Shoppers at Tysons Corner Center may have spotted some new additions to the mall, including a cafe serving up matcha drinks and the return of a Christmas pop-up shop.
A Christmas to Remember comes to the mall during the holiday season to sell a wide variety of ornaments, lights, gifts and collectibles. The holiday decoration store opened a few days ago by the Barnes and Noble on the second level and will stay open through January, an employee said.
Over by the entrance to The Plaza, Matcha Cafe Maiko started serving matcha-focused ice cream and drinks over the weekend.
The chain’s online menu features shaved ice, soft serve, lattes, teas, floats, sweet red bean soup and parfaits.
People looking to get in the mood for Halloween can find a costume and decor store on the first level by H&M, according to the mall’s directory. Spirit Halloween sells costumes for kids and adults, decorations and party goods.
Now Closed
While several stores have opened in the mall, a few have closed.
Candy store Sugarfina closed about a week ago in the mall on the first level by Macy’s, an employee at a neighboring store said.
Frozen yogurt eatery Fruity Yogurt closed a few days ago, an employee at nearby Auntie Anne’s said. The space has a generic wraparound covering it.
Coming Soon
Canadian clothing brand Roots plans to open in the former Aldo space on the second level in October. The store is currently hiring along with Abercrombie Kids, which is planning to open in November on the first level near Nordstrom.
No new information on when Beauty Nail Bar or Moge Tee will open.
Cinnabon is temporarily closed on the first level in the food court area. A wraparound says that it is “reopening soon.”
A clothing boutique named Smith’s of Bermuda seems to have closed up shop in McLean.
The clothing boutique’s spot at 6651 Old Dominion Drive is next to Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market. While the sign is still at the location, the shop’s interior was mostly empty.
The woman at the home goods store on the other side of Smith’s of Bermuda said that today (Monday) was the store’s last day. The woman wasn’t sure how long Smith’s of Bermuda has been open, but did say that it has been there for at least 20 years.
Washingtonian included Smith’s of Bermuda in a round-up of shops for McLean and Vienna in 2009. “Ladies can find good daywear at this McLean boutique, which pairs classic staples with trendy accents,” Washingtonian reported.
The Ice Cream Jubilee pop-up in Tysons Galleria is now closed.
The location closed its doors during the last week of July after serving customers since December 2018, according to Jenna Hahn, the vice president of operations for Ice Cream Jubilee.
“While we very much enjoyed getting to know the people of the area, we decided to focus on our permanent locations,” Hahn said.
Matthew Woods, the assistant manager of Jubilee’s Ballston spot, said the Tysons location was not meeting its sales goals.
“The foot traffic didn’t pick up during the summer as we expected it to,” Woods said, adding that sales were unusually low especially for the hot summer months.
Unlike the Tysons location, Ice Cream Jubilee in Ballston seems to be very popular according to Woods. He added that they still have a steady flow of customers despite the start of the new school year.
AT&T no longer has a store along Leesburg Pike by the Greensboro Metro station.
A sign in the storefront window says that the store is permanently closed in Pike 7 Plaza and encourages people to head to the store in Vienna at 211 E. Maple Avenue.
The store closed on July 17, a spokesperson for Federal Realty Properties, told Tysons Reporter.
“We apologize for any inconvenience but this location is currently closed,” the sign said.
A used bookstore in the City of Falls Church plans to close at the end of the month, but comic book fans should plan on visiting the store before Monday.
“It’s a retirement closing” and “Thank you Falls Church for 40 years” signs currently hang on the store’s door.
After 40 years, Hole in the Wall Books plans to sell its comic books in a few days — less than two weeks before the store is packed up for good.
Owner Edie Nally told Tysons Reporter that her husband Michael ran the store for the first 20 years and she’s been in charge for the last 20 years.
After commuting a little more than 100 miles per day and getting stuck in I-66 traffic, Nally said she’s going to be “so glad to be out of that.”
But while Nally said that she feels “wonderful” about her upcoming retirement, several patrons who stopped by the store Thursday told Tysons Reporter that the closure will impact the Falls Church community.
Chris Messick said that the multi-generational store is part of the “citadel for nerd culture.”
“It’s a sanctuary for people to look for really cool, old books. They are not coming here just for a bargain,” Messick said.
Taylor Holland, a 48-year-old Arlingtonian who said he’s been coming to the store since he was 8, said that the closure is “costing Falls Church a piece of its soul.”
“Every community needs to have a place like this. It’s a repository of ideas,” Holland said. “It’s a forum where ideas can be exchanged. It’s the closest thing we have to a Roman forum or French salon circa the days of Versaille.”
Holland, who was unable to find a copy of “The Great Gatsby,” had a stack of at least two dozen paperbacks and comic books he had picked out for himself and his family.
“I buy a whole variety of things,” he said. “I have two kids ages 11 and 13.”
Shoppers can find a wide selection of books from mysteries to horror, from graphic novels to literature.
As for Nally’s favorite reads? “The very best books ever are Shakespeare and the Russians — Dostoevsky, Tolstoy,” Nally said. “What’s better than that?”
