When Andy’s Pizza had to close, along with dozens of other restaurants and stores in Tysons Galleria, co-owner Emily Brown figured it would be around three to six weeks before they reopened. Seven months later, the restaurant has reopened, but the local pizza spot that had a steadily growing business at the start of the year is now fighting for survival.
“We worked really hard to build what was starting to take off,” Brown said.
Brown said shutting down was the right decision, but it was still hard on small businesses. Even with Andy’s Pizza officially reopening around two weeks ago, Brown said the office lunch crowd that was a mainstay of the business has all but disappeared.
“90% of our business was lunch, and the happy hour was starting to take off, all from offices,” Brown said.
Andy’s Pizza was one of the restaurants that helped launch Taste of Urbanspace in Tysons Galleria in 2018, a replacement to quick collapse of Isabella Eatery that put together smaller outlets of beloved restaurants and food vendors throughout the region.
Throughout late 2018 and 2019, restaurants like Stomping Ground, Donburi and Andy’s Pizza built a community on the upper floors of the mall and established a dedicated local following. Andy’s Pizza even launched a pop-up with Stomping Ground’s Del Ray location. But that community is now in jeopardy as the local hospitality and office markets remain devastated as a result of the pandemic. Read More
Golden Goose is planning to bring its high-end sneakers and clothing to Tysons Galleria.
The Italian brand sells sneakers for men, women and kids, along with leather jackets, t-shirts, knitwear and dresses for adults. Inspired by American basketball and ’80s culture, the Ball Star sneakers are made of goatskin and feature a star on the side ($400-$600). Meanwhile, the Stardan ones are based on 90s basketball shoes ($500-$700).
Fairfax County permits indicate that Golden Goose is looking to arrive at Tysons Galleria (2001 International Drive). Tysons Reporter obtained an email by a Golden Goose employee confirming plans are underway for the Tysons store.
“The focus for us is on the Galleria continuing to be the point-of-entry venue for relevant brands opening in the D.C. area,” Tysons Galleria said in a statement through a spokesperson.
Golden Goose’s website list locations across the U.S., from San Francisco to Dallas to New York City. No stores are currently listed in the D.C. area.
Photo by Michelle Goldchain
Lady M Cake Boutique is now located in its new, permanent location in Tysons Galleria.
The cake boutique extended its pop-up in A Taste of Urbanspace last year while looking for a new spot in the mall. Lady M Cake Boutique first arrived in Tysons Galleria in December 2018.
The boutique officially opened on the second level of the mall on Tuesday (July 14), according to a press release.
More from the press release:
From the iconic Signature Mille Crepes to fan-favorite Green Tea Mille Crepes, and much more, Lady M Tysons Galleria offers a daily rotating and seasonal selection of handmade Lady M cakes. This boutique location also offers a full beverage menu featuring tea and coffee, alongside custom drinks like Green Tea Latte and a notably decadent Hot Chocolate.
Lady M Tysons Galleria is a full-service, dine-in boutique location. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, takeaway will be offered exclusively for the time being. Guests may order in person at the boutique or place pre-orders online (for same day pickup) at ladymcakes.square.site.
For those who prefer to enjoy cake at home, Lady M has also partnered with Chowbus to offer fast and easy delivery from this new Tysons Galleria boutique location. Lady M continues to also offer nationwide shipping of whole cakes at LadyM.com.
The store is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to Lady M Cake’s Facebook page.
