Now that Fairfax County has started to ease some COVID-19 restrictions, new activity at the Mosaic District suggests that the shopping center may return to its pre-pandemic popularity.
Tysons Reporter’s staff photographer Jay Westcott ventured out to the Mosaic District last week right before the first part of Gov. Ralph Northam’s multi-phase reopening strategy started in the county.
Westcott spotted at least a dozen people milling around the green outside the Angelika Film Center, walking dogs, getting takeout from local eateries and sitting outside 6 feet apart from other people.
Deka Lash and Mom and Pop have now reopened, while Anthropologie is offering curbside pick-up, according to the Mosaic District Facebook page. Meanwhile, home goods store Great Gatherings re-reopened in its new location, the posts said.
In addition to the businesses opening their doors again after temporary closures, people can also spot signs for upcoming businesses, like Sephora, Gyu Shige and Urban Hot Pot.
Tables and chairs — with a sign warning people against moving them — are set up outside West Elm. Some of the stores and restaurants have placards on the ground to remind people to social distance.
“Practice social distancing. Wash your hands often. Wear a mask when appropriate,” the sign said.
For that last point, many of the people Westcott captured in his photos did have face coverings.
The MacMillan Whisky Room is trying to fill a void in the local dining scene: late-night food and drinks.
The Mosaic District restaurant and bar has always focused on offering options for diners hungry past 10 p.m., but staying open late now as the coronavirus pandemic continues gives the MacMillan Whisky Room an extra advantage.
“We’re open at least one to two hours later than everyone else [in the area],” Derek Anderson, who co-owns the bar along with his wife Emma Hand, told Tysons Reporter.
Currently, the restaurant is open 5-11 p.m. on Sundays and Thursdays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, but Anderson said those hours might get extended once the patio seating opens this Friday (May 29).
The MacMillan Whisky Room reopened on Saturday for its one-year anniversary and to attract Memorial Day diners after being closed since March, Anderson said.
“It was kind of important to us for our one year anniversary,” Anderson said. “It was a symbolic way to come back.”
Currently, carry-out and a limited delivery service are available. The menu features small plates like tater tots and beef sliders, cocktails including gimlets and margaritas, wine, beer and “hearty fare,” which consists of steak and Guinness pie for $14.
People who order drinks will get their cocktails already mixed in 6 oz. custom bottles, which may come with garnishes on the side. “People seem to like that more than the red solo cup,” Anderson said. “We’re trying to keep it classy.”
The owners decided to not use third-party delivery services due to increased liability with alcohol deliveries, the percentages they take, along with “other issues.” Instead, they are opting to deliver to people living in the Merrifield area. “It’s going to be where we can walk,” he said.
The reopening is helping them prepare for when Northern Virginia starts to ease business restrictions.
“We’ve already set up our outdoor seating area,” he said, noting that the tables are spaced 6 feet apart.
Anderson is hoping that diners “don’t want to storm the patio.”
“If they come back too quickly, it will come back to an increase in cases,” he said, adding that he wants customers to know that restaurant staff — at his place and others — “are facing health threats from these big crowds.”
Now that he’s received a Paycheck Protection Program loan during the second round in early May, he expects that they will slowly rehire more staff. So far, they have brought back six of the 25 people who worked there in pre-COVID times.
“That was the hardest part of all of this,” he said about letting all of the employees go when the restaurant closed. Currently, they are prioritizing rehiring people who haven’t found new jobs, left the area or aren’t receiving unemployment benefits.
“With the nature of our carry-out business now, we’re not having as many bartenders,” he said.
Since the PPP loan is primarily meant to pay employees, Anderson said that the Small Business Administration loan they got “is what is really allowing us to ride out the delays.”
They’re also eyeing Fairfax County’s new loan programs to help small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
As long as everyone stays safe, Anderson is hopeful that the business will bounce back.
“We think we’re going to ride this out pretty well,” he said.
Photo via MacMillan Whisky Room/Facebook
A family-owned dry cleaning business has turned its Mosaic District location into a “little mask factory,” one of its owners says.
Dianne Lee and her husband Je Kang run The Press at 2985 District Ave, along with the three locations in D.C.
Lee told Tysons Reporter that they started preparing for the coronavirus in February. Now, they are busy making handmade masks.
People who stop by the Mosaic District location can see the employees sewing through the window.
They have donated them to Children’s National Hospital, police stations, leasing companies and more. So far, they’ve been prioritizing giving masks to the hospitals first. People can email them requests — even if the request is as small as one, two or three.
