The Safeway grocery store on Chain Bridge Road in McLean will soon be no more.
Tysons Reporter received several tips from readers about the impending closure after “going out of business” signs advertising sales popped up last week at the Safeway located at 1330 Chain Bridge Road.
A Safeway spokeswoman confirmed that the store is expected to close on April 30.
This is the only store that Safeway is closing in its mid-Atlantic division, which includes Virginia, D.C., Maryland, and Delaware, says Safeway Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Beth Goldberg.
“Closing a store is always a tough decision, but we sometimes have to make those decisions so we can invest appropriately in other areas of our business,” she said. “Like all retailers, we are constantly evaluating our store portfolio and look at every angle of the business. This includes our real estate.”
The parent company, Albertsons, will still have 111 Safeway stores in the D.C. area after this one closes, she said.
“We have no immediate plans to close any other locations,” she said.
A Lidl will be taking its place.
DMV-area retail-only real estate brokerage firm H&R Retail, which owns the Safeway property on Chain Bridge Road, now lists the German supermarket chain as a tenant. The chain, which is expanding its footprint in Northern Virginia, is known for its low prices.
Lidl spokesperson Chandler Ebeier confirmed to Tysons Reporter that the grocery retailer “will be opening a store in this location in the future, but it is too early to offer specifics at this time.”
“We look forward to serving the community in the future,” he said.
A technology platform that powers flexible work/lounge spaces is moving into Tysons Corner Center.
3DEN announced on Tuesday (Mar. 2) that it has partnered with Macerich, the mall’s operator, to open an automated lounge in BrandBox, which aims to provide physical retail space to primarily digital businesses. This will be the company’s first venue outside of its home in New York City.
Expected to open this week, the lounge provides on-demand space that users check into, reserve, and invite guests to through 3DEN’s app. The space is designed to accommodate a variety of purposes, from professional meetings to small social gatherings and midday naps.
“People are going stir-crazy in their apartments, and they are looking for that third place in between work and home,” 3DEN CEO Ben Silver said in a press release. “This is the perfect solution for many people who are tired of working from home and need a place to connect, network and work where they can feel safe.”
Customers can pay $5 per hour to use the space, or they can purchase a membership for $99 per month.
Introduced to the world at New York City’s Hudson Yards development in 2019, 3DEN now operates eight locations in the Big Apple, but the company’s arrival in Tysons marks the beginning of its plans to expand. Its website indicates that sites in Detroit, Mich., are also in the works.
Aware that people might have concerns about utilizing shared spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, 3DEN says that its lounges “undergo a rigorous daily cleaning and adhere to state and federal public health, safety and social distancing guidelines.”
The spaces are also outfitted with “sanitization units” that guests can use to clean their devices and workspaces.
“Strict safety standards are paramount,” Silver said.
Macerich sees the addition of 3DEN at BrandBox as the latest in a line of firsts for Tysons Corner Center, which hosted one of the first Apple stores in the world and the first East Coast Nordstrom.
“We welcome 3DEN as a perfect complement to the collection of 300+ retail specialty shops and restaurants, in one of the nation’s signature mixed-use destinations,” Macerich Assistant Vice President of Property Management Matt Berry said in the press release.
Two former competitive swimmers, who are now partners in business and marriage, are opening a year-round, warm-water swimming school in Tysons.
Called SafeSplash, the school is located inside the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner (7920 Jones Branch Drive) and will be open four days a week, co-owner Jennifer Lilintahl says.
SafeSplash is a national swim school franchise with more than 100 locations. It is also the official swim school provider of USA Swimming, the governing body for competitive swimming that chooses the U.S. Olympic swimming team.
This is Jennifer and Michael Lilintahl’s fourth SafeSplash in the D.C. area, their second inside a hotel, and their first in Virginia. The couple chose the McLean area because there are relatively few conveniently located options for swim schools, Jennifer says.
The Lilintahls have also tapped into an underutilized resource for swimming schools: hotel swimming pools. Now, their idea is paving the way for other franchisees.
After the Washington Sports Club that housed one of their two Bethesda schools closed for good last summer, the couple moved it to a Hilton Hotel in D.C.’s Friendship Heights area. They now serve as a resource for SafeSplash franchisees interested in working with hotels.
