Three companies based in Tysons are on a new list of the fastest-growing tech companies.

The companies, plus five others from Fairfax County, are included in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list, which looks at the fastest-growing technology firms in North America. That’s according to the latest Fairfax County Economic Development Authority email newsletter.

The Tysons-based firms are:

• GTT Communications, a telecommunications infrastructure company
• KLDiscovery, which provides data-driven software and services to law firms, corporate legal departments and government agencies
• Digital Harbor, an enterprise software company focused on the healthcare industry

Other Fairfax County companies on the list are: LookingGlass Cyber Solutions of Reston (“leads local companies on the list with an 883 percent growth,” per FCEDA), GoCanvas of Reston, Research Innovations of Alexandria, Acero Health Technologies of Alexandria and ScienceLogic of Reston.

Black Friday makes the headlines, but this upcoming Small Business Saturday (Nov. 24) will give locals a chance to check out some of the small stores throughout the area and maybe get some holiday shopping done.

The Vienna Business Association has put together a list of all small businesses in the areas with special deals on Saturday, including:

• Bards Alley LLC (110 Church St NW) — A book store in Vienna that will have giveaways for purchase over $50, refreshments, and a signing by local authors Katy Upperman, author of The Impossibility of Us, at 11:00 a.m., Eugenia Kim author of The Kinship of Secrets, at 1:00 p.m., and Anna Whiston Donaldson, author of the book A Hug from Heaven, at 3:00 p.m.
• Elements Massage (122 Maple Ave W) — A massage parlor offering $30 discount off of your first one-hour massage session. The deal will run both Saturday and Sunday.
• Savvy Rest Natural Bedroom (258 Maple Ave E) — The mattress store will be offering 30 percent off all Savvy Rest Mattresses and 25 percent off all other products.
• Bikes @ Vienna (128 A Church Street NW) — This store bicycle, which specializes in non-traditional models, will be offering 10 percent off select bicycles and accessories.
• Aesthetic Medical Center (8150 Leesburg Pike) — Calling the clinic (703-992-7979) on small business Saturday will net a 15 percent discount on any single treatment through Dec. 31.
• Colleen’s Creations, LLC — This online-only business run out of a Vienna home will be offering a variety of discounts on lipstick and glosses. All cosmetics and skincare materials are 40 percent off. Pickup is available in Vienna or via mail for a $4 charge.
• Generation Code (112 Church St NW) — This kids coding camp will offer five percent off winter break camps.
• Freeman Store (131 Church St NE) — The Freeman Store and Museum, a historically styled general goods store, will offer a 10 percent discount (15 percent for members) on merchandise in the store excluding used books.
• Potomac River Running Store (111 Maple Ave W) — The regional chain is offering buy one, get one 40 percent off. A Potomac River graphic t-shirt is available for $10 with any purchase of $20 or more.
• Skintelligence (421 Church St) — This skincare and spa treatment clinic in Vienna is offering 10 percent off any massage scheduled on Nov. 24 for any day between Nov. 26 and Dec. 23. All skin care products are also 20 percent off.
• John Edwards Hair Design (103 Church St NE) – A cosmetic studio offering 40 percent off any facial or skin care peel.

Meanwhile, for those looking to support small businesses in Tysons and McLean, here is a partial list put together from both American Express’s map of small businesses and the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce’s retail directory.

• Color Wheel (1374 Chain Bridge Road) — A family business offering paint and specialty finishes and custom photo framing.
• Mangan Jewelers of McLean (6801 Whittier Ave) — A jewelry store featuring wedding rings, fashion jewelry and estate pieces.
• McLean Hardware Co. Inc. (1445 Chain Bridge Rd) — McLean’s local hardware and household goods shop, offering a variety of gardening, plumbing, electric and houseware supplies.
• Mayflowers of McLean (1363 Chain Bridge Rd) — A florist shop in downtown McLean.
• Treasure Trove (1317 Chain Bridge Rd) — A used merchandise store offering everything from old books to clothing. All proceeds benefit Inova Hospital.
• Mesmeralda’s Gifts (1339 Chain Bridge Rd) — A gifts and novelty items store.
• Gegi Couture (1339 Chain Bridge Rd) — A fashion store focusing on custom clothing and tailoring for women.
• Carpet Impressions (1339 Chain Bridge Rd) — A carpet and handmade rug store.
• The Preppy Pink Pony (6829 Redmond Drive) — A monogrammed gifts and invitations store.
• Tysons Tailors (8099 Tysons Corner Center) — An alterations and tailoring shop inside Tysons Corner Center.
• Tysons Watch and Jewelry Exchange (8150 Leesburg Pike) — a store trading in jewelry, watches and luxury items.
• Aram Boutique (2001 International Dr) — A women’s fashion store in Tysons Galleria.
• Vienna Hot Tubs & Patio (1524 Spring Hill Rd) — An emporium stocking home spas, fire pits and patio furniture
• Shiraz Market (8486 Tyco Rd) — An international grocery store featuring Middle Eastern and Asian goods.

