As the Mosaic District moves forward with plans to relaunch its weekly farmers market, the old market’s leadership is starting a competing market four miles away.
The Mosaic District announced in early March that the nonprofit FRESHFARM would be taking over the Mosaic Farmers Market.
Central Farm Markets, the organization that for the last six years had managed the farmers market at the Mosaic District, said on their website that the announcement was a shock to them.
“We were told, with just a few weeks notice and for no reason, that we had to leave the property,” the organization said on their website. “As you can imagine this has been a very difficult time for us and our vendors. In a matter of weeks we had to find a new location, enroll vendors and take care of all of the business matters associated with such an enormous move.”
Tysons Reporter reached out to the Mosaic District inquiring about the change but received no response.
The Mosaic Central Farm Market was able to find a space at George C. Marshall High School (7731 Leesburg Pike) and rebranded as NOVA Central Farm Market.
Debra Moser, co-owner of Central Farm Market, said many of the vendors from the earlier Mosaic venue will carry over to the new location, and the arrangement with local non-profits to pick up left over food and deliver it to those in need will continue.
Both markets are planning a grand opening this Sunday (April 7).
Moser said Central Farm Market was never given a reason for why they were replaced.
“Moving a market, getting it reestablished in a short period of time was a great undertaking,” Moser said. “But we’re looking forward to the opening on Sunday.”
Photo via Facebook
HQ2 Worries for Fairfax Companies — “Amazon.com Inc.’s move to open a second headquarters in Arlington may prove to be a mixed-bag for Fairfax County. While many HQ2 employees are expected to live in the county, there’s a real chance that Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) will take tech talent from companies based in Fairfax.” [Washington Business Journal]
Does Tysons Need New North-South Transit? — “The Silver Line is good for east-west, but Tysons needs something north-south too. [Twitter]
Silver Line Station Progress — “Work crews in yellow vests and hard hats continue to dot the stations, track, pavilions, pedestrian bridges and tracks along the Phase 2 alignment, but over the next few months, more and more of those workers will be heading to interior work stations to run utility lines, install equipment and test all of the facilities.” [VivaTysons]
Apartment Fire in Falls Church — A fire broke out in the kitchen of an apartment at 450 N. Washington Street in Falls Church on Friday afternoon. [Twitter]
Falls Church PD Seek Info in Dog Bite Case — “City of Falls Church Police and Animal Control are looking for a dog that bit a man on the leg on Wednesday, March 27, around 2:15 p.m. near the Cherry Hill Park tennis courts.” [City of Falls Church]
Despite a large number of vacancies on Maple Avenue and some recent high profile closures, the Town of Vienna’s Finance Department says twice as many businesses are opening in the town compared to those closing.
Last year, 115 businesses opened and 65 closed, the finance department said, in response to an inquiry from Tysons Reporter.
It’s an optimistic note for a town that, economically, could really use a win.
Last year, Vienna’s commercial vacancy rate was 13 percent. Of the town’s 1,095 commercial properties, 138 were vacant and 68 were on Maple Avenue, according to InsideNova.
But it’s businesses off of Maple Avenue that are being hit the hardest by increasing rents and declining sales. Peggy James, executive director of the Vienna Business Association, said a combination of increasing rents and limited parking availability are making it hard for local businesses to stay afloat.
The Town is taking some steps to make commercial businesses in Vienna more viable, including a plan in the town budget to hire a full-time economic development consultant to focus specifically on ways to make life easier for businesses. Vienna is currently the only Northern Virginia locality without staff tasked specifically with economic development.
In the meantime, here’s a look at some of the more recent businesses to open in Vienna:
VivaTysons Magazine filed for bankruptcy last month after running up hundreds of thousands in debt, but the publication is now seeking to have its case dismissed.
An attorney for VivaTysons filed a motion asking a federal bankruptcy judge to dismiss the Chapter 11 case, arguing VivaTysons can better function and pay its debts outside of the bankruptcy process.