“We went from making 50-100 masks a day to 500-800 masks a day now,” Lee said.
The Press posted on Instagram on April 20 that it has donated more than 3,000 masks.
Lee said her husband, who studied rare and infectious diseases, “was just really adamant about making sure that everyone in the community has a mask.”
“We’ve gotten phone calls from moms,” Lee said, adding that they decline offers to buy masks. Instead, they give them out for free and rely on a fundraiser to pay for supplies.
Lee said the pivot to masks has kept their employees busy since the demand for laundering and dry cleaning services has dropped. “We saw a 90% decrease in sales at one point,” she said.
Clients can still have their clothes cleaned. Lee said she’s encouraging people to use their home delivery service. People can do curbside pick-up and drop-off at the Mosaic District location.
“There is more wash and fold these days,” Lee said. “We’ve seen more designer sweatpants.”
Following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lee said that they don’t touch the items that need to be cleaned for a while, which makes the process take a few extra days.
“We ask customers if they have been exposed [to the virus] and have waiver forms,” she said.
Lee hopes that when the stay-at-home orders get lifted in the D.C. area that the dry cleaning business will bounce back.
“People will hopefully be going out and wearing more clothes,” she said.
But until then, they’ll keep making masks.
“We transformed our location into a little mask factory,” Lee said.
Tips for applying eyeliner. #Gratitudeattitude appreciation posts for staff and clients. Inspiration messages reminding people to relax. These are some of the many social media posts by a local lash studio.
Deka Lash opened last spring in the Mosaic District. Christina Cox, a local teacher, and her husband, who is a retired U.S. Army officer, are the owners behind the franchise.
Cox told Tysons Reporter said that she’s been using social media as a way to keep people’s spirits up and remind them of the studio’s plans to keep clients and staff safe during the pandemic.
“Now we are letting our clients know everything we’re doing and that we take this seriously,” she said.
The small studio only had five beds to begin with, and lash artists were already wearing masks, washing hands and using hand sanitizer between clients and sterilizing the equipment with an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral product before the pandemic.
Facebook and Instagram posts help her share how the studio is preparing to reopen. While the studio has been closed, Cox said that each last artist has received training on how to use barbicide, which is usually used in barbershops,
When the studio reopens, clients will be given pink bandanas to cover their faces and will be able to read brochures about the cleaning products being used. Both employees and clients will have their temperatures taken with non-contact thermometers.
“We want to keep our staff healthy,” Cox said. “We don’t want to put anybody at risk.”
Blankets for clients will be washed after every single use. Tools will be sterilized and disinfected after every client and frequently touched services like the front desk will be cleaned frequently, she said.
The cancellation policy will be changed so that people won’t be charged for no-shows or late cancellations.
To limit contact, clients will be able to check-in and book new appointments using the smartphone app, she said. Previously, the studio allowed walk-ins and let people bring friends or their kids, but not anymore due to safety precautions.
When the studio reopens, only three of the five beds will be used, and Cox hopes to only have two lash artists working at the same time.
“The only thing we are not doing — we haven’t figured out a way to apply extensions from six feet away,” Cox said. “But everything else, we’ve got it covered.”
Sharing these steps on social media is a way to build and keep trust among clients, Cox said.
“We are ready and we were already doing so many things beforehand and it will be more visible,” Cox said.
Cox said that she’s using social media during the pandemic to stay connected to clients and reach out to new people.
“I think more people are on social media now more than ever,” she said, adding that her strategy is to send a “message of hope.”
The pandemic has hit the business hard. When Tysons Reporter talked to Cox last week, she was still waiting to hear about her federal loan application.
“We’re in our first year of operation, so this is a kick in the teeth,” she said about the financial blow to the business.
But Cox remains optimistic about getting back on track financially in the near future: “I am hoping that we can pick up right where we left off in about three to six months.”
“For the most part, if you had disposable income for lashes — our clients are in a solid financial position,” Cox said, adding that the pandemic might be a temporary financial setback to clients but not devastating to their disposable income.
Even with non-essential businesses temporarily closed and the stay-at-home order, Cox said there’s still a demand for lashes.
“I have people calling me, ‘Do you make house calls?’ ‘No, we’re closed!'” Cox said.
While businesses in Northern Virginia won’t see restrictions loosened until May 29 at the earliest, Cox said that she will be ready to open the studio back up right away — and so will her clients.
Cox said that people who want to support the studio while it’s closed can buy gift cards online, book ahead for appointments and — for clients — write Yelp or Google reviews.
“This virus is not likely going away but we have to continue to live,” she said. “We don’t want the cure to be worse than the disease.”