Photo via Facebook

A Civil War Christmas, a collection of stories linked by a pageant of carols, is coming to Tysons’ 1st Stage Theater (1524 Spring Hill Rd) starting next week.

The play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, follows several intertwining lives on Christmas Eve in 1864 from Northern Virginia battlefields to the White House.

A Civil War Christmas will run from Nov. 29 through Dec. 23. Showtimes are:

• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
• Fridays at 8 p.m.
• Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Sundays at 2 p.m.

General admission tickets are $29. Tickets for seniors (65+) are $36. Student and military tickets are $15.

Captioned performances will be held the weekend of Dec. 6-9. An audio description will be available at the Dec. 8 performance.

1st Stage Theater also offers community conversations after several shows, giving audience members a chance to talk with the designers, cast, and cast about the show’s production and creative process. Prior to the Dec. 20 show, Sarah Jencks, Director of Education and Interpretation at Ford’s Theatre, will talk about the historical context of the show.

1st Stage Theater bills itself Tysons’ only stage theater venue. It was founded in 2008 in a converted office space.

A Civil War Christmas is the second production of the 1st Stage Theater’s 2018-2019 season.

Image via 1st Stage Theater

Put down the controller and pick up some dice, this upcoming Saturday (Nov. 24) is Board Game Day at the Tysons-Pimmit Library.

The event is hosted by the Northern Virginia Board Game Group, which describes itself as “small group of passionate board game enthusiasts.” The NOVA Board Game Group says the event will be relaxed and casual, catering to all levels of interest and experience in board games.

The event will run from 1-5 p.m.

The board games played aren’t the traditional staples like Monopoly or Life. Instead, the group tends to favor modern games like Pandemic. Most are traditionally easy to learn games, while a separate group meets to play the more complicated strategy games.

Players are requested to bring their good sportsmanship but leave the electronic devices away from the table. Players are also asked to avoid bringing greasy or oily foods as they may damage the games. Children under 16 must have a parent present.

The group hosts board game days at libraries across the region and is scheduled to return to Tysons on Dec. 29, in case you can’t make it out this weekend.

Photo via Flickr/Jamie McCaffrey

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) Local flower delivery startup UrbanStems and other digital-native retail brands, in addition to long-time mall staple DKNY, opened this weekend at a new physical location in Tysons Corner Center mall.

BrandBox, a project launched by mall operator Macerich, adds physical foot traffic to the mostly digital companies. Tysons Corner Center was the first location for the retail experiment, which opened this past Saturday (Nov. 17).

The first group of startups in the location will be:

• Naadam — a Mongolian cashmere apparel company.
• Winky Lux — a cruelty-free facial cosmetics retailer.
• Interior Define — a home furniture store specializing in custom-built pieces.
• Nectar — a memory-foam mattress retailer.
• UrbanStems — a same-day flower delivery service in Washington, D.C. and New York City.

For some startups, like Nectar, the Tysons Corner Center location is their first physical storefront. The company is offering $125 off mattresses and two free pillows starting today.

“Nectar’s space features an installation with hands-on components and a beautiful visual tour through a year of sleep to celebrate the brand’s one-of-a-kind 365 Night Trial with a vignette for each season,” said a PR rep.

DKNY, the New York-based fashion house, will use its BrandBox location to try new limited edition products and designs.

For the past year, the Turkish Coffee Lady has been the one-stop-shop for Turkish coffee and other delicacies inside the Tysons Corner Center mall. Tomorrow, for their anniversary celebration, the store will be hosting a Turkish holiday bazaar.

The event will run from noon-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 at the store on the ground level of the mall near the Lord and Taylor. The bazaar, styled after the marketplaces of Istanbul, will feature a variety of holiday gift items for sale.

Beyond just selling coffee, the Turkish Coffee Lady also offers group coffee and Turkish cuisine tastings and complimentary fortune readings, a tradition of Turkish coffee drinking.