Building a dedicated swimming facility is expensive, and available bodies of water are hard to come by, Jennifer says. Meanwhile, many hotels boast rarely used pools.
“It has worked out well during COVID-19. Hospitality is having such challenges, so this is an extra stream of revenue for them and a body of water for us,” she said. “It’s a win-win.”
The Lilintahls opened their first location in 2017 on Rockville Pike in North Bethesda and soon after, expanded to a Washington Sports Club in downtown Bethesda. They opened a franchise in D.C.’s Columbia Heights area in 2019.
“It’s been a long journey,” Jennifer, who swam competitively through high school, said.
She credits her husband with proposing the idea to run their own swimming schools. Michael Lilintahl went to college on a full-ride athletic scholarship for swimming and represented his home country, Venezuela, in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She says he wanted to help others unlock opportunities in life through the sport.
“It was always a passion of his to combine his love for swimming with a business,” she said. “Swimming took him so far in life.”
The Tysons SafeSplash will first open its doors on Saturday, Feb. 20, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Ahead of opening day and for a limited time afterward, the Lilintahls are offering discounts: 20% off for eight consecutive weeks of lessons or 50% off one class.
To keep clients safe during the pandemic, the couple is only offering private and semi-private lessons, which are capped at three children (typically siblings or kids in the same “pod”). Every instructor wears a silicone, water-proof mask, and many are doubling up with surgical masks, she said.
The school will be open Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Photos courtesy of Jennifer Lilintahl
The hair salon KLS Studios is moving to the Tysons area.
Tysons Reporter’s affiliate site, Reston Now, reported yesterday that the salon had closed its existing venue at the North Point Village Center on Jan. 30. It is currently operating out of Spa Noa in Reston on a temporary basis.
Co-owner Stephanie Gardiner Stout confirmed to Tysons Reporter that KLS Studios has found a new home at Tysons Dulles Plaza on 1430 Spring Hill Road in McLean. It will be located in Suite 100.
“We moved because we wanted to be in a more urban environment,” Gardiner said.
Gardiner co-founded KLS Studios in 2010 with Karen Grimm. They envisioned having a salon managed and operated by its senior staff, who would also serve as mentors for other members of its hair team.
Describing KLS as “a color specialist salon more than anything,” Gardiner says the new salon will be a more industrial, high-tech space than the previous venue in Reston.
According to property owner CBRE, the suite is 1,671 square feet in size and can be found on the ground floor of the Tysons Dulles Plaza building, which also counts Orangetheory Fitness among its tenants.
Some permits are still pending, but the KLS Studios team anticipates opening the new McLean location in early or mid-March, Gardiner says.
Photo via Google Maps
Juice enthusiasts can now get their fix while grocery shopping at Whole Foods Market in The Boro.
Purée Artisan Juice Bar held a soft opening for its new permanent space in Whole Foods (1635 Boro Place) on Dec. 18, and it has been operating as a full-service retail location since Jan. 4.
This is Purée’s second location in the Tysons area. The flagship store is in Bethesda, Md., and it can also be found in Sibley Memorial Hospital in D.C. and the Mosaic District in Merrifield.
“The opportunity to join as a Friend of Whole Foods Market has been an exciting experience for Purée especially in the winter months during a global pandemic,” Jordan von Lange, Purée’s marketing and e-commerce director, said in a press release. “Our values of wellness and organic, holistic living naturally align with Whole Foods and the partnership is a direct result of that.”
The Friends of Whole Foods program provides independent space inside the grocery store to other businesses and retailers.
The Tysons Purée features at least 15 flavors of organic and vegan cold-pressed juices, including seasonal options. The store also offers one to three-day cleanse programs, a full menu of smoothies and smoothie bowls, and plant-based grab-and-go options.
Open daily from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., the juice bar is located on the first floor of Whole Foods between Allegro Coffee and the produce section. Customers can also order online for in-person or curbside pickup and through the delivery apps ChowNow and Doordash.
A loyalty program to return glass bottles for recycling is also available at the Purée in The Boro.
