A technology platform that powers flexible work/lounge spaces is moving into Tysons Corner Center.

3DEN announced on Tuesday (Mar. 2) that it has partnered with Macerich, the mall’s operator, to open an automated lounge in BrandBox, which aims to provide physical retail space to primarily digital businesses. This will be the company’s first venue outside of its home in New York City.

Expected to open this week, the lounge provides on-demand space that users check into, reserve, and invite guests to through 3DEN’s app. The space is designed to accommodate a variety of purposes, from professional meetings to small social gatherings and midday naps.

“People are going stir-crazy in their apartments, and they are looking for that third place in between work and home,” 3DEN CEO Ben Silver said in a press release. “This is the perfect solution for many people who are tired of working from home and need a place to connect, network and work where they can feel safe.”

Customers can pay $5 per hour to use the space, or they can purchase a membership for $99 per month.

Introduced to the world at New York City’s Hudson Yards development in 2019, 3DEN now operates eight locations in the Big Apple, but the company’s arrival in Tysons marks the beginning of its plans to expand. Its website indicates that sites in Detroit, Mich., are also in the works.

Aware that people might have concerns about utilizing shared spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, 3DEN says that its lounges “undergo a rigorous daily cleaning and adhere to state and federal public health, safety and social distancing guidelines.”

The spaces are also outfitted with “sanitization units” that guests can use to clean their devices and workspaces.

“Strict safety standards are paramount,” Silver said.

Macerich sees the addition of 3DEN at BrandBox as the latest in a line of firsts for Tysons Corner Center, which hosted one of the first Apple stores in the world and the first East Coast Nordstrom.

“We welcome 3DEN as a perfect complement to the collection of 300+ retail specialty shops and restaurants, in one of the nation’s signature mixed-use destinations,” Macerich Assistant Vice President of Property Management Matt Berry said in the press release.

BrandBox has been vacant since early spring, but that’s about to change for the pop-up focused space in Tysons Corner Center.

Located on the first level near Barnes and Noble, BrandBox targets digitally native brands for short-term leases often ranging from six months to a year. If they like the brick and mortar storefront, BrandBox works with the tenants to help them find a permanent spot in the mall.

“Needless to say, with the fate of retail as a whole up in the air due to Covid, especially in an indoor shopping center and people’s varying comfort levels,” Becca Willcox, BrandBox’s senior manager of product and brand success, told Tysons Reporter. “We are taking things slowly.”

BrandBox will soon welcome Tailor on Tap this month. Started by four college students, the business serves as personal stylists with custom high-end clothing for men and women.

“In a world where anyone can buy the same mass-produced outfit from a brick & mortar retail store, Tailor On Tap makes it possible for you to create and elevate your unique style,” according to Tailor on Tap’s website.

Willcox said that BrandBox will be the first store for the Tailor on Tap. “Along with tailored pieces, they will have some ready-to-wear items as well — perfect for those returning to the office, on virtual calls and meetings or just wanting to look great in their everyday dealings,” she said.

Willcox said that BrandBox has been vacant since leases for three brands expired in the early spring.

In the past, BrandBox at Tysons Corner Center has served as a temporary home for Nectar, Peloton, Seletti, Chubbies and Gilly Hicks.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended the retail industry. Even with widespread inventory challenges and legacy stores suffering, Willcox said that BrandBox’s ability to pivot quickly, flexibility and creativity keep it going.

BrandBox’s strategy — helping young, online brands with physical retail space through flexible leases — has remained the same through the pandemic, Willcox said.

“This formula actually makes BrandBox the perfect option for post-Covid store openings, even in unpredictable times,” she said.

Updated 1/31/2020 — The event will be held on the second level near the Old Navy.

Earlier: Student innovators and entrepreneurs will gather this Saturday (Feb. 1) to showcase their ideas at Tysons Corner Center.

The Junior Achievement Trade Show is set to take place from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on level one of the mall in BrandBox.

Community members are welcome to stop by, ask questions and purchase items sold by the students, according to Gayle Robinson, a spokesperson for the Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.

Students will get the chance to “display, demonstrate and discuss their innovative products and services in the hopes of building brand awareness, selling to new customers and connecting with the local community,” the event page said.

A total of 140 students will be present at the event, Robinson said, adding that they will be broken up into eight teams that will take turns presenting throughout the day.

Tables will be set up “market-style,” according to the event’s Facebook page.

Students tabling their ideas at this event are part of a program that helped them develop a business plan, pitch ideas and build confidence, the website said.

Robinson told Tysons Reporter that the students, who represent the entire D.C. area, have been preparing for this moment since they began the program in September and will be evaluated by judges wandering around the room during the event.

Students who win this competition will be fast-tracked to future competitions later this spring, according to Robinson.

Photo via Junior Achievement of Greater Washington/Facebook

On “Giving Tuesday,” people can play with puppies at Tysons Corner Center.

Wolf Trap Animal Rescue will be bringing adoptable puppies to raise funds, according to a press release. For $5, people can have five minutes of “puppy cuddles.”