Signs outside the store say, “50% off. Going out of business sale discounts.” Nally said the half-off discount applies to “pretty much everything.”
Come Monday (Aug. 19), Nally said that a man will buy and haul away 191 long boxes containing “thousands and thousands of comics.” People looking for comic books should stop by the store this weekend, Nally suggested.
Hole in the Wall Books is open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on the weekends. The store plans to close for good on Saturday, Aug. 31.
Whatever doesn’t get sold by the closing date, Nally said will end up on the Advanced Book Exchange, a Canadian e-commerce site better known as AbeBooks.com.
Nally said that people should come to store before it closes “because we’re giving a great deal.”
McLean Firefighters Save Hawk — “Recently, Tower 401, McLean, A-Shift was called to assist [Fairfax County Animal Protection Police]. Hawk was entangled in netting. Lt. Roose and Tech Crabtree took MAPPO Lugo up in tower bucket to access hawk who was able to free hawk and transport to vet. Hawk is back in wild!” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]
Becoming a City — “While the end date for Tysons’ transformation plan may be 2050, cities are dynamic things.” Greater Greater Washington dives into the challenges Tysons will face as it continues to grow. [Greater Greater Washington]
McLean Crash Kills Driver — “A person is dead after a single-car crash that has closed a section of the GW Parkway on Sunday morning. The crash happened around 5:45 a.m. in McLean. The driver, who was the only occupant in the vehicle, died at the scene.” [Fox5]
Falls Church Book Store Closing — “Hole in the Wall Books, the cozy used book shop located within a faded blue house on Broad Street, will be closing up shop for good at the end of the month, concluding a 40-year run in the City of Falls Church that brought the right amount of reliability and eccentricity to make the store into an institution.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Filling Mad Fox’s Void — “The City of Falls Church’s economic development team confirmed [last week] that finding a replacement for the recently-closed Mad Fox Brewing Company is ‘an absolute strategic priority for the City’ and… another brewpub operation, a small chain, is showing a keen interest.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Unfinished McLean Mansion for Sale — “Greater Washington’s second most expensive house on the market isn’t even a house yet.” [Washington Business Journal]
Training for Mass Shooting Scenarios — ABC7’s Tim Barber has details on how Fairfax County’s police and fire train together for mass shooting scenarios. “The training starts with a radio call, with lights and sounds are added for effects.” [ABC7]
McLean Bank Teams Up With Another Bank — “Founders of VisionBank (In Organization) have agreed to join Old Dominion National Bank to help bolster the bank’s mission to provide a true community banking experience to growing numbers of businesses and individuals throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area.” [Cision]
After almost 10 years of sweet service, the founder of Danielle’s Desserts has decided to close the bakery so that she can focus on her family and health.
Founded in 2010 by Danielle Poux, the bakery will serve up Southern-style desserts in Tysons Galleria until next Friday, Aug. 16.
“The business, as much as I’ve enjoyed it, has taken a physical toll on me,” Poux said.
Now that she is almost 60 years old, she said spending 14 hours each day on her feet isn’t healthy for her anymore.
After meeting with a few of her managers a couple of months ago, they decided that a closing date would allow current employees enough time to arrange other career opportunities while also adequately wrapping everything up on the business end.
When Danielle’s Desserts announced that it was going to close, Poux said that the shop received hundreds of phone calls from customers expressing their dismay.
Looking back over the last nine years, Poux said that she took requests from customers and made adjustments to her menu based on feedback.
Poux recalled when she received several requests from a man who wanted a basic yellow cake with chocolate frosting — an option she hadn’t thought to offer at first because she thought it might be boring. When she gave the cake a trial period, she said it “flew out of the shop” and became a bestseller.
“I think the important thing that I’ve learned, it has come to my attention, that we have had an impact on people,” Poux said. “It’s like being a part of their important family events — and that’s an honor to me.”
Photo courtesy Danielle Poux
Balboa Steaks and Chickens is no longer at Tysons Corner Center.
The sandwich shop closed about three weeks ago, according to a Facebook message.
Located on the third level, Balboa offered a variety of chicken and steak sandwiches, including barbecue, Chipotle and Philly cheesesteak options.
Photo via Balboa Steaks and Chicken/Facebook
Danielle’s Desserts, a bakery in Tysons Galleria, plans to close in August.
An employee for the bakery said that it will close its doors on Friday, Aug. 16, at 1770 International Drive.
Founded by Danielle Poux in 2010, Danielle’s Desserts offers more than 50 flavors of “Southern-style” desserts, including gluten-free options, like cupcakes, cakes, pies, cookies and more.
The bakery is located on the third level near Saks Fifth Avenue and is open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday, according to the mall.
Photo via Danielle’s Desserts/Facebook
BGR The Burger Joint is no longer at Tysons Corner Center.
The eatery (8056 Tysons Corner Center) is listed as “closed” in the Tysons Corner Center directory.
An employee at a nearby BGR The Burger Joint told Tysons Reporter that the Tysons location closed last Friday (July 19).
The burger chain has other Virginia locations in Arlington, the Mosaic District, Reston Town Center and Springfield.
Photo via BGR The Burger Joint/Facebook
