in, nor have we had any calls about them this year,” Talia Czapski with Loudoun County Animal Services told Tysons Reporter.
Chelsea Jones with Animal Welfare League of Arlington said they’ve only taken in one hedgehog during the last five years. “They are not surrendered to us very often at all,” Jones said.
Riddle said that Fairfax County’s legalization has boosted her business as a breeder.
“Demand has been greater in the past year, partly due to more interest from Fairfax County and also partly due to growing interest in general in having hedgehogs as pets,” Riddle wrote in an email. Riddle said the average cost of her hedgehogs, which can vary based on colors and sex, is $250.
Riddle said that the increase caused her to cut off her waiting list, which had 12 people as of late April. “Over the past year, 12.5% of my hedgehog adoptions have been from Fairfax County,” she said.
It’s unclear if hedgehog breeders are seeing the same uptick in adoptions like for cats and dogs due to people wanting furry companionship during the coronavirus pandemic. While the owners Tysons Reporter talked to said they like having hedgehog pets, the hedgehogs seem to have mixed feelings about their owners being home constantly.
“He’s definitely getting annoyed that I’m always around,” Thomas, who is doing online learning at home, said. Now, instead of cuddle time in the evening, he’s taking Band-Aid out of his cage several times a day and for longer periods of time.
Now that Edwards, the McLean student, has Serena Quilliams, she doesn’t socialize with the other pets. “The lizard would definitely attack her and probably get impaled,” Edwards said. “It wouldn’t go well.”
Overall, Edwards thinks pet hedgehogs are ideal pandemic buddies. “I hang out with her a lot,” he said. “She’ll play when you want to play.”
His assessment: “They are good pets.”
A Tysons-based program that supports adults with developmental disabilities recently received a $10,000 donation from a McLean family.
Langley Residential Support Services announced the donation yesterday, saying that it came from the Narang family through their Narang Foundation.
Langley Residential offers six homes across Fairfax County that house 24 people, along with drop-in services for about 30 other people living in Northern Virginia.
“These are just the kind of community enhancement and life-changing activities our family wishes to support,” RJ Narang, who is a board member of the foundation, said in a press release.
Betsy Schatz, the executive director of Langley Residential, said that the donation comes at a time of need: “We’ve been so affected by the pandemic.”
Photo courtesy Langley Residential Support Services
Obituary for Local Activist — “Barbara Cram, the dedicated and tireless community doer of good in Falls Church for decades, died at her home surrounded by her family Tuesday morning, according to a report from Sally Cole of the F.C. Chamber of Commerce, who was in direct touch with the daughter, Stacy Fierce.” [Falls Church News-Press]
New Unemployment Data — “Northern Virginia’s unemployment rate hit 10% in April as business shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic ricocheted through the economy.” [Inside NoVa]
Protests in Falls Church — Students are holding a unity walk today at 1:30 p.m. On Sunday, a Black Lives Rally will be held at Cherry Hill Park at 11 a.m. [Eventbrite, Facebook]
Silver Line Challenges in Tysons — “Shops and restaurants in Tysons have already begun slowly reopening as the region has eased coronavirus-related restrictions, including those at the massive Tysons Corner Center. But without Metro, many workers are left scrambling to change their commutes — and big companies in the area feel they can’t adequately construct plans for when to bring their employees back to the office.” [Washington Business Journal]
Security at Tysons Galleria reported that a group of men tried to break into Paul Bakery at the mall, Fairfax County police say.
The incident happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. today (Wednesday).
“The suspects ran when officers arrived but were taken into custody,” according to Fairfax County police. Charges are pending for the men.
In separate incidents, several businesses in the Tysons area have been burglarized early yesterday morning: McLean Pharmacy in McLean and Lost Dog Cafe and Nouvelle Nails and Spa in Tysons.
For the two in Tysons, police said someone broke in and stole property. The pharmacy was burglarized by a group of people who escaped in multiple cars.
Mindy Hoang of the nail spa posted a photo on Facebook yesterday showing a shattered glass door.
“We were robbed last night,” according to the post. “Broke the glass on our door and [took] half of my nails equipment. I [guess] they try to save [money by] doing their own nails!”
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik is working to tackle a growing disparity with Hispanics and COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County.
As of today, the Hispanic population makes up 16.8% of the population in the Fairfax Health District, but 65.7% of the COVID-19 cases where race and ethnicity data is available, according to Fairfax County — a jump from 61.3% of the cases in mid-May. (Just under 20% — 2,272 — cases don’t have race and ethnicity data.)
Statewide, Latinos or Hispanics account for roughly the same number of cases as people of other ethnicities (15,257 vs. 15,500) where the data is available, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The racial disparity is not isolated to Fairfax County, though. Black Washingtonians are seeing a gap between the population and COVID-19 death numbers, DCist reported. Across the U.S., communities of color “are being hit disproportionately hard by COVID-19,” NPR reported.
The Health and Human Services Committee, which Palchik chairs, held a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) to address the growing racial disparities in the county.
