The Creative Collective Holiday Pop Up is back at Tysons Corner Center!

Located on the first floor of Tysons Corner Center across from H&M, the Creative Collective Holiday Pop Up will run November 19 through December 24 and will feature more than 40 local, creative makers, designers and curators.

“We’re very excited to be back in-person this year. This is our biggest event ever! We can’t wait to see people’s reaction to this year’s Holiday Pop Up!” said Aurelou Cole and Wendy Whittelton, owners of Creative Collective.

The Holiday Pop Up will showcase products from local, predominantly women and minority owned businesses. “We love supporting small, local businesses. We truly have something for everyone — handmade jewelry, leather accessories and pottery; children’s clothing and books; organic skincare products; cashmere coats; candles; holiday cookies; specialty chocolates; sustainable products for your home; furniture and home decor, including some great vintage pieces; lots of gifts; and amazing art. A number of our partners can customize their products to add that special touch!” Cole and Whittleton said.

The Creative Collective Holiday Pop Up opens on November 19.

Follow the action at Creative Collective’s Instagram and Facebook pages (@creativecollectivepop).

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

One week to go until Thanksgiving!

A lot of the traditions around Northern Virginia that I absolutely love start now. If you’re looking to make some new ones or change up your plans for visitors, check out one of these tried and true happenings, or add one of the newcomers!

• Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights: Less than a mile walk through fun holiday light displays. Concludes with a concession stand selling s’mores kits, popcorn and hot chocolate.
• Bull Run Festival Of Lights: A drive through 2.5 miles of festive light displays. They’re running an early bird discount for November 11-19.
• Gaylord National Hotel: ICE, Snow Mountain and more.
• Vienna Turkey Trot: Happens this Sunday. Annual Fun Run, 5k and 10k in Vienna held at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Walking is also welcome along with strollers.
• Wolftrap Holiday Sing-A-Long: Virtual this year.
• Madison High School Tiny Tots Holiday Concert: December 2 and 3.
• Madison High School The Snowman in Concert: December 11 at 10:30 a.m.
• Light Up McLean and Light Up Vienna: Holiday light decorating contest.
• Vienna Church Street Holiday Stroll: The annual tree lighting on Church Street with music, November 29 at 6 p.m.
• Thanksgiving Parade in Reston: Back this year! Friday, November 26 at 11 a.m.
• Merry Mosaic: Holiday Tree Lighting, Menorah Lighting, Santa’s Motorcade — various dates.
• Newcomer: Luminocity Festival at the Reston Zoo. Amazing light display throughout the Zoo running until January 2.

The Return to Earn initiative was launched in June of this year in an effort to support small businesses and organizations find and retain the talent they need while also helping unemployed Virginian’s transition back into the workforce.

What better way to retain new staff members, reward them for their hard work, and increase workplace morale than by providing a $500 holiday bonus?

Basic eligibility requirements for program participation are as follows.

Employers:

• Must be incorporated in Virginia
• Be in good standing with the state
• Have 99 employees or fewer

For new hires:

• Must have a hiring date that falls between June 1, 2021 — December 31, 2021
• The position must be W2 and come with a wage of $15 an hour or more (tips can be included in wage determination)
• Must attest to having been unemployed at the time of hire*

The SkillSource Group, Inc. and Virginia Career Works Northern is working hard to make this program available to the small business community and to make the application, enrollment and reimbursement process as simple as possible. Click HERE to access an online application.

*Length of unemployment is dependent on time of hire

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

I recently shared that one of the hacks my family employs during Thanksgiving is to get a turkey spatchcocked (less amusingly called a butterflied turkey), which means getting the backboned removed.

It lays flat and cooks in less than 2 hours thanks to Alton Brown. So my question for you this week is this: what’s your favorite hack to make it easier? Prepared foods, favorite dessert to pick up, easy side dish? Please share with me and I’ll compile a list to share with our readers!

You can email me at [email protected] or find me on Instagram @LauraSchwartzRealtor.

The weather may have turned cold, but the Tysons-area housing market has kept warm with plenty of activity over the past month.

According to data from Homesnap, there were 127 homes sold in Tysons, Vienna, and McLean in October, a slight uptick from the nearly 120 sales reported in September. The median sales price was close to $38,000 higher than the median list price of $500,000, as of the week of Oct. 31.

Here are some of the most expensive homes sold in the area in October:

• 1008 Pine Hill Road, McLean — 5 BD/4.5 BA single-family house — $6,000,000
• 822 Clinton Place, McLean — 5 BD/5.5 BA single-family house — $5,000,000
• 8121 Spring Hill Farm Drive, McLean — 5 BA/6.5+ BA single-family house — $4,650,000
• 7024 Arbor Lane, McLean — 6 BA/6.5+ BA single-family house — $4,500,000
• 1741 Dumbarton Street, McLean — 8 BA/7.5+ BA single-family house — $3,400,000
• 1102 Ingleside Avenue, McLean — 6 BA/5.5 BA single-family custom house — $3,235,000

In the market? Check out the latest in Tysons area real estate.

It is hard not to appreciate the history, charm and architecture of the areas surrounding the nation’s capital. Walking the same cobblestone streets as the Founding Fathers still hits me every single time I show a home in Old Town or Georgetown. We are surrounded by homes with rich history.

This month, I will highlight active listings that are rooted in the past, filled with history, and looking for their next caretaker.

2706 Olive Street NW, Washington, DC 20007, listed for $3,500,000. Built shortly after the Civil War by Edgar Moore, a leading figure in the Black community, the house is part of a vibrant tapestry of African American influence in Washington, D.C. during the Reconstruction era, the listing describes. The home was eventually acquired by Paul and Julia Child in 1948. And this is the home where Julia Child worked on her groundbreaking culinary tome “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

101 N Water Street, Chestertown, MD 21620, listed for $4,400,000. “Widehall,” built in 1769, is the most acclaimed historic downtown waterfront estate in Chestertown, Maryland. The many stewards of this residence, include two Maryland governors and two U.S. Senators.