Photos via Tysons Galleria/Facebook
Treasure Shop Closing in McLean — “The Treasure Shop in McLean announced it will close after 49 years in business due to the COVID-19 situation and increasing costs. The last day is June 30.” [Patch]
Latest on COVID Cases — “The Virginia Department of Health reported 551 additional cases of the coronavirus Sunday, a lower increase after four consecutive days of new daily cases increasing. The latest cumulative totals are 57,994 cases, 5,840 hospitalizations, and 1,611 deaths.” [Patch]
Restaurant Struggling —Â “A longtime business in McLean seeks support to avoid closing due to the coronavirus pandemic’s financial impact. McLean Family Restaurant, a 51-year Kapetanakis family operation, made the plea to customers Wednesday on Facebook.” [Patch]
FCPS May Add Holidays to Calendar — “The Fairfax County School Board is considering a 2021-22 Standard School Year Calendar… Version A has the school year beginning on Monday, August 23, 2021, and ending on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Four religious holidays would be observed: Rosh Hashanah on September 7, 2021; Yom Kippur on September 16, 2021; Diwali on November 4, 2021; and Eid  al Fitr on May 3, 2022.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Mall Issues — “Brookfield is chasing small retailers to pay thousands of dollars in rent on outlets that were forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic, even as the Canadian investment group skips payments on its mortgages and asks lenders for forbearance… Brookfield has requested forbearance from lenders who are owed payments on a dozen of its malls, according to reports circulated to credit market participants who have bought the debt.” Brookfield operates Tysons Galleria. [Washington Business Journal]
The final phase of the Echols St road reconstruction project will take place over next two weeks, weather permitting. Rolling traffic mgmt strategies (rather than a detour) will be utilized; traffic delays may be experienced. If possible, travelers may wish to avoid this area. pic.twitter.com/eqLjrkxQDb
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) June 21, 2020
Security at Tysons Galleria reported that a group of men tried to break into Paul Bakery at the mall, Fairfax County police say.
The incident happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. today (Wednesday).
“The suspects ran when officers arrived but were taken into custody,” according to Fairfax County police. Charges are pending for the men.
In separate incidents, several businesses in the Tysons area have been burglarized early yesterday morning: McLean Pharmacy in McLean and Lost Dog Cafe and Nouvelle Nails and Spa in Tysons.
For the two in Tysons, police said someone broke in and stole property. The pharmacy was burglarized by a group of people who escaped in multiple cars.
Mindy Hoang of the nail spa posted a photo on Facebook yesterday showing a shattered glass door.
“We were robbed last night,” according to the post. “Broke the glass on our door and [took] half of my nails equipment. I [guess] they try to save [money by] doing their own nails!”
Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria are enticing shoppers back as Virginia moves forward with easing COVID-19 restrictions on businesses.
Both malls are offering curbside pick-up for certain retailers and people can also order food for take-out or delivery from their restaurants.
The malls are open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sundays, according to their websites.
While shoppers can go to some stores inside Tysons Corner Center, Tysons Galleria’s website says that the inside of the mall is still closed — shoppers can use the curbside pick-up option or visit stores and restaurants with exterior-facing entrances.
Northern Virginia is poised to reopen soon, while the rest of the state has already started the first phase of easing restrictions. The governor’s orders from late March never fully closed the state, though, and non-essential businesses have been able to stay open as long as they limit customers to 10 people or less.
Let us know if you’ve been to either mall recently, and, if so, tell us in the comments what the experience was like.
People can now shop at Tysons Galleria with a new curbside pick-up program for the mall’s retailers and restaurants.
The mall rolled out its new Retail-to-go initiative yesterday, according to a press release.
“Retail-to-go is a mall-wide Curbside Pickup program to support the needs of tenants and the shopping community,” the press release said. “This initiative will keep customers and staff safe during these unusual times.”
Customers can pick-up items from restaurants including Wilfire, P.F. Chang’s, Lebanese Taverna, the Cheesecake Factory and Maggiano’s, along with items from the following stores:
Curbside pick-up is available from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from noon-6 p.m. on Sundays at two locations in the parking lot closest to the entrance off of International Drive, the press release said.
“Once guests park in the appropriate retailer zone, then they will call the retailer for further instruction,” the press release said, adding that shoppers must pay for their items over the phone or online.
Nightlife is zilch in Tysons at the moment due to the pandemic. After a brief hiatus, the “Tysons After Dark” series is back to highlight different online activities from local organizations and offerings from eateries that keep people busy once the sun goes down.Â
To promote its tenents during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tysons Galleria is offering various at-home activities and programming.
