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
After new ownership took over Uncle Liu’s Hot Pot (2972 Gallows Rd) in March, the restaurant is now in the process of reshaping the casual Chinese eatery in Merrifield.
An investor representing the project said the new ownership took over the restaurant on March 1 and has maintained operations to have a smooth transition into a new menu.
The restaurant is keeping the hot pots, but a new chef from the Henan Province of China is joining the project and specializes in hui mian noodles, a food popular in that region.
The noodles are typically served with lamb or beef, but the investor said at Uncle Liu’s they will also be served alongside a large plate of chicken.
Uncle Liu’s Hot Pot offers a lunch menu during weekdays for $19.95 and a dinner menu for $25.95, with all-day dinner pricing on weekends and holidays.
The investor also said Uncle Liu’s Hot Pot is also filing for a new ABC permit because the previous one didn’t carry over with the new ownership, adding that the restaurant is anticipating approval and alcohol on the menu within a few months.
Exterior photo via Google Maps
Dr. Arnold Willis, a urologist in Maryland, is bringing Hello Kitty wine to Merrifield with his Napoleonic Cavalry-themed distribution service, thanks in part to Chicago gangster Al Capone.
It’s a lot to unpack. The ABC permit is still pending, but Chasseur Wine LLC is planning on opening a wholesale distribution facility at 2995 Gallows Road, as a staging ground for moving into Northern Virginia.
The brand is already active in Maryland and D.C., and Willis said Merrifield was right at the epicenter of the planned distribution network.
So where does the beloved Sanrio feline fit into all of this? Buckle in, it’s sort of a long story.
A few years ago, to celebrate their 40th anniversary, Willis said Sanrio was looking for a wine to put their label onto — the logic being that girls who had grown up with Hello Kitty were now likely of drinking age. In a tour of European vineyards in 2016, they settled on Torti Winery in Italy.
When they were looking to distribute that wine in the United States, they turned to a restauranteur in California who was an old family friend. Willis was friends with the restauranteur and was asked if he wanted to be involved in the distribution.
Willis said he had no experience of first-hand knowledge of Hello Kitty before that moment, but said it sounded like a fun thing to try out.
“We got unbelievable PR and in August,” said Willis. “I was completely caught off guard. It started as a fun thing with friends, but it’s completely exploded.”
Willis said after the initial explosion of interest, they began to take the wine distribution more seriously. Branding as Kitty Wines International, the group started moving into nation-wide distribution. The brand is currently available in 27 states.
“It surprises people as a legit wine,” Willis said. What has happened — it’s something very kitschy, it catches you off guard. Everybody buys one bottle to say ‘look what I got’ but the irony of this is: it’s quite good wine.”
But there was a catch.
“Ever since the Al Capone days, the federal government has cut it up so you can’t have wholesale distributorship to more than 15 states,” Willis said.
So the distributorship needed to be split up. Willis lived in the D.C. area, so he worked with his son on setting up their own distribution service in the area. Thus, Chasseur Wine — named for the son’s interest in the French cavalry unit from the Napoleonic War — was born. There are other wines involved, but Willis said the main feature is still the Hello Kitty wine, which typically sells in the $17 to $30 range.
Chasseur Wine currently distributes in Maryland and D.C., but is still waiting on a license in Virginia to start selling.
“This is the most fun I’ve ever had,” Willis said. “Chasseur Wines is my baby.”
Photo via Facebook
Dockless electronic scooters are coming to Fairfax County.
Lime scooters will soon be released on the streets of Vienna, Merrifield and Falls Church, according to a press release.
“We’re thrilled to expand our footprint in the DMV area and to begin serving Fairfax, providing accessible, affordable mobility options to riders across the city,” Sean Arroyo, Lime’s regional general manager, said in a press release. “We couldn’t be more excited to integrate ourselves into the community and to begin working with local leaders to help achieve their sustainability and accessibility goals.”
Users can use the Lime app to locate the nearest scooter, then scan the QR code on the handlebars or baseboard to use it. Users are encouraged to ride in bike lanes and wear helmets.
Scooters cost $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute to ride. Rides are finished in the app to be parked at a street curb or bike rack. Riders must be 18 years or older.
E-scooters are popular in major cities D.C., and are already ubiquitous in close-in suburbs like Arlington, but the hoards of abandoned scooters left haphazardly strewn across the streets has also drawn some criticism or even dramatic acts of vandalism.
