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

After some delays, Virginia Tire and Auto, at 141 Maple Ave in Vienna, is finally open for business.

The shop opened today (Thursday) and while an employee said he wasn’t aware of any grand opening celebrations planned, the store is currently in the middle of a hiring fair.

The employee said the store is looking for people to fill a variety of vacancies, from sales to technicians, and one general service manager position. The fair run until the business closes at 6 p.m. today.

While the store looks to add more people to the crew, the facility is currently operational. The shop has already had a few cars dropped off for repairs and the employee said the first oil checks and tire changes are starting today.

Thriveworks, a nationwide counseling service, is planning to open a new office in McLean sometime within the next few weeks.

The new offices will be located at 1311 Dolley Madison Blvd, at the northern end of McLean’s downtown.

Mike Reffner, executive director of franchise development, said the lease is secured and the space is built out. The company is working on the final few touches before they roll in and open up, he said.

Reffner said Thriveworks sets itself apart from other counseling services by offering quick access.

“If you call today, you can get an appointment within the week,” Reffner said. “If you’re in a situation where you really need to see somebody, in many cases you can get same-day interviews.”

Reffner also said one of the goals of Thriveworks is to work with insurance plans to keep counseling prices affordable.

Thriveworks has more locations in Virginia than any other state, and Reffner said he saw McLean as the perfect opportunity for expansion.

“McLean is a great area,” Reffner said. “It’s a place where people are doing well, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need mental health supports. Everyone should have access to a mental health provider.”

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Cyclebar, a premium indoor cycling studio, is planning to come to Tysons Galleria later this year as part of a series of transformations for the north end of the mall.

Macy’s, one of the mall’s anchor tenants, is mid-closure and Tysons Galleria is already in plans to replace the store with a selection of smaller venues like an Apple Store and iPic theater.

Don Brazelton, the owner of the Tysons franchise location, said the location is part of a stretch of wellness-oriented outlets planned inside the former Legal Sea Foods that closed in September. Brazelton said other fitness locations, like a yoga studio, could join the cycling studio.

“We’ve been trying to get one in the Tysons area for a while,” Brazelton said. “We were talking to the Boro and a couple of other places, but the economics given to us at the Galleria made it impossible to turn down. When you take into consideration some of the short term and long term plans — that mall is going to be entirely different. It’s going to have a different energy. We wanted to be a part of that, and they wanted us to be a part of that.”

The chain already has locations in Falls Church and on Arlington’s Columbia Pike. Brazelton said the “premium aspect” of Cyclebar fits well with the Galleria, which is noted for its higher-end, luxury retailers.

Among the amenities, Brazelton noted that the location will have heated tile floors and top-rated cycles.

Despite this, Brazelton said he’s committed to keeping the studio affordable.

“Typically, prices at cycling studios range from $110-130 per month depending on who it is,” Brazelton said. “I’m going to let people in my studio for $89 a month for unlimited rides.”

It’s hard to say where this fits in with other cycling studio subscriptions, as prices at cycling studios can vary significantly.

Brazelton said the Tysons location is targeting an August 2019 opening.

Photo courtesy Don Brazelton

A new business is opening at Tysons Corner Center to help people get their teeth aligned.

Northern Virginia Orthodontics is scheduled to open a new location next to the Tori Soudan women’s shoe store at the Nordstrom end of the mall. The business currently has offices in Brambleton and Reston.

The expansion was announced on Feb. 1, along with plans to open a joint location with Invisalign, a clear tooth-alignment treatment.

“Everyone deserves a smile they love,” the business said in a Facebook post, “and now it’s easier than ever to begin your own smile transformation while shopping, dining or just visiting Tysons.”

Mall staff said there was no information available about when Northern Virginia Orthodontics would be opening.

Photo via Facebook

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 combination of a bubble tea shop and electronic dance music lounge is set to arrive soon along Maple Avenue.

Currently in Falls Church at the Eden Center, TeaDM Lounge plans to open a new location at 142 Maple Ave W. — the former spot of E.G. Comics.

A TeaDM Lounge employee told Tysons Reporter that a grand opening is expected near the end of April.

Locals who don’t want to wait the month can head to 6765 Wilson Blvd for a taste of the bubble tea, flavored tea, coffee and smoothies paired with electric beats.

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(Updated 3:15 p.m.) — For 17 years, Natalya Anderson worked cutting hair in Tysons with one goal: opening her own salon. The recently opened Alya Salon and Spa, located at 139 Park St. in Vienna, represents the realization of that dream.

“I always wanted to own my own salon,” said Anderson. “I wanted to have a great team and create a good family.”

The salon opened on Feb. 1, and Anderson said business has been good so far, with a very friendly customer base in Vienna. The store is one block south of Maple Avenue behind the Whole Foods.

For Anderson, people working in hair design are artists, and one of her goals was to have a place in Vienna where she could bring great artists under one roof.

The salon deals mainly with hair, including coloring, cuts and extensions. Anderson said she’s currently looking for someone to help the salon expand to offer spa and facial care services.

Haircuts at the salon are $75, with the salon specializing in curly hair and health-focused haircare. Anderson said the salon has vegan, gluten-free, and paraben-free hair products.

“We’re working on being a ‘green salon’ in the near future,” said Anderson.

Anderson said the green salon status involves entirely eliminating product waste and reducing energy use. Gustavo LLC, where Anderson says she gets her cosmetic products, is also cruelty-free and organic.

But it isn’t all checkups and dye jobs at Alya Salon. Anderson said the company also handles weddings and some fashion shoots.

They recently helped Fairfax Woman Magazine with the cosmetic work for their March/April magazine. Anderson’s also interested in helping out more with charity events around town to help give back to the community that’s welcomed her.

The long-awaited Dollar Tree in Vienna is finally scheduled to open this week.

A sign in the doorway said that the location is set to open on Thursday (Feb. 28) at 9 a.m.

The store will open at 215 Maple Ave. W, formerly a Rite Aid in the center of town.

Dollar Tree is a discount store that has been thriving and expanding despite e-commerce outlets like Amazon devastating other retail chains.

At least one Vienna resident is eager for the new store to open — she was spotted parking and approaching the door last week before swearing when she saw the sign.

Olympic Gold Medalist Tom Dolan is opening a new children’s swimming school today (Friday) in Falls Church.

The Tom Dolan Swim School is located in the Willston II Shopping Center (6112-A Arlington Boulevard). The new facility includes a 90-degree pool, as well as changing rooms, showers and other pool-related amenities.

The Falls Church location is the second Tom Dolan Swim School. The first opened in Loudoun County in 2012.

The school opens for the first time today, but the first day of classes is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday).

Classes at the school vary from “waterbabies” classes to ones specializing in different kinds of strokes. An adult class is taught at the Loudoun County location.

A grand opening celebration is planned for Sunday, March 10 from 1-3 p.m. The grand opening is planned to include pool games, water safety classes, face painting and more. Dolan will also be available for autographed photos and visitors can try on his gold and silver Olympic medals.

Dolan is originally from the area, having grown up in Arlington. He won Olympic gold medals in the 1996 Atlanta and the 2000 Sydney, Australia Olympics. Dolan is a 14-time U.S. National Champion and has been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

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