Benjamin Schwartz, the county’s director of epidemiology and population health, suggested that the disparities in the data may be caused by increased occupational exposure and housing situations for people of color.
Palchik said in an interview with Tysons Reporter that many essential workers are Latinx, meaning that working from home and limiting contact with people outside — and inside — the home may not be an option.
Schwartz said the Fairfax Health District has seen success with “flattening the curve” for the Asian, White and Black populations. “Whereas for Hispanic populations the growth of COVID-19 has been much greater and the increase has occurred for a longer time than we have seen in the other groups,” he said.
Schwartz noted that different racial disparities with the virus exist in Virginia — like Black populations in Richmond and poor White populations in the southwest. “This risk reflects the group’s niche in the society rather than a particular racial effect.”
For the Hispanic population, Swartz said factors that may be linked to higher invention rates include:
- need to keep going to work
- travel to work via public transit or shared rides
- inability to social distance at work
- lack of sick leave
- unavailability of unemployment insurance
- crowded households
Schwartz said that 92% of the people with positive tests from clinics in Annadale and Bailey’s Crossroads May 13-14 identified as Hispanic, while 81% with positive tests said Spanish is their preferred language.
Testing became a prime focus of the county supervisors’ conversation about how to address the racial gap.
“We have not in my mind had sufficient testing, particularly on the Richmond Highway corridor where we have a large Latinx population,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said.
Other supervisors urged the health department to increase testing, especially in neighborhoods. Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn called testing “a critical component going forward,” noting that people with the virus are sometimes asymptomatic.
Gloria Addo-Ayensu, the director of the Fairfax County Health Department, said that the county is shifting toward smaller events and media campaigns to change the message around who should get tested. Instead of testing people based on their high-risk status or disease severity, the health department is now telling people who have any COVID-19 symptoms to get tested.
Schwartz added that the health department is working to locate and target “hot spots” for the virus with neighborhood testing.
Addo-Ayensu also said that the county’s goal to increase contact tracing will help the health department identify who to monitor, adding that not everyone will be tested because the two-14 day incubation period for the virus means people might get tested too soon.
To address myths that might delay people in seeking care, Addo-Ayensu said that the health department is working to reach out to local community groups and faith leaders as a way to provide information — work that Palchik has already started doing.
Palchik told Tysons Reporter that she’s been focused on targeted outreach to the Latinx community, like sharing messages through Telemundo; reaching out to faith leaders, small business programs and local clinics; and posting Facebook videos in Spanish about resources.
“I felt it was really important to create short 2-minute videos on different areas on how to self isolate and support for small businesses,” she said.
Karla Bruce, the county’s chief equity officer, stressed in her presentation to the county board yesterday that distrust in the government and medical systems is one of the factors that can make communities of color more vulnerable to the virus.
For Palchik, the goal is to create two-way communication instead and “not just hammer people online.”
As for the county’s announcement in early May that it would have text message alerts in Spanish, Palchik said, “It was a little frustrating it took as long as it did.”
Fairfax County Now Offers COVID-19 Text Messages in Spanish: https://t.co/JcgXMb6en6 pic.twitter.com/OBBpsV7lBO
— FairfaxCounty Health (@fairfaxhealth) May 3, 2020
She said she’s glad it’s now an option, adding that government bodies often move at a slower pace than current speediness required to address the virus.
As the county’s board and health department officials work on the equity issues the virus has highlighted in the county, Palchik told Tysons Reporter that she’s focused on long-term plans for housing, expanded childcare services and increased access to transportation.
“Sometimes there are invisible barriers in closing the equity gaps,” she said, noting that federal policies surrounding immigration “have put people in fear.” “How do we make sure better housing is accessible to all?”
Still, Palchik remains hopeful.
“We will get through it together,” she said.
Due to the coronavirus, book lovers will have to wait a few more months for the NoVa Bookstore Crawl, which includes two book stores in the Tysons area.
The inaugural NoVa Bookstore Crawl was originally scheduled for Independent Bookstore Day on April 25, but will now take place Aug. 29.
The NoVa Bookstore Crawl was designed to include several different independent bookstores located in Northern Virginia, from Arlington to Vienna. The event includes Bards Alley and Big Planet in Vienna.
Following the design of the well-known “bar crawl”, participants travel from bookstore to bookstore, experiencing the unique celebrations of each stop.
“There are similar passport programs in other cities,” said Anna Thorne, the organizer of the NoVa Book Crawl event. “D.C. has an extremely vibrant bookstore scene.”
Each bookstore involved in the book crawl will have different events. For Bards Alley in Vienna, activities will some fun for Harry Potter fans.
“We have guest booksellers who are local authors… We also have activities for kids on our patio. They are usually Harry Potter-themed,” said Jen Morrow, the owner of Bards Alley in Vienna.
“We were going to have a golden ticket worth a $100 gift card to spend in the store, just to get people out to celebrate all independent businesses,” Morrow added.