In addition to Vienna, Falls Church and Merrifield, Lime says it is also bringing scooters to George Mason University and the City of Fairfax.
Photo via Facebook
Several newcomers are heading to the Mosaic District.
Two restaurants are set to open this fall, according to EDENS, a retail real estate owner and developer.
French bistro Parc de Ville will fill the former spot of Mike Isabella’s Requin (8296 Glass Alley, Suite 110), Washingtonian reported.
This is will be the first Northern Virginia location for D.C. restauranteurs Ian and Eric Hilton, who are known for their concepts Chez Billy Sud, Players Club and The Brixton, according to EDENS.
RyuKai, a Japanese BBQ and soba noodle restaurant, will include a demo kitchen where Shuichi Kotani will teach soba noodle making, EDENS said in a press release. The restaurant is set to occupy a 5,820-square-foot-space at 2980 District Ave, the Commercial Observer reported.
Kumon, an afterschool math and reading program, will join RyuKai at 2980 District Ave. Building permits indicate that Kumon will take up a 1,377-square-foot space in suite 150.
Up the street, Wee Chic, a Maryland-based kids’ clothing boutique, will take the former spot of Dawn Price Baby (2905 District Ave suite 120).
First and last images via Google Maps
Starbucks is joining Barnes & Noble at the bookstore giant’s upcoming Mosaic District spot.
The Barnes and Noble will soon have an 8,630-square-f00t-corner spot at 2921 District Ave — a substantially smaller space than a typical store.
Signs in the storefront windows say that the store is “coming soon.” It appears from the signs that Starbucks will have a home inside the scaled-down book store.
At last check, shoppers were told to expect a June opening.
A new 28-home subdivision could be coming to Lee Highway just west of Merrifield, replacing a private, heavily forested plot on the Bear Branch stream.
Today, the 10-acre lot is mainly forested with a few small buildings. A narrow gravel road is closed off with a fence, but maps show it leads to a small clearing at the center of the property.
The new development will replace that woodland with new houses, with 1.8 acres preserved and dedicated to the Fairfax County Park Authority. The application notes that 86 percent of the current vegetation on the property will be destroyed.
The new homes would be located on the northern border of Armistead Park, an 11-acre public park. A six-foot-wide trail would also connect the existing trail in Armistead Park to Lee Highway.
The application says an existing pond on the property will be rehabilitated as an amenity for residents, with a dock and seating area for fishing or community gatherings.
An application for the subdivision was filed in December, with pre-staffing for the project scheduled for next Monday (March 18). The subdivision is tentatively scheduled for a Planning Commission hearing in July.
Photo via Google Maps
Someone burglarized the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit restaurant in Merrifield earlier this week.
The burglary happened between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Fairfax County Police say money was stolen overnight from the business, at 2750 Gallows Road.
“There is currently no suspect information available,” said FCPD.
Photo via Google Maps
D.C.-based nonprofit FRESHFARM will be taking over the Mosaic Farmers Market and is planning a market season kick off for April 6 and 7.
According to a press release from FRESHFARM, the market will operate every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature over 50 regional farmers and vendors selling fresh produce, bread, meat and other farmers market staples. The market is scheduled to run through December.
Current market vendors offer selections from crepes to candles and one vendor, Chase Your Tail Bakery, that makes handcrafted dog biscuits.
“The Mosaic Farmers Market is a vibrant part of this thriving community, and we were honored that EDENS invited us to join them in bringing delicious, locally grown and produced food to Mosaic District,” Julia Feder, executive director of FRESHFARM, said in the press release. “We look forward to getting to know the residents, visitors, and local businesses in the Mosaic neighborhood this season.”
FRESHFARM operates 16 farmers markets throughout the region, with an emphasis on locally sourced food.
That same weekend, the Mosaic District is also scheduled to host the “Art Blooms at Mosaic” festival, a cherry blossom event in partnership with the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Photo via @claire_brunette/Instagram
A bullet was fired into a home one block from the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station, but so far, that’s about all police are saying about the incident.
Police say the incident occurred 2600 block of Avenir Place on Saturday (March 2) around 2 a.m.
“A woman was lying in bed with her mother when a bullet shot through their bedroom window,” police said in a crime report. “No injuries were reported.”
Police said they were still investigating the incident and working to determine the source of the bullet.
Photo via Google Maps
