Claude Moore Farm Oktoberfest — “There’s still time to enjoy special events at Claude Moore Colonial Farm before it’s set to close on Dec. 21. One of these events is Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at The Pavilions of Turkey Run, 6310 Georgetown Pike, McLean.” [Patch]
Customer Flings Burrito at Vienna CVS — “The woman became irate and disorderly when the employee informed her the store does not sell cigarettes, police said. The woman then threw a burrito at the employee, knocked over a display and the register, then fled out the front door, authorities said.” [InsideNova]
Illinois Man Facing Fairfax Child Sex Charges — “An Illinois man is facing four felony charges after detectives from our Child Exploitation Unit caught him soliciting sex online from someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl. The 13-year-old was actually one of our detectives.” [FCPD]
A new ramen restaurant is coming to Maple Avenue in Vienna.
Signs are up for Shin Se Kai Ramen at 234 Maple Avenue E. in the former Pro Feed Pet Nutrition Center space. In addition to presumably serving ramen noodle soup, the restaurant has applied for a permit to serve wine and beer on premises.
Neither a website nor social media accounts for the restaurant could not be located. A man who answered a phone number associated with restaurant said he was busy and referred Tysons Reporter to the phone number of a manager, who did not answer the phone.
Shinsekai is a neighborhood of Osaka, Japan noted for its low-cost restaurants. The name translates to “New World” in English.
The Enterprise Rent-a-Car location near the Spring Hill Metro station was the scene of a commercial burglary over the weekend.
Police say someone broke into the business, at 1572 Spring Hill Road, on either Saturday or Sunday by smashing a glass front door. An SUV was then stolen off the lot.
Employees discovered the burglary when they arrived to open the business, according to Fairfax County Police. No suspect description was released.
Photo via Google Maps
Need a Halloween costume? A pop-up store at Tysons Corner Center has you covered.
A Spirit Halloween store is now open on the first level of the mall, near the movie theater end of the shopping center in the former West Elm space. An employee said the temporary storefront has been open for about two weeks now.
Spirit is open at the mall from 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday. A sign in the window says the store is still hiring.
For those around Fairfax County who need costumes and decorations for the spooky holiday, Spirit also has locations at 7271 Arlington Blvd in the Falls Church area and at 5718 Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads.
Looking forward to the next holiday? Retailer A Christmas to Remember opened one floor up from Spirit at Tysons Corner Center on Sept. 28.
A 75-year-old McLean man was struck by a car and killed last night near the intersection of Route 123 and Chain Bridge Road.
Police say Philip Dietz was crossing Route 123 just before 10 p.m. when he was struck by a driver in a BMW heading southbound. He died from his injuries.
All southbound lanes of Route 123 were closed for an extended period of time last night while a crash reconstruction team worked to investigate the collision, according to VDOT.
More from the Fairfax County Police Department:
Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives are investigating a fatal crash involving a pedestrian in the intersection of Dolley Madison Boulevard and Madison McLean Drive. Philip John Dietz, 75, of McLean, was attempting to cross Dolley Madison Boulevard around 9:55 last night. The driver of a 2002 BMW was traveling southbound in the right lane of Dolley Madison Boulevard when he hit Dietz in the intersection. Investigators are working to determine if Dietz used the marked crosswalk with the pedestrian signal at the time of the crash. Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors for anyone involved. The driver remained at the scene and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Once the investigation is complete, the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney will review the case and determine if the driver will be charged.
Map via Google Maps
Today: Coffee With a Cop — “Fairfax County Police and other law enforcement agencies will participate in National Coffee With a Cop Day on Wednesday, Oct. 3… Officers from the McLean District Station will be participating in National Coffee with a Cop Day at Peet’s, 7516A Leesburg Pike, Falls Church (Tysons Station) from 9 a.m.-11 a.m.” [Patch]
Watch Out for Deer — “Fall is here and white-tailed deer are on the move. Fall is the breeding season for deer and you can expect to see more of them on the roads as they search for mates. Deer are unpredictable and crashes with them are a safety concern.” [FCPD]
Mars Sells Drinks Biz — McLean-based Mars Inc., the maker of M&Ms, has sold its drinks business, which includes Flavia coffee, to the Italian coffee company Lavazza. [WBJ]
Tysons Firms on Coolest Cos. List — Per the FCEDA E-bird: “DC Inno compiled a list of D.C.’s ‘Coolest Companies,’ based on company culture and factors ranging from pet-friendliness to in-house happy hour availability. Level Access of Tysons Corner was rated among the five ‘All Around Coolest’ companies… Gabriel Marketing of Tysons Corner emerged tops in the ‘Best D.C. Tech Advocate’ category.” [DC Inno]
Reminder: Emergency Test Today — Expect your phone to buzz and beep just after 2:15 p.m. as part of a nationwide federal emergency alert test. [Fairfax County Emergency, Tysons Reporter]
Bliss in a Bottle, an Ohio-based company that offers unique boozy gifts, is planning to open a kiosk at Tysons Corner Center, according to a pending license application.