“Our hope for this shop is to work with the Whole Foods team to provide convenient and healthy options for our new community,” von Lange said.
A new store that specializes in eco-friendly custom furniture will open its doors at Tysons Galleria on Monday (Feb. 1).
Whom will be located in Suite 1126 on 2001 International Dr. Its operating hours will be 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 12-6 p.m. on Sundays.
This will be Whom’s second brick-and-mortar location after the flagship store opened in Los Angeles, Calif., last year.
“We’re eager to expand our showroom concept on the East Coast and have found a great partnership with [Tysons Galleria owner and manager] Brookfield Properties,” Whom CEO and founder Jonathan Bass said.
It is a division of the furniture design company Innova Luxury Group Inc. and the manufacturer PTM Images, which owns and operates a 300,000 square-foot factory in Mexico that produces all of the furniture sold by Whom.
Whom consists of a showroom where customers can browse home furniture and decor that they can then order custom-made. The company says it uses sustainable hardwood, materials from recycled polystyrene pulled from the ocean, and non-toxic paints and finishes. It also offers more than 50 easy-to-clean fabrics.
“Our customer is not only concerned about the initial impact their purchase makes, but the subsequent impact of landfilling their home products,” Bass said. “Consumers increasingly want furniture that will last longer, so they don’t need to replace it as often due to the effects on the environment.”
Photo courtesy Whom Home
Broad and Washington Project Unanimously Approved — “A major mixed use development project at the City of Falls Church’s central intersection of Washington and Broad Streets (Rts. 29 and 7) to feature a huge new Whole Foods grocery was approved unanimously by the F.C. City Council Monday night.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Bloomingdale’s to Experiment with Downsized Store at Mosaic District — “The retailer’s small-format concept, dubbed Bloomie’s, is set to open this fall in Virginia’s Mosaic District shopping complex, reported FN’s sister publication WWD. It’s expected to span roughly 22,000 square feet — a departure from the chain’s average department store size, which measures about 200,000 square feet.” [Footwear News, Mosaic District/Twitter]
Virginia Extends COVID-19 Restrictions Through February — Gov. Ralph Northam has extended mask requirements and restrictions on social gatherings through the end of February. He also announced that the state will get a greater supply of vaccine and addressed questions about a gap between doses distributed and doses administered in a news conference on Wednesday. [Patch]
First Responders Flash Lights for Kids at Inova Children’s Hospital — “Tonight, we were honored to participate in a “flashlight salute” at @InovaHealth Children’s Hospital along with @DLVFRD and @FairfaxCountyPD. We turned on our emergency lights and shined our flashlights at the kids and they returned the favor!” [Vienna Volunteer Fire Department/Twitter]
Virginia Makes COVID-19 Workplace Safety Standards Permanent — “The new regulations, approved last week by Gov. Ralph Northam, require all employers in the state to provide personal protective equipment when workers can’t physically distance, close or control access to common areas like lunchrooms, develop safe “return to work” plans for workers recovering from COVID-19, and regularly clean areas with heavy foot traffic, among other measures. Employees who interact with the public must wear masks.” [DCist]
Photo via Vienna Volunteer Fire Department/Twitter
F45 Training is moving into the Mosaic District.
Construction is currently underway on the boutique, high-intensity gym franchise’s latest site at 2980 District Ave., which is currently home to the education center Kumon and expects to also add the Japanese barbeque restaurant Gyu-shige soon.
Husband-and-wife owners Kerri Palmer and Earl Pinto decided to bring F45 to the Mosaic District after trying out the franchise’s site at The Boro.
F45’s approach to workouts appealed to both of them, which Palmer says is a rarity, and they thought it would be a good fit for the Mosaic District based on the other businesses in the development and the number of residents and visitors it attracts.
“I think that the Mosaic District is magical, and I actually think it’s going to be one of the best territories that F45 will have,” Palmer said. “…Our business is one that has a great energy and a great vibe to it, and I think Mosaic District aligns with that as well.”
Palmer says F45’s functional training classes differ from other gyms because the workouts continually change, rather than relying on the same routines and equipment.
“It’s really engaging, and it challenges your body in different ways than the traditional gym would challenge your body,” she said.