Images via Deka Lash Facebook and Instagram
Wee Chic, a kids’ clothing boutique with stores in Maryland and the Mosaic District, is now offering custom boxes as it navigates e-commerce in the time of coronavirus.
Wee Chic opened its doors at 2905 District Ave, Suite 120 last spring, offering taco-printed onesies, a sushi-printed bib and much more as one of the few small clothing retailers in the Mosaic District.
Since the stores are closed, owner Bridget Quinn Stickline said she’s pivoted to selling items online and via FaceTime appointments with customers while she or an employee is at one of the stores.
“We have a lot of inventory we have to sell,” she said.
Now, Wee Chic has rolled out a “Shop Box” to entice clients to keep shopping.
Employees will talk to shoppers over the phone before building a custom box with 10, 15 or 20 pieces for each child at the low price of $10, $15 or $20.
“It’s kind of like a Stitch Fix model, but not a subscription,” she said.
Once the box arrives, kids try the clothes on, keep what they like and send back what they don’t before Wee Chic charges the family for the clothing they keep.
“Kids still need clothes,” Stickline said, adding that her store caters to shoppers who want to buy quality items.
Each box will include a return label and the shipping fee will be credited to future purchases, according to the website, which says that shoppers who keep eight or more styles will get 30% off their entire order.
Boxes that get returned will sit for a period of time before employees open them up, Stickline said.
The boxes can include multiple sizes, Stickline said, adding that she’s noticed something interesting from the test cases for Shop Box: “Kids are picking out things they would never have picked out if they were in the store.”
Stickline said she expects most of the orders to be for comfortable clothing — “definitely more around the house kind of stuff” — along with pajamas, birthday gifts and Wee Chic’s exclusive skort — a skirt combined with shorts underneath.
“It’s a good time to be a customer,” she said. “We anticipate there will be some really good deals [when we reopen.]”
When Wee Chic does reopen its stores, Stickline said she’s turning to her customers for guidance.
“I want to get a sense for where the customer is most comfortable,” she said, adding that she’s flexible with opening later in the day for parents homeschooling and other ideas to meet clients’ needs.
To keep customers and employees safe, she said everyone will need to wear masks and follow directional signs on the floor — “Can we do something more fun like dinosaur tracks?” — and everything that they will need to do to follow legal guidelines.
Ultimately, Stickline hopes that shoppers continue to support small businesses like hers as the coronavirus pandemic continues and once it’s over.
“Amazon is going to be fine. Jeff [Bezos] isn’t going to need any more of your money. Hopefully, people will be able to tolerate the extra effort it takes to shop with small businesses,” she said.
“We don’t want an environment where everything is big box and all the small businesses are gone.”
A barbershop chain that has a location in the Mosaic District plans to offer haircuts to essential workers this summer.
Floyd’s 99 Barbershop plans to donate 4,500 haircuts as part of its “Hair for You” program, which will also allow clients to purchase a haircut and then gift it to someone, according to a press release from Taylor Shields with Prim Communications.
“As we open up our shops, we are working diligently to be sure clients know that not only their hair but their safety is in good hands when visiting Floyd’s,” Floyd’s President Jamie Repenning said in the press release.
Floyd’s has a location in the Mosaic District at 8296 Glass Alley, Suite 130 and will offer “Hair for You,” Shields said.
More from the press release:
Adhering to local requirements and incorporating additional precautions based on the recommendations of health officials, Floyd’s Barbershops will follow strict safety rules. Clients and employees will be required to wear face masks at all times.
Government restrictions on capacity will be strictly enforced at each shop. Employees and clients will have temperature checks prior to a shift and their service. Barbers and stylists will sanitize hands and tools, disinfect barber chairs, and provide clients with fresh capes and towels. Every night and each hour while open, surfaces and high-traffic areas throughout the shops will be cleaned and sanitized.
Clients are asked make an reservation online or through the Floyd’s app and arrive alone; those not getting a service will be asked to wait outside the store to ensure optimal social distancing.
During this time, Floyd’s has suspended its shave, beard and waxing services to protect clients and employees and enable mask wearing throughout the service.
People can learn more about the barbershop chain’s safety practices in the video below:
Photo by Taylor Shields
When restrictions start to lessen for Virginia businesses, what will the demand be for indoor axe throwing? Not high, according to Mario Zelaya, the CEO and founder of Bad Axe Throwing.
Started in Canada in 2014, Bad Axe Throwing had been popping up in dozens of spots around the U.S. and Canada until the coronavirus pandemic prompted temporary closures for the locations.
