About a year after Wee Chic opened in the Mosaic District, COVID-19 restrictions temporarily closed the brick and mortar store. Now, the newly reopened kids’ clothing boutique is preparing for the fall.
Started in Maryland a little more than 10 years ago, Wee Chic made a quick pivot to e-commerce with curated boxes and an online store this spring. Just like owner Bridget Quinn Stickline predicted back in May, the reopened stores are currently offering steep discounts as Wee Chic looks to shed excess inventory and make way for fall clothing.
“We still have too much inventory,” Stickline told Tysons Reporter in mid-July. “Currently, we’re selling product up to 60% off. This is the good stuff that would have sold full price.”
With fall approaching, Wee Chic plans to make changes again — a “giant pivot cycle” as Stickline calls it — to keep the business going during the pandemic. Stickline stressed that the store is committed to serving shoppers with various comfort levels around COVID-19 precautions, from in-store browsing with required face coverings to online shopping.
Curated Boxes Returning
Wee Chic first promoted its curated “Shop Box” in the spring to help with the inventory overload, but put a pause on the box due to the summer sale.
As the store now looks to move away from being heavily discounted, Stickline said that she plans to relaunch the box for fall merchandise.
Here’s how the box works: employees talk to shoppers over the phone to pick out 10-20 pieces, which can include multiple sizes. When the box arrives, kids try on the clothes and parents send back whatever they don’t want. Shoppers who keep a certain number of pieces get a percentage off their entire order.
Because the box is not a subscription model, Stickline said that her employees work hard to pick out the right products.
“[Subscription services] have a chance to get it right,” Stickline said. “In our model, it’s one box. That one box has to be good enough.”
Stickline noted that while Wee Chic had been offering the box for awhile, the store hadn’t given it a name or marketing until the pandemic.
Loyalty Program
Bringing back the box isn’t the only upcoming move for the fall. Wee Chic is also looking to start a loyalty program — “Something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” according to Stickline.
Stickline sees the loyalty program as a way to make her customers feel appreciated and also ease any strain on their wallets from the pandemic.
“Everyone I think is more concerned about spending right now,” she said.
Inventory Changes
Regular customers might notice some changes to Wee Chic’s inventory this fall. Unlike previous years, the store is now looking to reduce its party dresses and ramp up its toy and gift options as the pandemic affects clothing demand.
Wee Chic is also selling masks for kids and tweens, which Stickline calls “a little bit of a heartbreaker.” The masks include pastel colors, sharks, unicorns, corgis and more. “
“You still have to buy clothes,” Stickline said. “Some kids are going back to schools a few days a week.”
Even for families and school systems opting for fully virtual learning, Stickline noted that kids outgrow clothes quickly.
Parents normally have to size up for a few or all of their kids’ clothing pieces every season, with ages 2-5 usually seeing the fastest growth and ages 6-8 most likely for growth spurts, Stickline said.
Online Wish List
When the pandemic prompted social distancing and canceled in-person events, Stickline noticed that shoppers started to spend more on kids’ presents.
“I feel like people are giving slightly nicer gifts because they can’t go to showers,” she said. “[People] want to make more of a gesture. You’re sad for a kid who can’t have a birthday party when they’re 6.”
In pre-COVID times, kids could pick out items in the store for wish lists. Now, work is underway to create an online registry.
Stickline sees the online wish list as a way for would-be guests to send “a big box full of fun” to kids and their families celebrating birthdays and holidays.
“The role I see for us in the world as a business is we’re here to spread some cheer and make things better,” she said.
Photo via Wee Chic/Facebook
Jewelry store Alex and Ani seems to have left the Mosaic District.
The Merrifield location has an empty storefront and has been removed from the company’s website in addition to the Mosaic District’s directory.
No social media posts have been made regarding the closure, and attempts to reach the company have been unsuccessful. However, their Facebook page indicates that their location is permanently closed.
Meanwhile, the Alex and Ani location in Tysons Corner Center is still listed on the company’s website and mall’s directory. While both sites say the store is “closed,” a mall employee said that the store is open.
Photo courtesy Patrick Raffaele
Dominion Energy plans to roll out an autonomous, electric shuttle named “Relay” for testing in Merrifield as early as next week.