Similarly, the bazaar activities are scheduled to highlight a variety of Turkish cultural activities. These will include a Turkish folk dance, calligraphy, face painting and more.

The Turkish Coffee Lady is a woman-owned business. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Washington Turkish Women Association, which aids Turkish children and schools.

Photo via Facebook

Tysons is working towards being a more bike friendly community, but as anyone who’s pedaled through the area could tell you, it’s not quite there yet.

The Fairfax County Bicycle Map ranks streets throughout the county on a “most comfortable” to “use caution” scale. Nearly all of Tysons is colored in the yellow “less comfortable” indicator.

Some of the major thoroughfares, like Westpark Drive, International Drive, and Leesburg Pike are all listed as “use caution,” though many of those streets are categorized as having bikeable sidewalks.

But on the periphery of Tysons proper, Nicole Wynands, Bicycle Program Manager for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, said there are several neighborhoods and trails that are perfect for biking.

“The Pimmit Hills area of Tysons is the most bikeable neighborhood with calm residential streets and good internal connectivity,” said Wynands. “The Jones Branch Connector will open shortly to pedestrians and cyclists, connecting Pimmit Hills and the McLean Metro with downtown Tysons via a shared-use path.”

Whether that bike-ability lasts as the northern edge of the neighborhood faces redevelopment remains to be seen.

Wynands had additional Tysons area cycling suggestions.

“Another great residential cycling area is Tysons Green, west of Route 7, with a good connection to the W&OD Trail and a beautiful stream/valley trail (Foxstone Park & Waverly Park),” said Wynands, via email. “The Vesper Trail is in the final stages of construction and will connect Tysons Green to downtown Tysons.”

Some caution is still urged at the eastern end of Old Courthouse Road in Tysons Green. Earlier this week a man died crossing the street.

For those willing to brave bicycling through downtown Tysons, Wynands said there are a few corridors cyclists can ride on more comfortably.

• Greensboro Drive — The street parallel to Leesburg Pike that runs along The Boro development.
• Park Run — A street that runs from the Tysons Galleria Shopping Center to the Freddie Mac headquarters.
• Westbranch Drive — A street east of Tysons Galleria along the planned The Mile development, right past the Tysons Republik Coffee.

Despite some early morning setbacks, traffic around Tysons seems back to normal.

While there are road closures in other parts of the county, Fairfax County Police have reported no closures in the McLean Police District. As of 10 a.m. most roads through Tysons seem to be running smoothly — all things considered.

Police have warned that crashes are on the rise throughout Fairfax. Crashes have been reported near Merrifield, causing some congestion in the westbound lanes. A crash was also reported on Dulles Toll Road around 10:10 a.m., closing the north right lane and causing some congestion.

Earlier this morning, Twitter users reported express lanes near Tysons were closed and traffic was bumper to bumper.

@WTOPtraffic N Express Lanes exit to Baltimore/Tysons Corner closed! North bound Express Lane are bumper to bumper! pic.twitter.com/ViJMDU39Q5

— Nancy Parada (@louizze) November 15, 2018

Others warned that snow was sticking to the Beltway. Snow plows have since been spotted on traffic cameras working their way through Tysons streets.

Snow is sticking on the beltway and express lanes near Tysons Corner and no plows in sight. Awesome. @capitalweather @WTOP pic.twitter.com/75pozqPrX2

— Jess Jensen (@JessJensen1) November 15, 2018

Photo via Fairfax Police Department

A trio of young men from Falls Church were arrested in Tysons Sunday after allegedly leading police on a foot chase.

Fairfax County Police say the men stole items from the Macy’s department store at Tysons Corner Center mall by first stacking the merchandise by the door and then, after gathering enough stuff, running off with it. But security guards noticed the scheme in progress and called police, and officers arrived just as the men were trying to make their getaway with the stolen goods, according to FCPD.

After a foot pursuit, all three were arrested, police said. They’re being charged with grand larceny.

More from a crime report:

1961 Chain Bridge Rd (Macys), 11/11/18, 4:12 p.m. Officers were notified by Macy’s loss prevention of three men putting merchandise by the door to steal. Officers arrived at the store as the men were running out with the stolen merchandise. They were caught within minutes after a short foot pursuit. Derlin Carcamo Alvarez, 21, Jorge Melendez Gonzalez, 20, and Wilson Mondrago Ochoa, 23, all of Falls Church, were charged with Grand Larceny.