The Mosaic District spot (2985 District Avenue, Suite 195) opened in August and allowed groups to reserve spots or drop-in to use axe throwing lanes with throwing coaches in pre-COVID-19 times.
Currently, Zelaya said that all of the Mosaic District employees are laid off and the location is temporarily closed under Gov. Ralph Northam’s orders.
Now that Northam has a proposed plan to ease business resections, Zelaya said data from other Bad Axe Throwing locations will help determine reopening plans in the Mosaic District and for the rest of his portfolio.
“I know for a fact that people are not going to flood in,” he said. “The data we have from Atlanta and Oklahoma City is quite solid in representing that statement.”
The big quandary is how comfortable people will be going to a place for the recreational sport of axe throwing before there’s a cure for the virus, extensive testing or data showing a lower death rate.
While Zelaya says the “very grim” data points to a “long and difficult road to recovery” for his business, he doesn’t plan on closing any of the locations for good.
“We are going to open up [the Mosaic District spot] when we are allowed to and we will comply with state level mandates and suggestions while also implementing our own measures,” he said.
Those measures include completely wiping down all of the dedicated lanes and axes between group events, using every other lane to keep people 6 feet apart, reducing staffing and requiring people to book appointments.
The appointment-only model will be a shift for the Mosaic District spot, which he said was one of the few spots designed to cater more to walk-ins.
Zelaya said he plans to rehire based on seniority, calling it the “most fair and equitable way of doing it.”
“The other thing we want to factor in too is we don’t want to call people back if we won’t have any shifts,” he said. “We can’t have any staff sitting around. That is no longer a viable business option. Otherwise we’re going to bleed out.”
Zelaya has struggled with the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program, which he claims is because he is a Canadian citizen who owns a large U.S. entity.
While he said he’s glad the PPP loans help businesses cover salaries while they are closed in April and May, he said that there needs to be more relief to help get businesses back open.
“If there is no bridge program transitioning people out of this recessionary period, there is going to be a mass influx of bankruptcies,” he said.
Zelaya said Bad Axe Throwing is in the process of receiving the loan in the program’s second round of funding: “My hope is that the money will get funded and that will help us weather the storm.”
People who want to support Bad Axe Throwing now can book a spot in advance, which means they have to put a deposit between $75-$80 for two people down to guarantee a private spot, dedicated lane and specific time.
Zelaya remains hopeful that Bad Axe Throwing’s target demographic — people ages 20-45 and “outside the at-risk zone for the virus” — will come back out and help re-stimulate the economy.
“I think everyone realizes that the economy is going to open back up,” he said. “It has to open back up.”
While he understands concerns about lifting restrictions, he stresses that businesses need the customers and clients.
“Although people may not support the government’s decision to open up the economy, I think everyone knows at least one person who owns a small business,” he said. “[Owners] are doing it for survival… We essentially are offered to become more in debt for something that is completely outside our control.”
Photo via Facebook
People who are staying home and looking to do some reading can still order books while supporting local businesses.
Tysons Reporter rounded up the book stores around Falls Church, Vienna, Merrifield and Tysons that are offering delivery services and curbside pickup.
The Falls Church bookstore (2200 N. Westmoreland Street) is offering virtual offer talks, online book groups and delivery for book orders.
The store stopped offering curbside delivery to encourage people to stay at home, according to its website.
Staff are taking phone and online orders for people living in parts of North Arlington, Falls Church and McLean. Bibliophiles can get their orders delivered or shipped.
People looking to support the bookstore can buy gift cards and become Libro.fm members.
The comic book and game store (586 S. Washington Street) is accepting orders and making deliveries within 10 miles of the shop at noon and 5 p.m. daily, according to Facebook posts.
The Falls Church store will start closing at 6 p.m. every day “for the foreseeable future,” a Facebook post said.
The indie bookshop (110 Church Street NW) in Vienna is taking phone and email orders with “minimal contact” curbside pickup and “Bike Pedalers delivery service,” according to its website.
People can order bottles of wine, snacks and games along with their books. Gift cards are also available.
Events and book clubs have been cancelled due to the coronavirus.
Leah may not be able to make it into the store, but that doesn't mean we don't have a fun announcement for #NewReleaseTuesday. Introducing, Bike Pedalers, Bards Alley's local delivery service in partnership with Bikes@Vienna! Have a Vienna zip code? We'll deliver, free of charge! pic.twitter.com/xDEreMY3ut
— Bards Alley Bookshop (@BardsAlley) March 24, 2020
The comic book store chain is offering 25% off graphic novels, hardcovers, and softcover, according to its website.
