Despite the ongoing pandemic, baddpizza still aims to open a new McLean location in the next few weeks, according to Joel Salamone, the eatery’s owner.
Though there isn’t an opening date set, the upcoming location at 6263 Old Dominion Drive will “100%” be open by June, Salamone said, adding that he might open it sooner if possible.
Inspired by Buffalo-style food, the pizza parlor not only serves medium-crust pizza, but also hot wings, salads, desserts and sub sandwiches, according to its website.
Unlike other joints, baddpizza has a sweeter sauce and places toppings right up to the edge, according to Salamone.
The new location joins another in Falls Church (346 W. Broad Street), which opened in February.
Photo via baddpizza/Facebook
New Water, Sewer Rates — “The Vienna Town Council on May 11 set water and sewer rates for the upcoming fiscal year, but held off on decisions regarding the fiscal 2021 budget and the potential hiring of a consultant to help update the town’s zoning code.” [Inside NoVa]
In Memoriam — “For years, as a youth coach and administrator of multiple sports, Bill Cervenak was a pillar in the Vienna community, touching hundreds of lives… Cervenak died in recent days from various health issues. He was 80.” [Inside NoVa]
Smarty Pants — “Seven students from McLean are among the 2,500 recipients of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s $2,500 scholarships announced Wednesday. They were chosen in a selection process that started with the 2018 PSAT.” [McLean Patch]
House has been demolished to make way for a new park at Parker and Oak. pic.twitter.com/ReWCOd57Kr
— Falls Church Views (@fallschurchview) May 13, 2020
Some #inspo for your #FallBrochurePhotoContest Photos! Don't forget to submit your pics to [email protected] by May 20.https://t.co/67BkuxTJ5x
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) May 13, 2020
Fairfax County recently created a map pinpointing local groups looking for donations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The map allows users to find nonprofits and organizations within a specific region of Fairfax County so they can help people within their own communities.
Users can search for charities by the proximity to an address or by clicking on one from the general geographic overview.
The charities listed on the website are accepting items including personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, baby products and paper items, the page said. Throughout the county, 22,620 households are at or below the poverty level, according to the website.
Charities collecting monetary donations can be found on the webpage as well.
People can learn more about a charity by reading an overview from Volunteer Fairfax.
County-wide:
- The Shepherd’s Center of McLean-Arlington-Falls Church
- American Red Cross in the National Capital Region
- Blood Donor Services, Inova Health System
- Britepaths
Vienna:
- McLean Bible Church
- Family Preservation and Strengthening Services (PASS)
- MK9s Service Dogs
- Second Story
- The Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna
McLean:
Falls Church:
- Falls Church-McLean Childrens Center
- Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Administration
- Falls Church Community Service Council (FCS)
- New Hope Housing (NHH)
- Northern Virginia Dental Clinic, Inc.
- NOVA ScriptsCentral, Inc.
- Shelter House, Inc.
- The Arc of Northern Virginia
- Computer C.O.R.E.
Image via Fairfax County
Tysons Company Gets Millions to Scale Up — “Qrvey, the next-generation analytics platform built to change the way companies interact with their data, today announced the close of a $7.5 million Series A investment round to scale up its revenue operations.” [PR Newswire]
Fundraising for Firefighters — “The Woman’s Club of McLean on May 4 donated $5,000 to the McLean Volunteer Fire Department, representing some of the proceeds from the club’s 2019 Holiday Homes Tour.” [Inside NoVa]
Uncertain Reopening Date for Nine Metro Stations — “Metro will only say that it will end in the fall, but is no longer promising it will end the day after Labor Day as originally expected… Metro says the closed Silver Line stations will not reopen until the Orange Line stations are able to reopen also.” [WJLA]
Local News Outlet Honors High School Seniors — Virginia Patch is celebrating graduates by publishing mini-profiles of them from forms that families can fill out. [Patch]
The McLean District Station recently received a kind surprise from a neighborhood in their district – Residents lined up in their yards & driveways, with posters & signs, to thank the first responders for their service. We are grateful to serve in such a great community! #FCPD pic.twitter.com/woyS6rgjkJ
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) May 6, 2020
(Updated at 2 p.m.) The Virginia Chamber of Commerce unveiled its list recognizing 50 small, fast-growing companies — and 10 businesses in Tysons and McLean are included.
