Vera Bradley will soon pack its quilted bags and say goodbye to Tysons Corner Center.
A sign by the entrance says that the handbag and luggage store will close on Friday (April 26) and encourages shoppers to visit its other locations at the Fair Oaks and Westfield Montgomery malls.
The imminent closure is the latest of a few ones this spring at the mall.
After filing for bankruptcy in February, women’s clothing chain Charlotte Russe had steep sales throughout March before closing up shop. Currently, the sizeable space on the second level by Barnes and Noble is vacant.
Gymboree shuttered more than 800 stores, including its location on the first floor of Tysons Corner Center, after filing for bankruptcy in January. The children’s clothing retailer, which was in business for 43 years, plans to sell its Janie and Jack brand, according to news reports. (The Janie and Jack store is still open on the second level.)
Gymboree’s last day of business was last Saturday, April 20, according to its Facebook page for the Tysons Corner Center location.
Home goods and decor store Dietch’ left its spot on March 31 after opening in the mall in August.
“We couldn’t afford the rent anymore and the business wasn’t as good as expected,” an employee at Dietch’ wrote in response to Tysons Reporter’s inquiries on the closure.
The former linens-focused store has barely visible writing on the glass saying “unique home furnishings and accessories.”
While the mall hasn’t announced new tenants for the vacancies yet, several newcomers are slated to arrive soon elsewhere in the mall, including 7-Eleven, an Italian legwear store, Morphe Cosmetics and a bubble tea shop. Recently, All Star Sports, shorts chain Chubbies and Bubbles opened.
This summer, the Village Green Shopping Center is set to welcome in Dog World Pet Salon’s former spot a new spa for humans instead of furry friends.
A sign in the storefront window says that an “organic spa” called Soleil Beauty is “coming soon in July 2019” to 515 Maple Avenue W.
The spa will join several hair salons and spas currently at the shopping center. Soleil Beauty will neighbor the Village Green Hair Salon and Nail Design on one side and Avivo Salon and Day Spa on the other side a couple of doors down. People can also get pampered at the Moonlake Massage Spa and get a hair cut at the Dogan and John Hair Salon above Cupcakes and More.
The shopping center is also home to the Vienna Arts Society and the Italian Gourmet Deli, a family-owned business that has been in Vienna for more than 35 years.
A building permit indicates that work is getting done now on the newcomer’s spot.
Tysons Corner Center plans to welcome two newcomers — a 7-Eleven on the first level and an Italian legwear store one flight up.
Calzedonia Italian Legwear & Beachwear, an Italian fashion brand that sells socks, leggings and beachwear, will sit directly across from Lord & Taylor. The sign covering the storefront also says that Intimissimi, which is also a part of the Calzedonia family, will bring Italian lingerie.
On the first level, 7-Eleven is coming to a spot next to GNC Live Well, a health product store, across from the Gap and H&M. While this reporter did not see any signs, the mall’s website says that the convenience store chain is “coming soon.” The space was once home to a Starbucks.
The two stores join a growing list of newcomers, including Arabian Oud, a luxury perfume store, and Morphe Cosmetics.
Tysons Reporter previously noted that two stores on the second level — Aldo and Francesca’s — will have new locations on the first level.
There’s no word yet on specific opening dates for either of the two stores.
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.
Changes to the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan, approved by the Board of Supervisors this past Tuesday, should make it easier to find new uses for the county’s vacant storefronts.
The new plan allows for a broader definition of retail and related commercial uses in both repurposing existing buildings and for unbuilt, planned retail spaces. In other words, businesses that are not strictly stores or restaurants will find it easier to move into vacant retail spaces.
The changes add new language throughout the land use portion of the Comprehensive Plan that allows greater flexibility in achieving certain objectives, particularly in cases where the conversion does not significantly impact the building form and footprint.
The plan points to several national trends for options to replace conventional retail:
- Experiential/Entertainment Uses — Retail focused around selling an experience. The Launch Trampoline Park in Herndon, which was converted from a vacant Sears, is cited as a local example.
- Downsizing — Retail formerly occupying a larger space reducing their scale and converting the remaining space to a different use. The former two-story Sears in Fair Oaks Mall was cited as a local example, which was reduced to one floor while the upper floor was converted into an eating area. The Sears was permanently closed in August.
- Lifestyle Retail — Specialty retail with a focus on walkable communities. The Mosaic District is cited as a local example.
- Curated Retail — Stores targeting a niche market. These are often online enterprises starting to establish physical locations like Warby Parker, a glasses retailer with a store in Tysons Corner Center mall.
- Arts and Cultural Uses — Theaters, concert halls and cinemas that can anchor other nearby retail establishments, like the Showplace Icon scheduled to open in The Boro.
- Creative Spaces — These are locations like business incubators and maker places, where individuals can collaborate on projects using shared tools.
- Local Warehousing and Distribution Centers — Retail spaces converted into storage for the distribution of products, a trend increasingly necessary with the rise of online sales.
Outside of conversion to other retail spaces, the changes could allow vacant retail to more easily be converted into uses like medical care facilities, community colleges, or craft breweries.
There are 35.7 million square feet of retail and commercial space in Fairfax, with 75 percent located in hubs with planned future growth like Tysons and Merrifield. Tysons, Merrifield and McLean, fortunately, have fairly low vacancy rates — all below the metro area’s 4 percent rate.
One of the primary victims of the languishing retail market is neighborhood shopping centers, often anchored by a grocery store. In Fairfax, one in five has empty storefronts.
In March, similar changes were approved for transitioning suburban offices into other uses.
The following article excerpt is from our content sharing partner, FairfaxNews.com.
Something new and colorful and about 200 feet long is coming to Vienna: A mural will soon be created on the back wall of the Vienna Shopping Center, visible as you travel down Cottage Street.
Artists Eleanor Doughty, a Vienna native who now lives in Seattle, and Emily Herr, who lives in Richmond, plan to start work on the mural, an overview of Town buildings and area landmarks, beginning November 5 and expect that the project will take up to two weeks, depending on weather, to complete.
Student-volunteers from James Madison High School will work alongside the artists from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2:30-6 p.m. the weekend of November 9-11. Students interested in helping out with the mural, even if only available for an hour or two, should contact Doughty at [email protected].
The town’s newest public art project is being funded by Rappaport, owners of the shopping center at 180 Maple Avenue.
“We love the mural,” says Tiffany Jones, marketing representative for the Vienna Shopping Center. “We love the brightness and color that it’s going to add to the shopping center.”
Read more at FairfaxNews.com
Photo via Google Maps