108 Washington Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22405, listed for $260,000. How about a historic home built in 1800 that was once a Post Office and backs up to a babbling brook?

202 N Royal Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, listed for $1,590,000. One block from King Street this Second Empire Victorian home was built in 1840 by John Harlow. He and his three brothers (Irish immigrants who worked in the import, export and grocery business) built 202, 204 and 206 North Fairfax at a similar time. They are referred by locals as the 3 Irish Brothers Houses.

Read More

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

Went to bed two hours later than normal and up at the same time this morning. Sound familiar? Hope your kids had a great Halloween evening trick-or-treating or hanging out with friends!

I have some random bits of information and advice to pass along on this sunny Monday morning!

Candy Donations

If you looked at the pile of candy last night and saw future cavities waiting to be drilled, fear not! Many of the local dentists, some PTAs, libraries and other organizations will collect the candy to ship off to troops stationed overseas. I know Merrifield Pediatric Dentistry and Ghaffari Orthodontics usually collect, but please call both before you show up.

Thanksgiving Catering

If you’re considering skipping the cooking the year, I highly recommend you make reservations for dining out or catering orders ASAP. Many restaurants are doing hot or heat-at-home to go orders for the big day, but they’ll book up fast.

Here’s a list of some places doing take out that I’m aware of at this time:

• Founding Farmers
• RPM Italian
• Rose’s at Home (Rose’s Luxury)
• Bazin’s on Church

Also, Holiday Light Show tickets start soon!

Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights tickets are already on sale and the first night is November 11! They usually sell out and I’m sure with the warmer temps the earlier dates will go quickly.

Bull Run Festival Of Lights begins on November 11 also and you can buy tickets online now.

We’re lucky to have a lot of events that happen this time of year in Northern Virginia. My post next week will have a more extensive list of festive options, but I wanted to get these two popular events out to you now so you get a jump on ticket sales!

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

This year the 75th Annual Vienna Halloween Parade will take place on Wednesday, October 27 at 7 p.m.

The theme this year is “The Roaring Twenties.” The parade is about half a mile long and lasts about 1.5 hours. The parade route runs from the intersection of Branch/Maple and ends at the library at Center/Maple.

If you’ve never been, here are some tips to help you make the most of the experience!

• People set out chairs and blankets early in the day to reserve their spot. If you want a front row view, I suggest you do the same. The town asks that no one does this before noon on the day of the parade and that revelers stay clear of the sidewalk and benches during the day.
• If you have a flat bed truck, you can back into parking spaces at the shopping centers and sit high to get a better view.
• Some of the groups in the parade are very loud. If you have someone who is noise sensitive, consider bringing something to help them enjoy the parade without the noise.
• There are no food vendors except for the nearby restaurants so plan to bring food if you need it or support a local restaurant.
• Kids in costumes can walk in the parade with an adult if they want to. Participants meet at 6 p.m. in the parking lot at United Bank (374 Maple Avenue E).
• Depending on what part of town you live in, you should be able to find parking to easily get out. Many people park at Vienna Elementary, the library, the Giant shopping plaza, side streets, Walgreens shopping center, or the Fresh Market parking lot.
• The Town will be giving away 1,000 Halloween Goody Bags at the end of the parade near Vienna Elementary while supplies last (no candy or items will be allowed to be given out on the parade route).

The parade is one of my favorite Vienna events!

Bring extra blankets in case it’s cold. You can grab hot chocolate and food at the Vienna Shopping Center and Caffe Amouri is open until 7 p.m., so grab your hot chocolate on the way.

Here’s a map of the parade route and road closures (the first year we lived in Vienna I had no idea this was a thing and we tried to get take out that night… big mistake!)

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween! It’s getting close to trick or treating time, which means the town is looking spooky and festive!

If you’re looking to view Halloween decorations, check out some of the addresses listed below. If I have missed any must see destinations, please leave it in the comments!

• Hill Road (dead end street)
• Meadow Lane Park (the house across the street from Ware Street SW) has TONS of blow ups
• Hickory Circle SW (mix of blow ups and other décor)
• Cottage Street between Plum Street SW and Yeonas Drive SW (multiple homes with blow ups, great skeleton display)
• Park Street/Elmar Drive SE (great skeleton display)
• 326 Adahi Roadd SE (skelton display)

And of course, fan favorite Ni Family Lights (2512 Drexel Street) which has a lineup of 7 new songs plus This is Halloween. Their light show runs Sunday-Thursday 6:30-9:30 p.m., and 6:30-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The Return to Earn initiative was launched in June of this year to help small businesses find and retain the talent they need while also helping unemployed Virginian’s transition back into the workforce.

As a program incentive, businesses can receive $500 per hire for a maximum of 25 employees. That means your business could receive up to $12,500 depending on hiring and staffing needs.

Basic eligibility requirements for program participation follow.

Employers must:

• Be incorporated in Virginia
• Be in good standing with the state
• Have 99 employees or less

For new hires:

• Must have been brought on board after May 31, 2021
• The position must be W2 and come with a wage of $15 an hour or more (tips can be included in wage determination)
• Must attest to having been unemployed at the time of hire*

The SkillSource Group, Inc. and Virginia Career Works Northern Region are working hard to make this program available to the small business community and to make the application, enrollment and reimbursement process as simple as possible. Stand out from the competition, increase new employee morale and take part in the Return to Earn Program. Click here to access an online application.

*Length of unemployment is dependent on time of hire