Now in its 25th year, the “Fantastic 50” list highlights private Virginia companies that received high marks on their four-year revenue history, according to a press release from the chamber.
Eligible companies must have revenues between $200,000 and $200 million and demonstrate positive revenue growth and net income from last fiscal year to the most recent one, the press release said.
“Small business is the heart of our economy and we are pleased to honor the entrepreneurial spirit and hard work of Virginia’s fifty fastest growing businesses,” Barry DuVal, the president and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said in the press release.
Tysons-area businesses that are 2020 Virginia Fantastic 50 winners:
- Alpha Omega Integration, LLC, Tysons
- The Author Incubator, McLean
- Spatial Front Inc., Tysons
- Criterion Systems Inc., Tysons
- Artemis Consulting Inc., Tysons
- MicroHealth, LLC, Tysons
- DayBlink Consulting, Tysons
- ValidaTek, Inc., Tysons
- E3/Sentinel, Tysons
- M2 Strategy, Tysons
Additionally, Alpha Omega Integration, LLC in Vienna received the 2020 Virginia Vanguard Service Award.
“Although we are unable to honor these business leaders and their dedicated teams in-person, due to COVID-19, we applaud each of these companies who continue to set the bar higher every year and want to ensure they receive the recognition they deserve for their contributions to the commonwealth,” DuVal said.
The full list is available online.
After discovering her love for storytelling at age 8, Cooper Middle School student and McLean resident Chloe Middleton has now published her first book in a new series called BunnyElla.
BunnyElla is about a young bunny who finds herself put in a position where she has to be brave and make certain decisions that will guide her life, according to the book’s description.
“It’s a book for everybody,” Chloe said, adding that people of all ages can take away something different from it.
According to Chloe’s mom, Ang, common themes in the book include overcoming peer pressure and challenging cliche fairy tale tropes.
After the book’s official release on March 24, Chloe said she was overwhelmed by the positive response she received from her peers and her community at school — including a personal phone call from the administration at her school praising her work.
All of the artwork in the book is the creative product of Chloe and her younger sister, Adeline. To brighten up the colors, Ang noted that the family also hired an artist to digitize their artwork before it went to print.
To help women in need during the coronavirus pandemic, Chloe said that some of the proceeds from the book will be donated to Calvary Women’s Services, which assists women experiencing homelessness in the D.C. area.
Currently, Chloe said that she is working on a sequel to BunnyElla, adding that it will likely be a chapter book further exploring the themes in the first book. When she isn’t writing, Chloe said she also enjoys playing the piano and participating in sports.
People can purchase BunnyElla on Amazon.
Image courtesy Chloe Middleton
Takeout and Delivery List for Tysons Area — Washingtonina has compiled an alphabetical list of eateries in Tysons, Vienna and McLean offering takeout and delivery. [Washingtonian]
Locals Helping to Save McLean Restaurant — Chris Mylonas, who help start Mylo’s Grill at the Chesterbrook Shopping Center says that locals have been helping the restaurant stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. [Connection Newspapers]
McLean Student Teaching Knitting Classes — “McLean High School Senior Amanda Mullet is working hard to bring both stress relief and a new hobby to her neighbors and friends through her Girl Scout Gold Award Project… She set about teaching her friends and peers how to knit.” [Connection Newspapers]
Little City Turns to Public to Support Grants — The City of Falls Church is asking residents and businesses to submit comments on the West Falls Church Connection to W&OD Trail and the Downtown Falls Church Multimodal Improvements projects to help the city get grants from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. [City of Falls Church]
Tysons-Based Appian Hiring — “The Tysons software firm is now hiring for more than 60 positions in sales, engineering, professional services, marketing and an array of corporate roles, from finance to recruiting to C-level roles. Appian, now with more than 1,000 employees, is supporting some of the country’s largest health care and financial organizations through the COVID-19 crisis, according to founder and CEO Matt Calkins.” [Washington Business Journal]
McLean Senior Home COVID-19 Patient Dies– “A resident who tested positive for the new coronavirus at McLean’s Vinson Hall Retirement Community died Friday, the facility announced. The resident lived at Arleigh Burke Pavilion, where 15 other residents tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 illness.” [Patch]
Eden Center Hit Hard by Pandemic — Storefront after storefront at the L-shaped enclave of roughly 120 shops, eateries, salons and grocers had closure signs prominently taped up… The pandemic that is shuttering restaurants across the country is draining the life out the Eden Center… Xenophobia lingers as yet another threat to business. And an immigrant community that’s been here for nearly half a century is watching a beacon of its vitality grow dim.” [DCist]
McLean Dentist 3-D Printing Masks — Dr. Phil Cai, a dentist in McLean, has been 3-D printing masks to give to health care workers. [WUSA9, Wall Street Journal]
Vienna MAC Woes — “Nearly six years after the Vienna Town Council approved the controversial Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zoning ordinance, the Council on April 27 has set a June 1 public hearing to discuss whether the ordinance should be suspended another two years or scrapped altogether.” [Inside NoVa]
Fairfax County Now Offers COVID-19 Text Messages in Spanish https://t.co/llE8yDGU8P pic.twitter.com/XKSrok30b0
— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) April 28, 2020
Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.