The self-driving shuttle will make a loop between the Mosaic District to the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station. Fairfax County and Dominion Energy teamed up last year to start the pilot program to improve connectivity between the station and the shopping center, which are just under one mile apart according to Google Maps.
Peggy Fox, Dominion Energy’s spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter that testing is expected to start soon on the pre-mapped route. “It will be several weeks before we’re able to accept passengers,” Fox said.
Currently, the autonomous shuttle, which was made by the French company EasyMile, is in Alexandria awaiting its move to Merrifield next week, Fox said.
According to Dominion Energy, Relay is the first test of autonomous public transportation in Northern Virginia.
Photos courtesy Dominion Energy
A shop selling hand-made chocolates has closed in the Mosaic District.
After eight years in the shopping center, Artisan Confections closed the store due to “economic fallout from COVID-19,” owner Jason Andelman posted on Facebook on Friday, July 17.
“We had a good run — but in this uncertain retail environment, staying operational there was not financially feasible,” Andelman wrote. “It was a bittersweet (pun intended) departure, but we are grateful to be able to carry on in Arlington as we have since 2006.”
Now, Artisan Confections is offering in-store pick-up from the Arlington location on certain days, along with online shopping, according to its website.
“The Arlington location will continue to operate under a limited schedule for the rest of the summer,” Andelman wrote. “We will still be shipping chocolates throughout the continental U.S. (we use thermal packaging and ice packs to deal with the heat) via our website.”
The Mosaic District has seen a number of changes recently. BGR Burger Grilled Right, Cheesetique and GreatGatherings all shuttered their locations there recently. Meanwhile, Madison Reed opened its new store and color bar in the shopping center.
Photo via Artisan Confections/Facebook
(Updated 7/13/2020) Madison Reed will start selling hair color products and open its Color Bar this weekend in the Mosaic District.
Madison Reed will open at 2921 District Avenue, Suite 130 on Saturday, July 11. Customers will be able to book color service and free color consultations, buy products and participate in the Unlimited Roots Membership.
Because of the pandemic, clients will be spaced every other chair and appointments will be staggered to allow for cleanings, Mary O’Connell, a company spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter. People will have to book appointments in advance — and will get “texted in” to their appointments when they show up — but can walk in for retail purchases, she said.
Additionally, the new stores will have new HVAC systems to help with air quality control, and clients can expect masks, gloves, social distancing and temperature checks.
“We couldn’t have a party as much as we would love to have a party,” O’Connell said.
The pandemic did not significantly delay the Mosaic location’s opening, which was set for early June, she said. In addition to the Mosaic District location, Madison Reed is also opening locations in Reston Town Center and Rockville on Saturday.
Clients can expect reduced hours from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at the Mosaic District.
While many businesses have struggled during the pandemic, O’Connell said that Madison Reed saw sales increase 1,300% — “just a huge number” — due to customers purchasing kits to color their hair at home. At one point, boxes of color kits were selling every five seconds, she said.
Because of the boom, Madison Reed did not furlough any employees and instead had them help with the orders, she said.
“Hair color matters to women,” O’Connell said, adding that the company attributes the sales to brand loyalty and “looking at yourself on Zoom.”
Photo via Mosaic District/Facebook
BGR Burger Grilled Right is no longer open in the Mosaic District.
“Unfortunately we are permanently closed as we were unable to reach a reasonable settlement with our landlord like we did in our other locations,” Fred Glick, the president of Amergent Hospitality Group, Inc., told Tysons Reporter.
Glick said that the other nearby BGR locations are open. Now, diners can find BGR in Arlington, Reston and Springfield in Virginia.
Photo via BGR Mosaic/Facebook
GreatGatherings has now closed all of its stores, including the Mosaic District location.
In early 2020, the store moved to 2905 District Ave, the former home of Neiman Marcus, from a different location in the Mosaic District.
The home goods store’s website says that the business, American Heritage Billiards, closed on June 25 after the coronavirus pandemic prompted the retail stores to close.