Acknowledging that some people might be skeptical of a gym opening during a pandemic, Palmer expressed confidence in F45’s COVID-19 protocols. Studios across the franchise are placed at five tiers that range from all-virtual to fully open depending on the public health situation of their individual locations.
F45 Mosaic will determine what approach to take once it gets closer to opening.
While the process of establishing the business has taken longer than anticipated, Palmer says their landlord and contractor, as well as Fairfax County staff have been supportive as she and Pinto have navigated unfamiliar territory.
This is their first attempt at starting a business together. Palmer works in the banking industry, while Pinto has a government job.
Palmer and Pinto have been documenting the construction process with regular updates on the F45 Mosaic Facebook and Instagram pages.
The current plan is to hold a soft opening for F45 Mosaic in May and a grand opening in June, “as long as everything continues to meet the timelines we have, and we’re very optimistic that will happen,” Palmer said.
Photo courtesy F45
(Updated at 12:05 p.m. on 1/26/2021) The Mosaic District in Merrifield is getting a new men’s salon: Boardroom Salon for Men (2920 District Ave., Suite 165), slated to open its doors on Saturday (Jan. 30).
This location marks Boardroom Salon’s debut in the D.C. area. The salon got its start in 2004 in Southlake, Texas, and has since expanded to 42 locations across the U.S. Its co-founders — husband-and-wife duo Bruce and Heather Schultz — plan to continue growing this year.
“The Mosaic District brings a distinct community atmosphere to Northern Virginians looking for upscale retail, residential, restaurant and entertainment offerings,” Boardroom Salon Fairfax Manager Nicole Morales said in a statement. “We look forward to introducing Boardroom with our professional talented stylists and barbers to clients who want an elevated grooming experience in a sophisticated yet still approachable way.”
The salon features dark-wood paneling and a lounge with oversized leather chairs and complimentary beverages. Its signature haircut service, The Benchmark, provides tailored haircuts, massages, a steamed towel, a parrafin hand dip, and styling advice.
For COVID-19 safety, team members wear masks and gloves and take their temperatures before each shift.
Clients can purchase one-month, six-month, or annual memberships, which provide unlimited haircut services and a 10% discount on all products and services, as well as complimentary referral Benchmark haircuts to give to friends and family.
Memberships are honored at all Boardroom locations, which can also be found in Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. The salon is also planning to open a venue in Maryland.
In honor of the opening, Boardroom Salon is offering discounts and promotions. A limited number of Founder’s Memberships are available, giving buyers exclusive discounts and a branded Boardroom silver beverage tumbler. Clients can also buy discounted three-month haircut memberships, starting at $125.
Boardroom will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The salon is also seeking applicants for stylist and front-of-house positions.
Photo courtesy Boardroom Salon for Men
Second Dead Capitol Police Officer Was Madison Alumnus — The Capitol Police announced on Saturday (Jan. 9) that officer Howard Liebengood had died — reportedly by suicide — after being on the scene when a mob breached the U.S. Capitol last week. Liebengood attended Vienna’s James Madison High School in the 1980s and participated in the school’s wrestling team. [The Washington Post]
Fairfax County Libraries Return to Curbside Service Only — “Effective Monday, Jan. 11, all Fairfax County Public Library branches will provide curbside and virtual services only. Please stay home if you’re sick, if you’ve been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or if you’re awaiting your own COVID-19 test results.” [Fairfax County Public Library]
Bowlero to Move into Former Macy’s at Tysons Galleria — “Bowling alley operator Bowlero plans to open its fifth location in Greater Washington this November at Tysons Galleria…The new location will house 36 bowling lanes, more than 70 arcade games, a full-service kitchen, sports bar and audio-visual capabilities including hi-definition video screens above the bowling lanes.” [Washington Business Journal]
Construction on New George Mason High School Nearly Complete — “The new school set to replace the old George Mason High School in the City of Falls Church will be opened in the coming weeks, but in-person learning may not be allowed despite a recently announced reopening plan.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Fairfax County Requests Flexibility and Funding from State — During a public hearing on Jan. 9, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay told the county’s General Assembly delegation that localities need the flexibility to determine their own priorities as they try to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. [WTOP]
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