As we embark on week 6 of stay-at-home orders, you may be looking for something to change things up. Need some new puzzles? What about a science kit to do with your kids? Maybe it’s time to introduce them to Monopoly?
Or maybe you have no idea what they’d like but could use some input. As many small businesses pivot to new business ideas in this pandemic, the local toy stores are doing the same. You can shop over the phone, pay over the phone and they’ll deliver it to your car — contact free. In addition, you’ll also be helping a small business survive:
The store has “Virtual Concierge Shopping” appointments, where they can make recommendations and you can shop the full store. They’ll deliver within 6 miles of the store for orders over $40, or you can do curbside pickup. They do have a mini shop online where you can browse a specific selection of toys.
Doodlehopper 4 Kids in Falls Church
The store is offering curbside pickup and you can shop both online and over the phone with one of their sales consultants. I actually sent them a Facebook message asking for puzzle options and they sent back 3 photos of the current inventory. So I was able to pick which ones I wanted, pay over the phone, and then do curbside pickup.
Also offering curbside pickup and Bike Pedalers delivery service, they offer games and books, plus wine, snacks and cards. You can call the store and ask for book suggestions — both adult and kids. If they don’t have it in store, they’re able to order it for you.
Freeman Historic Gift Shop in Vienna
You probably wouldn’t immediately think of the Freeman Store, but they do carry a unique gift store filled with puzzles, toys and other unique Vienna specific items. There’s a great blanket with specific Vienna spots embroidered.
How Much PPP Funding Went to Virginia Businesses? — “D.C., Maryland and Virginia businesses collectively received about 5% of the total loan dollars greenlit by the Small Business Administration through its wildly sought-after Paycheck Protection Program, which ran out of funds in fewer than two weeks after it debuted… Virginia businesses received 40,371 loans totaling $8.72 billion.” [Washington Business Journal]
McLean Man Shares Dyslexia in New Book — “Michael Balzano’s life has been a classic American rags-to-riches tale – even though he’s had to battle dyslexia every step of the way. His recently published book, “Dyslexic: My Journey,” covers that often misdiagnosed reading disability and the problems it causes, but also has a broader mission.” [Inside NoVa]
Local Real Estate Agents Adapt — “Those who are actively looking tend to be serious buyers and who are employed and have an optimistic attitude that the virus will be under control soon. For others, wanting to sell or buy, there may be too much uncertainty now. Heather Embrey of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Premier said she had experienced potential sellers changing their minds to wait out the pandemic.” [Falls Church News-Press]
FCPS Meals for Kids — “The school system’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services as of April 14 had provided more than 357,000 meals, including breakfasts and lunches, at 61 areas locations, said schools spokesman Lucy Caldwell.” [Inside NoVa]
How Local Students Work Interning Virtually — “As Virginia schools remain closed due to the state’s COVID-19 social distancing mandates, BASIS Independent McLean (BIM) 12th graders are undertaking senior internships virtually, adapting to the video and audio tools that allow professional experience training to continue as part of BASIS Independent McLean’s final senior project.” [Patch]
