Erin Condren, a stationary and supplies store, had a soft-launch yesterday (Wednesday) for the company’s new Mosaic District location.
The store at 2905 District Ave is the first East Coast location for the chain, which started in 2004 in as a note card business. Since then, the company has expanded to organizers and notebooks and opened brick-and-mortar locations, including a flagship store in Austin, Texas.
“It was great,” said Kelsey Anderson, the manager of the Mosaic District store. “It’s been fun, people have been walking by wondering when it was going to open.”
Anderson said the customers were a mix of those who were fans of the brand and those who were passing by and stopped in to check it out.
The official grand opening of the store won’t be until February when Condren herself — the company’s founder and namesake — will be out to celebrate the store’s opening. Anderson said it was decided to hold the grand opening after the holidays.
The store is currently looking for a part-time sales associate.
🥁Drumroll please…🥁 The #ECMosaicDistric Retail Store is officially OPEN! Come visit our stunning retail space in Fairfax, Virginia for a dose of color, inspiration & of course, ORGANIZATION! Fact: there's no happier place to do your holiday shopping. https://t.co/BDKOrPqWjH pic.twitter.com/3OyOfDCBoR
— Erin Condren Design (@ErinCondren) November 15, 2018
(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) The Mosaic District is getting a new restaurant.
Little Dipper Hot Pot is opening at 2985 District Avenue on Monday, Nov. 19. The first 100 guests to the grand opening at 11 a.m. will be treated to a free hot pot.
Hot pots are a traditional Chinese family staple meant to be enjoyed with a group, though Little Dipper says it serves only individual size hot pots. Hot pot varieties range from a tomato dipper with mushrooms and a variety of other garden vegetables to a platter filled with five different types of meat.
In addition to hot pots, Little Dipper Hot Pot also offers more individual-focused food choices like ramen or vermicelli. Cocktails, beer and wine are also available.
Little Dipper Hot Pot currently has two other locations, one nearby in Falls Church at 3000 Annandale Road and one in Rockville at 101 Gibbs Street.
Sundance, an apparel-home decor retail chain owned by actor-director Robert Redford, opened yesterday (Thursday) in the Mosaic District at 2910 District Ave.
The store sells a mix of higher-end men’s and women’s clothing, as well as home accessories from furniture to coasters. The store specializes in maintaining a rotating seasonal inventory.
A portion of the proceeds raised during the opening weekend will go to the McLean Project for the Arts, a non-profit that promotes local artists.
The Mosaic District location is the 15th store for the national chain. Though the business began in 1983, the number of retail locations remained small until the chain opened ten new locations in 2015.
Get the fresh fruit and veggies while you can, because several local farmers markets will be closing for the season next month.
In and around Tysons, there are at least four weekly farmers markets to choose from:
- Tysons Farmers Market (last day: Sunday, Nov. 18)
- McLean Farmers Market (last day: Friday, Nov. 16)
- Vienna Farmers Market (last day: Saturday, Nov. 3)
- Mosaic Central Farmers Market (year round)
The Tysons Farmers Market is held Sundays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the National Automobile Dealers Association parking lot (8400 Westpark Dr). Organized by Community Foodworks, the market features a variety of vendors offering everything from empanadas to coffee to fresh produce.
Like the Tysons market, the McLean Farmers Market starts up for the season in May and closes in mid-November. There are four market days left for the popular McLean bazaar of locally-produced food, which is held every Friday from 8 a.m.-noon in Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Rd).
In addition to a variety of vendors, the Master Gardener Plant Clinic sets up at the McLean market to help locals learn more about the vegetation of their yards.
The Vienna Farmers Market, meanwhile, will not be open this weekend, according to its website. There’s only one market day remaining before the Vienna market closes for the season: Saturday, Nov. 3, from 8 a.m.-noon.
For those in the area who need to get their farmers market fix year round, the Mosaic District hosts a weekly farmers market on Sundays that runs through the winter. Mosaic Central Farmers Market is held at 2910 District Ave from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. — that is, until the end of December.
From January to March, the market shifts to a winter market, with modified hours and 40 vendors instead of the usual 55, according to its website.
Photo via Facebook
Bootique will return to Merrifield this Thursday (Oct. 25) night, offering an evening of deals and treats.
The Mosaic District’s annual Halloween event will take place from 5-7 p.m, during which time local stores will be giving out candy to trick-or-treaters. At 7 p.m., attendees are invited to settle in at Strawberry Park for a screening of Monsters Vs. Aliens on the large screen outside the Angelika Film Center.
Maps will be available and stores will have signs saying if they are giving out candy. The following stores are confirmed to be trick-or-treating candy stops:
- Cheestique
- District Dumplings
- Mint Nail Lounge
- Tiny Dancers
- Muse Paint Bar
- Neiman Marcus Last Call
- Caboose
- Scout and Molly
- Undeniable Boutique
- Oath Pizza
- Jinya Ramen
- The Shade Store
- Fair Trade Winds
- lululemon athletica
- Lather
- Nook
- Le Pain Quotidien
- Puree
- Lou Lou
- Matchbox
- Kendra Scott
- Ted’s Bulletin
- Arielle Shoshana
- Williams Sonoma
- 520 Ice Cream
Photo via Facebook
The 14th Annual Merrifield Fall Festival is returning to the Mosaic District this Saturday (Oct. 13).
The festival, original scheduled for Sept. 15, was rescheduled to this weekend amid concerns about Hurricane Florence. The festival will run from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Presented by the Greater Merrifield Business Association (GMBA), the festival will spotlight restaurants in the Mosaic District and across Merrifield. A beer garden hosted by the Caboose Brewing Company will be held on the Mosaic lawn, allowing attendees to grab a drink before listening to live music played all day.
Vendors will also give attendees a chance to get started on their holiday shopping in a market focusing on handmade and vintage items. Special deals will also be ongoing in nearby retailers.
For children at the festival, pumpkin and face painting, sack races, karate and more will be available.
Photos via Facebook