The Vienna store (426 E. Maple Avenue) is temporarily closed, but accepting mail order delivery orders, according to the website.
People can find information about Facebook Live events on the store’s Facebook page.
The bookstore giant has two local stores: Tysons Corner Center and the Mosaic District.
Both locations are temporarily closed but offering curbside pickup for online orders, according to its website.
Barnes and Noble has information about its upcoming live events on Facebook and Instagram.
Photo via One More Page Books/Facebook
Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Capital One Pledges $50M to Food Aid, Small Business Assistance Groups — “Capital One Financial Corp. has pledged $50 million to support nonprofit partners working in part on food and hunger aid as it continues to ramp up its efforts during the novel coronavirus outbreak.” [Washington Business Journal]
Mosaic District-Based Company Furloughs Employees — “Custom apparel printing company Custom Ink LLC is ‘hemorrhaging cash’ and is furloughing hundreds of its workers for two months as it grapples with the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus and in hopes of being better prepared for a possible recovery.” [Washington Business Journal]
BAE Systems to Move to Falls Church Office — “A West Coast real estate investment firm has acquired a Falls Church-area office building, the soon-to-be home of BAE Systems Inc., for nearly $100 million. An affiliate of Menlo Park, California-based Menlo Equities LLC acquired the 367,349-square-foot 2941 Fairview Park Drive in a deal recorded March 25.” [Washington Business Journal]
Utility Companies Providing COVID-19 Relief — Fairfax County has compiled a list of the utility companies suspending service disconnections and offering other billing options during the pandemic. [Fairfax County]
Don’t Be Scammed! — Fairfax County shared examples and recordings of scam calls and emails related to the coronavirus. [Fairfax County]
McLean Restaurant Shares COVID-19 Challenges — “And the past few years have been rough for Rocco’s. The glitzy, glam shopping universe growing nearby is offering of-the-moment restaurants that have little to do with Rocco’s sturdy baked ziti and red-checkered tabletops.” [Washington Post]
Check out our progress 👇on the Rt 123 over Rt 7 bridge rehab project in Tysons, work includes pier repairs and concrete deck resurfacing. Project info: https://t.co/SWzEL5z4QX pic.twitter.com/RuTINowSxc
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) March 31, 2020
It’s #Census day!
✋ Raise your hand if you already completed your #2020Census. Don’t get left out – #BeCounted! Bring federal dollars home to our community for healthcare, education, transportation and more.
➡️ Take the Census: https://t.co/1xr38GEiLe #FFXCounts pic.twitter.com/igPuAyaAfB
— Fairfax County Government 🇺🇸 (@fairfaxcounty) April 1, 2020
Movie theaters and performing arts venues in the Tysons area have shut down the coronavirus pandemic continues.
The temporary closures come on the heels of the White House recommending that gatherings with 10 people or more be avoided.
Yesterday (Tuesday), Gov. Ralph Northam issued an order “that allows law enforcement to enforce a ban that prohibits more than 10 patrons in places such as restaurants, fitness centers and theaters,” Inside NoVa reported.
The newly opened Showplace Icon (1667 Silver Hill Drive) in The Boro is now “temporarily closed until further notice,” according to its website.
Over at Tysons Corner Center, which is open with reduced hours, AMC Tysons Corner 16 “is temporarily closed in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines,” according to the AMC website.
“It will re-open when those guidelines allow,” the site said. “Please continue to check back here for updates.”
Yesterday, the Angelika Film Center in the Mosaic District announced a temporary closure.
“The health and well-being of our guests and our theater teams is our top priority, and we believe that this step will be the most effective way to both retain that priority and mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” says a note on the theater’s website.
The theater did not say when it plans to reopen.
Tickets bought in advance –either from Angelika or from a third-party vendor — for movie showtimes that won’t play due to the closure can be refunded.
Performing arts-goers will have to wait to watch their next play or concert in the Tysons area.
Tysons’ 1st Stage Theatre announced yesterday that it’s suspending upcoming productions.
Plans for the theater’s upcoming production of “A New Brain,” which was set to run March 26-April 19, are uncertain at this point.
The Alden Theatre at the McLean Community Center is closed until April 12.
Wolf Trap is postponing all of its performances, classes and events between March 13-31.
“We are working with the artists to reschedule their performances for future dates and will share that information as it becomes available,” according to Wolf Trap’s website. “All current tickets will be honored for the rescheduled performances.”
All of the public shows between now and April 3 are postponed at The State Theatre in Falls Church.