For those seeking lifestyle inspiration, the mall is offering five different courses from tenants, each of which help with interior design, personal style or food and drink, according to the web page.
For example, BoConcepts is offering free interior design advice from an expert. People can also explore the store digitally to see what’s showcased on the floor.
While spending more time at home, people are encouraged to take care of their health and step up their beauty routine with more offerings from mall vendors. Dolce Vita Salon & Spa is offering at-home hair touch-up kits for $65+ and the Tory Burch Foundation is offering a free wellness guide.
For those feeling crafty, the mall also now offers art project blueprints on its website as well. Offerings include chalk art, origami and floral drawing tutorials.
Anyone who wants to pick up a bite to eat from the mall can also take advantage of a spend $50 get $20 deal at participating restaurants.
Photo via Anastasiia Chepinska on Unsplash
Little Birdies Boutique was only open for a few weeks in Tysons Galleria before the coronavirus pandemic forced its now closure. Now, the shop is hiring as it prepares to reopen.
The boutique, which sells kids’ clothing from newborns to size 10, first opened in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood in 2014 before expanding to Tysons earlier this year.
Shanlee Johnson, the owner and founder of Little Birdies Boutique, told Tysons Reporter that online sales, loans and grants have helped keep her business going.
“We’ve always had a strong online presence,” she said, adding that her online sales have doubled since the pandemic.
“Our online sales have been a lot of swimsuits and sandals and shorts and picnic blankets,” she said, adding that she expects popularity to increase for those items.
But the increased online sales can’t make up for the store closures:Â “It’s not the same as having two stores [open] and online.”
In a normal year, Little Birdies Boutique sells twice as much merchandise during March-May than the rest of year, she said. But this isn’t a normal year.
“March and April [sales] were basically what I do in January,” she said.
In addition to the online store, Johnson said she’s offering virtual in-store shopping, which has been a hit with older customers “who haven’t picked up the online presence.”
While Easter was “rough” since customers weren’t buying dressier clothes, Johnson said people are shopping for extra pajama sets and loungewear or stocking up for next year. Her private label, Pineapple Sunshine, “has taken off even more,” she noted.
To help make up for the decreased revenue, Johnson said she’s been able to negotiate her rent and received a Small Business Administration loan and grant from D.C.
Now that both of the stores are temporarily closed, Johnson said she has settled into her 11 a.m.-6 p.m. workday routine to fulfill online orders: go to Tysons in the morning to pick up clothes, head to D.C. for more clothes and then go to the post office.
“It keeps me busy,” she said. “There is no one at the mall.”
As Johnson awaits information on reopening dates for both stores, she’s looking to hire one to two full-time employees and a few part-time employees for both the D.C. and Tysons stores.
“The Georgetown store was a lot of students,” she said. “They all left to go home. We didn’t do any major layoffs.”
When the store does reopen, she expects the mall will have shorter hours and keep offering kiosks of hand sanitizer. “We’ll require masks and I’ve always been a cleaner,” she said.
Since both of her stores are small, she said she is working to figure out how to maintain social distancing, although she doesn’t expect “tons of people.”
She expects the Tysons location to maintain its appeal among her clientele of new moms, grandmothers and friends of moms-to-be.
“We carry boutique brands, international pieces,” she said. “They are not department store brands.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic prompted its closure, Lebanese Taverna in Tysons Galleria reopened last week for delivery and takeout.
The local chain’s Facebook page said that the eateries closed on March 18, but that owners reopened several locations, including the one in Tysons Galleria, on April 30.
The eatery serves Lebanese fare such as shawarma, falafels, rice dishes, bowls, salads and appetizers, according to its website.
Anyone interested in ordering from the Tysons location can call 703-847-5244, the eatery’s Facebook page said, adding that people can also order through services like Doordash and UberEats.
Along with reopening for customers, the eatery has also been active catering meals for medical staff and first responders, according to its Facebook page.
Photo via Lebanese Taverna/Facebook