The company sells beer and wine with a twist: the bottles are covered in chocolate, sprinkles and other candies.
An online help-wanted ad for the kiosk says Bliss in a Bottle “combine[s] high profile wine, beer, and sodas with chocolate that is perfectly paired to create an unparalleled experience.” The company is currently hiring a “retail sales associate” to work in Tysons. The job pays $10-12 per hour, according to the posting.
Given the continued rise of Amazon and e-commerce, will Tysons Corner Center still be a retail-oriented shopping mall 5 years from now?
That was a question posed by Lynn Strobel of the law firm Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh this morning at a Bisnow event discussing the “Future of Fairfax County” in Tysons.
The consensus from the six-person panel: yes, almost certainly.
One panelist said he recently went to Tysons Corner Center at night to go to a movie and it took 20 minutes to find a parking space; it’s hard to see how that kind of demand goes away in such short order, he said.
E-commerce might actually come to malls, said another panelist. Bailey Edelson of JBG Smith said online retailers have increasingly been opening bricks-and-mortar locations. Those currently at Tysons Corner Center include Amazon, Untuckit and Warby Parker.
While suburban shopping malls have been struggling elsewhere, the malls in Tysons are benefiting from being in an increasingly dense, urban environment, according to Andrew McIntyre of Combined Properties.
“Tysons is in a good position long term since the urban environment came to it,” McIntyre said.
The upscale Tysons Galleria, meanwhile, has been facing some challenges, including the sudden closure of the huge Isabella Eatery on the fourth floor. Change may be on the horizon, said one panelist. Expect Tysons Galleria to be “repositioned” in the market and for redevelopment to happen around it as a way to revitalize the mall, he said.
Other predictions and takeaways from the panel:
- Offices and office buildings are not going away, not everybody is going to work from home.
- Amazon HQ2 and a large Apple office would, unsurprisingly, be very, very good for the local economy — and it’s on the mind of just about everyone in commercial real estate.
- The trajectory of residential development in uncertain, given increasing interest rates and years of building. Some think the D.C. area is overbuilt, some think there is a housing shortage.
- A lot of additional investment is needed to get Tysons infrastructure to where it needs to be to be a great city.
- Fairfax County is “fighting a constant battle” in competing with other local D.C. area jurisdictions for employers. But there should also be more cooperation among governments to make the D.C. area as a whole better and more competitive.
- Expect more coworking spaces to pop-up. Coworking spaces not only open the commercial real estate market to smaller companies and startups, but it’s also seen as an amenity by many larger tenants, including government contractors, who want the flexibility to rapidly add new employees beyond their existing office footprint.
Agora, a Mediterranean restaurant in D.C., won’t be opening its new Tysons location until December or possibly January.
The restaurant, which specializes in cuisine from Turkey, Lebanon and Greece, will be moving into the ground floor of Nouvelle, a 26-story apartment complex at 7911 Westpark Dr. near Tysons II.
“Finding space for Agora that supports and drives their business strategy was most important during the site selection process,” said Oyku Hanna, vice president of brokerage agency Veritage Commercial, which represented Agora, in a press release. “Nouvelle in Tysons is a great fit for Agora and I look forward to seeing their continued success at this location.”
According to a restaurant employee, the new location will most likely be opening at some point this winter. The employee said the restaurant owners were hoping to open it sooner but are still in the process of licensing and permitting.
When the permits are approved, the 3,500 square-foot restaurant will bring to Tysons largely the same Mediterranean small plates and cocktails from its trendy Dupont Circle location.
The MPAartfest is returning to McLean Central Park this Sunday (Oct. 7) from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The art show and sale will feature work from nearly 40 visual artists in a variety of media and styles, including woodturning, jewelry and ironwork.
Mini-art galleries will be set up throughout the park featuring artwork and food from local restaurants. The MPAartfest will also feature live music from various genres and educational activities for children.
MPAartfest is an annual event hosted by the McLean Project for the Arts (MPA), attracting an average of 5,000-6,000 visitors each year. This will be MPAartfest’s 12th year.
Admission to the festival is free. Parking will be available at “signed lots throughout McLean” with shuttles running to the MPAartfest.
Photo via McLean Project for the Arts