The bookstore is known for its community ties. In the past, Bards Alley has had food and wine specials in their cafe and a massive book scavenger hunt throughout the Town of Vienna.
The organization behind Independent Bookstore Day moved the national celebration to August, which provided the new date to reschedule the crawl, according to Thorne.
“Independent Bookstore Day has gone on for five years,” said Thorne. The idea for the crawl came from a similar event that occurred in D.C. last year, which Thorne described as a huge success.
The festivities are only available on Independent Bookstore Day in-person — “Not before, Not after. Not online,” according to Independent Book Store Day’s official website. The website emphasizes that bookstores are not a “dying anachronism,” but a continuously expanding industry.
Participants in the bookstore crawl will carry a map of the participating places with them and will receive a stamp after each stop and a prize for visiting five.
The full list of participating book stores:
- Bards Alley (Vienna)
- Big Planet (Vienna)
- Hooray for Books! (Alexandria)
- Old Town Books (Alexandria)
- One More Page (Arlington)
- Scrawl (Reston)
Although Independent Bookstore Day is postponed for nearly three months, independent bookstores ask readers to continue supporting their businesses by purchasing books from their websites, picking up curbside or ordering delivery. People can also purchase gift cards or donate to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation.
Photo via Bards Alley/Facebook
Tysons-based MicroTech is working to address shortages in personal protective equipment (PPP), adding a risk-free component to its delivery service.
The company teamed up with Thermal Safety Systems to revamp their Just-in-Time PPE Delivery, which provides low-cost access to PPE, medical equipment and medical technology.
The companies say it “leverages supply-chain management to sync orders to suppliers with production and delivery schedules designed to meet customer’s needs,” according to the press release.
The companies decided to redesign the delivery of raw materials and finished products.
“Under these arduous conditions, it became obvious that new strategies for optimizing Just-in-Time Delivery
needed to be implemented,” the press release said.
“Risk-free orders are another game-changing aspect of the MicroTech-Thermal Safety Systems alliance,” the press release said. “Under this partnership, the MicroTech financing department will fully fund PPE purchases, and collect on delivery.”
Just-in-Time PPE Delivery has also improved supply management and inventory, less production pressure, increased quality control price stabilization and consolidated orders that decrease manufacturing and transportation costs.
Photo via MicroTech/Facebook
(Updated 5:40 p.m.) The Town of Vienna is giving $1 million to support Fairfax County’s new grant program to financially help town businesses.
The town announced the news today (Wednesday), saying that it’s giving some of its funds from the CARES Act to the county’s RISE grant program. The town received roughly $2.9 million in CARES Act funding at the end of April, according to the town newsletter.
“While the $1 million being provided by the Town of Vienna is designated specifically for Town businesses only, Vienna businesses also will be eligible for funding through the county grant program beyond the Town’s contribution,” according to the press release.
Natalie Monkou, the town’s economic development manager, said in the press release that the town originally thought about creating its own grant program, but decided that the county had more resources.
“Fairfax County has the infrastructure already in place to execute a grant program for businesses,” Monkou said, adding that the county will give businesses “more immediate access to grant funding.”
At least 30% of the total RISE funding will go to women-, minority- and veteran-owned businesses, she added.
“When we did a business survey a few weeks ago, one of the main things we heard was that businesses need access to capital, and that can be even more true for veteran-, minority-, and women-owned businesses,” she said. “The CARES Act allows us to provide this important assistance to our small businesses.”
The county’s grant program currently has $26 million for small businesses and nonprofits, according to the press release. The grant application will be open from June 8-15.
Baseball Blues — “Two of the three local Little Leagues in the Sun Gazette’s coverage areas canceled their 2020 spring seasons in recent days, with McLean Little League still hoping to play some type of regular season for baseball and girls softball teams in June and July.” [Inside NoVa]
Puppy Sale Fraud in Vienna — “A woman who does not live in Virginia told Vienna police on May 23 at 5:34 p.m. that she had made an online payment to purchase a puppy and was told to go to a residence in the 400 block of MacArthur Avenue, N.E., to pick up the dog.” [Inside NoVa]
Northam Outlines Phase 2 — “Most of Virginia will enter a second phase of reopening from the prolonged coronavirus shutdown on Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam said… Both Northern Virginia and the city of Richmond, which were hit harder by the novel coronavirus and began reopening last week, will remain under the more stringent Phase 1 portion of the state’s plan to return to normalcy.” [Washington Post]
Pledge to End Racial Inequalities — “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam pledged Tuesday to do more to end racial inequities in the state as he reacted to the death of George Floyd and increasing protests in Northern Virginia and other regions of the state.” [Inside NoVa]
County Aiming to Get 400 New Contact Tracers — “GattiHR, a leading HR consulting firm, has been retained by the Institute for Public Health Innovation – one of the region’s leading health organizations that develops multi-sector partnerships and innovative solutions to improve the public’s health and well-being across Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia- to recruit 400 COVID-19 Contact Tracers in Fairfax County, VA.” [GattiHR]