The local animal rescue, which has a mailing address in Merrifield and remote locations across the country, is a nonprofit that works to transport, foster and adopt rescued puppies and kittens at risk of euthanasia by states in the South.

People can find the puppies in front of BrandBox on the first level of the mall from 4:30-7 p.m. next Tuesday (Dec. 3).

Credit cards and cash will be accepted at the event, and all of the proceeds will go to Wolf Trap Animal Rescue.

See a dog you want? The animal rescue will have its last adoption event of the year at the PetSmart (8204 Leesburg Pike) in Tysons at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Several new stores took residency in Tysons Corner Center throughout the last weeks — including a holiday shop with locally sourced gifts.

Newcomers to the mall include the Creative Collective POPUP, Seletti, Terres da’ Afrique — all in BrandBox spaces on the first level — and Beauty Nail Bar upstairs.

Creative Collective reopened for the season on Friday (Nov. 15) and will remain open through Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) during mall hours from 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. daily.

The shop acts as a market for roughly 2o local vendors offering a variety of goods including hats, jewelry, leatherworks, prints and even children’s books. Shoppers also have the opportunity to meet the artists and vendors in person and ask them about their craft.

Meanwhile, Italian home goods store Seletti sells furniture, decorations, lights and other items. The Tysons Corner Center location is the company’s first physical store in the U.S.

One of their bestsellers is a $400 monkey lamp, a store representative told Tysons Reporter.

“Some people are familiar with our brand and others are just intrigued,” the spokesperson said about people who stop in for a look, adding that the company is trying to gauge interest for the brand around Tysons.

If the pop-up is successful in the next six months, the brand might decide to open up a permanent shop elsewhere in the mall, the representative said.

Terres da’ Afrique, which opened Saturday (Nov. 16), sits right next to Seletti in BrandBox and offers shoppers personal skincare products including massage and facial oil.

Located on level two of the mall near the Paul Mitchell School, beauty Nail Bar made its debut roughly two weeks ago, an employee told Tysons Reporter.

Chubbies plans to close their Brandbox location in the Tysons Corner Center this weekend.

The men’s casual apparel pop-up store will close Sunday (Sept. 15), a store spokesperson said, adding that the location was never meant to be permanent.

Chubbies opened in March and offers customers a range of items including men’s swimwear, shorts and accessories.

A sign outside the sop announced a going-out-of-business sale, advertising clothing starting at $9.99.

During the location’s final days, the store will be open Friday-Saturday from 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (Aug. 13)

• Stray Cats 40th Anniversary Tour — 8-11 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — The band will celebrate its 40-year anniversary with a performance. Tickets start at $35.

Wednesday (Aug. 14)

• Wednesday West Coast Swing Lessons and Dance — 8 p.m. at Latin Dancer Studio (1057 W. Broad Street, Suite 221) — This event invites newbies and seasoned dancers alike to join lessons and an open dance floor later in the evening. Tickets are $15 for a lesson or just $10 after 10 p.m. for the social dance.

Thursday (Aug. 15)

• Karaoke Thursday! — 8-11 p.m. at Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street) — This locally owned distillery opens their doors for patrons to come to sing and enjoy some spirits.

Friday (Aug. 16)

• The Slambovian Circus of Dreams and Lumen Jingos — 8 p.m. at the Jammin Java (227 E. Maple Avenue) — The bands take to the stage for an evening of live music. Both bands have been described as “psychedelic.” Tickets are $25.
• McLean Famers Market — 8 a.m. at Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bride Road) — This event will feature fresh veggies and food from local vendors.

Saturday (Aug. 17)

• Family Bingo Party With Food for Others — noon-3 p.m. at Brandbox Lounge at Tysons Corner Center — Food for Others will host an event to raise awareness for their cause while attendees play games and win prizes.

Photo via The Slambovian Circus of Dreams/Facebook

This Saturday, there will be a puppy party at Tysons Corner Center.

Attendees will get to play with puppies from two different litters. Wolf Trap Animal Rescue (WTAR) will host the event in coordination with BrandBox on Saturday, Aug. 10, from noon-3 p.m.

“Come by and meet some of the adorable faces that have been rescued, hear their story, and you’ll be sure to get quite a few licks in exchange,” a WTAR press release said.

The event will take place in BrandBox’s community lounge on the first level of Tysons Corner Center. Admission is $5 and will act as a donation to WTAR.

WTAR helps to find reliable and safe homes for shelter animals in the Northern Virginia region.

The puppies at this event will be available for adoption at WTAR’s “Clear the Shelters” event on Saturday, Aug. 17.

“This nationwide event has assisted in finding homes for more than 250,000 pets since 2015,” the press release said.

Gilly Hicks, a lingerie brand by Hollister, may soon arrive in Tysons Corner Center.

Hollister revived Gilly Hicks two years ago when the intimates market started to grow as more brands focused on selling bras and underwear geared toward teen consumers.

Building permits indicate that Gilly Hicks plans to occupy a space within BrandBox, a collection of pop-up stores in the mall, on the lower level near H&M. Hollister is also on the first level by Macy’s.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co., which owns Hollister, is on the second level, directly above the BrandBox spaces.