Among other reasons for exiting bankruptcy, the filing says an unnamed magazine competitor tried to use the bankruptcy to poach advertising clients from VivaTysons. (For the record, it wasn’t us. -Ed.)
From the filing:
The Debtor seeks to dismiss its case “for cause” for the following reasons: (i) the Debtor believes that it is losing essential advertising revenue as a result of its filing for bankruptcy; (ii) the Debtor is experiencing difficulty complying with the administrative burdens of chapter 11; and (iii) the Debtor is hopeful that it can achieve settlements with its creditors outside of bankruptcy. The Debtor believes its creditors will obtain a greater dividend outside of bankruptcy than pursuant to a plan in the bankruptcy case.
After the Petition Date, at least one of the Debtor’s competitors contacted the Debtor’s advertisers and falsely stated to the Debtor’s advertisers that, as a result of the bankruptcy filing, the Debtor was “closed.” The Debtor’s competitor used the bankruptcy filing and alleged “closing” to implore the Debtor’s advertisers to advertise in the competitor’s magazine instead of the Debtor’s magazine. The Debtor believes that it has lost essential advertising revenue because of the actions of its competitors as a result of the bankruptcy filing.
VivaTysons says in the filing that it owes four small business lenders and banks more than $250,000 collectively. It also owes money to its printing company, the printing company’s owner and potentially two other financial companies. The parent company of Washingtonian Magazine also filed a claim, saying it is owed $50,000 by Tysons-based Johnny Hanna & Associates, which owns VivaTysons.
VivaTysons is published every other month. It is mailed to readers and distributed to local businesses in Tysons, McLean, Falls Church, Vienna, Great Falls and Oakton.
The Persian New Year is just around the corner on Thursday (March 21), which means that many Iranian-Americans will also soon celebrate the coming of spring.
For many locals who rely on Middle Eastern markets — specifically Persian markets — to supply them with groceries, baked goods and other assorted supplies, Vienna has several places to buy all of the necessities for parties and family gatherings around the Persian New Year.
These small bodega-like markets are important to the Persian community as they act like microcosms of classical Middle Eastern bazaars. Many of the customers that go to the stores are able to speak in Persian, Arabic and Turkish with one another and get ingredients not common in most grocery stores.
Here are three favorites among Iranian-Americans in the area:
Assal Market (112 Glyndon Street NE)
The first shop on the list is Assal Market. Assal Market is one of the oldest middle eastern grocery stores in the area, having first opened up in 1986. Customers can shop for various meats, nuts, fruits and other grocery essentials for festive dinners and other occasions. Most specifically, Assal offers a wide range of halal meats for kabobs, beef stews, and all sorts of Persian classical dishes.
Yas Bakery (137 Church Street NW)
Located in the heart of Vienna, Yas Bakery is owned by Maryam Tabrizi and has been around since 2003. Yas, which means “Jasmine” in Farsi, offers an impressive amount of many sweets, all of which are made fresh in house daily. Zoolbia bamieh — fried honey pastries — are a stable and customer favorite among the sweets offered.
Shiraz Market (8486 Tyco Road G)
Shiraz Market, owned by Mahnaz Hooshmand and located in the Tysons area, is the largest of the three markets and offers fresh produce, baked goods and a small in-house café with homestyle Persian food. Customers often come in to shop for their groceries and also get a lunch of koobideh kabob with saffron rice. The market also sells a variety of glassware, including Persian teacups, hookahs and other china for decorating and serving dishes.
These stores are not exclusive to Persians or other Middle Eastern shoppers, and many of the people that go to these stores come from all sorts of backgrounds. All the shop keepers emphasized just how glad they are that their stores not only provide essentials to Middle Eastern homes, but also introduce the entire community to their food and culture.
Whether or not you celebrate or know someone who is celebrating the Persian New Year, these stores all offer something new and exciting to all local residents.
The MacMillan Whisky Room is set to bring a high-end neighborhood bar offering international whiskies to the Mosaic District at the beginning of May.