KeyBank confirmed the site’s messages to Tysons Reporter, sharing a complaint against the business that claims American Heritage Billiards “ceased its business operations and abandoned its personal property… on or about June 25.”
The bank is trying to seek relief through the court filing.
“The closure by American Heritage Billiards and GreatGatherings is truly an unfortunate situation for everyone involved,” Laura Mimura, a spokesperson for the bank, told Tysons Reporter.
Mimura added that the bank is not able to address issues with American Heritage Billiards’ pending orders, deliveries and outstanding invoices.
Starting next week, people can head to the Mosaic District for drive-in movies.
The summer movie series will kick off on Friday, June 26, with “Captain Marvel,” according to a press release. People can expect a different movie on the fourth Friday of every month from June to August.
The drive-in series plans to screen “Toy Story 4” and “Jurassic Park” on July 24. The double features for Aug. 28 have not been announced yet.
People will be able to watch the movies from the seventh floor of the Market parking lot across from Moms Organic, according to the press release, which added that all of the films will have closed captioning.
Safety measures that movie-goers must follow include:
- remaining in their cars at all times
- designating one person per car to pick up food orders
- only one person at a time can use the restrooms by using a text alert system
Each car will have a $28 parking fee and people will listen to the movie audio via an FM transmitter on the radio. The Mosaic District urges people to buy tickets in advance because space is limited to 75 cars.
As for food and beverages, Mosaic District is partnering with Alta Strada to offer a movie theater-inspired menu with hot dogs, popcorn and sodas, the press release said.
“All guests who order directly from the Alta Strada website will receive a complimentary bombolini or tiramisu upon selecting the ‘Free Gift’ option at checkout,” the press release said. “Other restaurants will participate in the later showings.”
The Mosaic District drive-in series follows the announcement from The Boro that the new Tysons development will also offer drive-in movies. The Boro’s series will feature movies for four weeks, starting this Friday, June 19.
After announcing a temporary closure on March 18, the Cheesetique Mosaic location has closed permanently.
An employee at another location in Del Rey said that the location will not reopen but added she wasn’t at liberty to give a reason.
The eatery used to serve lunch, dinner and brunch, the website said, adding that it also sold cheese for take-home consumption.
Tysons Reporter reached out to the location’s owner to find out why the location closed and is awaiting a response.
Only a few days before its then-temporary closure in March, the eatery posted on its social media page, asking people to purchase gift cards. It is unclear if these will be accepted at the other two Northern Virginia locations.
Photo via Cheesetique Mosaic/Facebook
Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.
No babysitter? No problem! When Clarity opened their “a lot of clarity” concept with individually, socially distanced tables outside, my husband and I jumped on the idea (in fact, we have a reservation tonight) since we haven’t had a “date night” in over 3 months.
We plan to bring our reliable, charged babysitter — the iPad — and have our kids sit in the back of our SUV and properly ignore them for the duration of our dinner (let’s be honest, with the iPad, they’ll be happy to ignore us too). But this got me thinking to what else we could do to get a break from pandemic life.
Mosaic District — they have their green space blocked off from traffic with tables outside. Perfect for getting take out from Alta Strada, Jinya, Bar Taco, Matchbox or one of your other favorites and sitting outside for a meal.
Picnic — there are a lot of open green spaces around Vienna, Oakton and McLean where you can pack a lunch, get take out, and bring a blanket to sit outside for a quiet picnic. Break up the norm of your kitchen table, try getting take out from one of the spots who doesn’t have outdoor seating and may as a result not get as much traffic. Think Mo:Mo House, Social Burger, or McLean Family Restaurant.
Outside patio at Bazin’s or Blend 111 — call for reservations!
Neighborhood dinner date — one night a bunch of the mom’s in my neighborhood each brought our own chair and beverage and we set up shop on a neighbor’s driveway for a socially distanced “Mom’s Night Out.” It was a fun change of pace, and much needed break from the every day. One idea could be to have all of your neighbors bring their own drinks/dinner and have everyone sit outside on their lawns and have a neighborhood dinner. Social interaction, socially distanced.
Make sure you call your favorite restaurant and see if they’ve set up outdoor seating. I know a lot of places that didn’t have it before have found ways to create space now.