Derek Anderson, who co-owns the bar along with his wife Emma Hand, told Tysons Reporter that they have seen construction move along quickly since they received their permits on Jan. 30.
Construction updates on the restaurant and bar’s Facebook page celebrated the recently built bar and drywall. Anderson said the contractor expects the work finalized by mid-April.
“If our schedule holds, we anticipate a week or two soft opening and then a big weekend grand opening between Friday, May 3, and Cinco de Mayo,” Anderson said.
Along with a variety of whiskies, scotches, vodkas and other liquors, the MacMillan Whisky Room (2920 District Ave) plans to serve burgers along with classic British bar fare like scotch eggs, fish and chips and other dishes.
After opening, Anderson said that the Kentucky Derby on May 4 is the next big event to look forward to with the “big hats and bigger mint juleps.”
A sign in the storefront window says that the MacMillan Whisky Room is hiring bartenders, servers, kitchen staff and supervisors.
Last two photos via Facebook
A combination of a bubble tea shop and electronic dance music lounge is set to arrive soon along Maple Avenue.
Currently in Falls Church at the Eden Center, TeaDM Lounge plans to open a new location at 142 Maple Ave W. — the former spot of E.G. Comics.
A TeaDM Lounge employee told Tysons Reporter that a grand opening is expected near the end of April.
Locals who don’t want to wait the month can head to 6765 Wilson Blvd for a taste of the bubble tea, flavored tea, coffee and smoothies paired with electric beats.
Photo via Facebook
The Town of Vienna is poised to rev up public parking discussions again, after recently dropping a plan that would have made it easier to park in the town’s central business district.
One month ago, the Town of Vienna said it had dissolved an agreement to use a four-story commercial building on Church Street as a public parking garage. Now, the push for public parking is making a comeback.
The Town Business Liaison Committee and Mayor Laurie DiRocco are set to host a community brainstorming session about public parking.
The meeting later this week aims to gather feedback from business owners, problem-solve and consider future options, the event description says.
Anyone interested in going can head to the Town Hall (127 S. Center Street) from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday (March 14).
As is the eventual fate of all pop-ups, locally owned boutique Park Story could be relocating from its Mosaic District home.
Owner Meghan Evans launched her own clothing line in August 2017 and opened the store in the Mosaic District in October 2018.
“I am hoping for a more permanent home that caters to local designers and independent caterers,” said Evans. “Something permanent than a pop-up. I’m expecting to be here through July.”
Evans said she’s currently in discussions with the Mosaic District about trying to stay in that area, but either way, she hopes to remain somewhere in Northern Virginia.
Evans started her clothing line after being frustrated with the lack of selection for tall women. The Park Story boutique was designed to not only showcase her collection, but work from other local and independent creators. Evans said the store hosts everything from local lipstick to jewelry and art.
“People are surprised there’s such quality on the local market,” Evans said. “People don’t expect to find us here. We’re surrounded by bigger box stores, but we’re local and independent.”
Evans’ clothing line is manufactured in D.C. She knows most of the other vendors at her store following years of building connections and seeking out brands that she believes are complementary to the shop aesthetic.
“We are clean and modern with a feminine touch,” Evans said. “The shop has more of a minimalist feel: light, bright and airy.”
Evans said she hopes to know by April whether or not the store will be moving so she can begin to let her customers know her plans.
Photo via Facebook
One week after Republik Coffee (7915 Jones Branch Drive) was scheduled for eviction, the local coffee shop is still serving coffee.
A manager at the location confirmed that the location plans to remain open but could add no details about how the coffee bar evaded the eviction.
Owner Talha Sarac had previously told Tysons Reporter that the eviction notice was part of a misunderstanding with Kettler, which owns the Highgate at the Mile building, and that he would meet with Kettler representatives to sort things out.
Kettler declined to comment, but whatever Sarac and Kettler discussed, it was enough to keep the location open for the time being.
