The coronavirus pandemic has forced local businesses to either shut down or add safety measures to stay open. For businesses that aren’t open yet, owners are facing new challenges to decide if or when to debut.
Tysons Reporter found out the new debut plans for three upcoming businesses, which were originally slated to open this spring.
Over in Vienna, plans are still in the works to turn the former home of Posh! (419B Maple Ave. E.) into a Virginia ABC store.
The store was originally expecting to open sometime in May or June.
Dawn Eischen, a Virginia ABC spokesperson, told Tysons Reporter that plans are still on track to relocate the ABC store at 436 Maple Ave. E. to the Maple Avenue Shopping Center space this spring.
“We’re still moving forward with this relocation, but don’t have a firm date,” Eischen said earlier this week. “We’re still looking at the June time frame.”
Eischen previously told Tysons Reporter that the relocation to the spot with roughly 1,400 more square feet “will allow us to provide a wider selection of products, meet market demands and better serve our customers.”
The Palladium’s owners were planning to move their now-closed Arlington nightclub to the Tysons spot.
Currently, The Palladium is closed after the owners canceled the last few concerts in March.
The Salsa Room, which closed in Arlington in March, was supposed to open in its new 15,000-square-foot, two-level home (1524 Spring Hill Road) in late March. Grand opening events were set for the new Tysons nightclub from March 25-29.
Now, Victor Villarreal, one of the owners behind the nightclubs, said that he’s refunded all of the grand opening tickets and he isn’t sure when The Salsa Room will open in Tysons.
“We will open at some point,” he said.
Right now, Villarreal and his brother are working to come up with plans for opening that include different numbers of people allowed inside — 50, 100, 250 — along with other possible safety measures like masks, hand sanitizing stations and cashless payment options.
“I think we’re really considering looking at temperature thermometer you scan on the forehead,” he said. “Our whole plan is trying to keep our staff and our clients safe.”
When state restrictions get lifted, Villarreal said nightclubs will be one of the last businesses to open. “I don’t expect our business to be open until there’s a vaccine or no cases for a couple of weeks at least or a treatment,” he said.
Even if there’s only one COVID-19 case in Virginia, he expects “it’s going to take a long time for people to feel comfortable.”
“We’re the last thing that people are going to want to try to do,” he said, adding that the close contact typical of clubs is completely different from guidelines now for people to stay 6 feet apart.
As for staff, he said that they are waiting for the nightclub to open.
“We can’t pay afford to pay them right,” he said. “A lot applied for unemployment. I know some of them have gotten jobs doing other stuff.”
Villarreal said that he has been negotiating successfully with his landlord in Tysons and utility companies.
“We try to keep a positive attitude but we know nothing is guaranteed,” he said.
The team behind the now-closed Tysons Biergarten aren’t delaying their plans too long to open The ShipGarten — a new pop-up concept near the McLean Metro station.
Originally slated to open this spring, The ShipGarten will now likely make its debut early summer, Matt Rofougaran, Tysons Biergarten’s CEO and managing partner, told Tysons Reporter.
The ShipGarten will consist of a number of themed 40-foot shipping containers, including:
- “The Biergarten” — German and Belgium beers and German food
- Roll Bär — Asian fusion cuisine and Japanese whiskey
- Chalkboard BBQ — a rotating menu of barbecue and international craft beer
- Tysons EuroBar — Mediterranean fare
The shipping containers will be outside, surrounded by a “quintessential biergarten area, family friendly kids area, a fenced in dog area, and entertainment venue,” according to The ShipGarten’s website.
Rofougaran said that patrons will be able to social distance — “Good thing about us is we will have a lot of space.”
He said staffing for The ShipGarten has not been impacted for the pandemic. “Staffing is going to be easy for me,” he said, noting that he’s been in the restaurant business since he was a teenager.
The only coronavirus-related obstacle Rofougaran said he’s noticed is the speed of the work — from architects to construction workers — on the new concept. “Everybody is working much slower,” he said.
Image (1) by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash, image (2) via Google Maps, image (3) via The ShipGarten/Facebook
Editor’s note: Tysons Reporter will temporarily have “Morning Notes” every weekday instead of twice a week to accommodate more news.
Grocery Stores Implement New Measures — “Three grocery store chains with locations in Falls Church announced this week plans to introduce stricter precautionary measures to avoid the potential spread of the coronavirus. Giant Food, Harris Teeter and Safeway will all now limit the amount of customers allowed in the store at one time.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Fairfax Fire Crew Member Tests Positive for COVID-19 — “A member of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual began feeling sick on March 18 and was tested for COVID-19 eight days later. This week the test came back as positive. The individual experienced mild symptoms and is recovering.” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue]
Local Virginia ABC Store Closing — “The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) will consolidate its retail operations in Northern Virginia, which continues to be one of the most impacted regions of the commonwealth during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.” Starting April 13, the store at 8150 Leesburg Pike Suite 110 will close. [Inside NoVa]
Guidelines for Vienna Public Hearings — “Town Council will meet, with members attending in-person and electronically, at 8 pm Monday, April 13… The April 13 meeting agenda includes two public hearings related to the fiscal year 2020-21 budget.” [Town of Vienna]
COVID-19 Business Survey — The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority has a survey that ends today at 5 p.m. that asks businesses about the coronavirus impacts. [Survey Monkey]
A Wind Advisory has been issued for Friday from 10 AM until 6 PM. Winds will be sustained around 20-25 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph possible. pic.twitter.com/KkY40uWkJb
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) April 10, 2020
Units on scene of house fire in the 2400 block of Cedar Lane in the Dunn Loring area. Small fire. Fire is out. All occupants safe. No reported injuries at this time. Majority of units returning to service. #FCFRD #FairfaxCounty pic.twitter.com/41TAXcFbax
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 9, 2020
Gov. Ralph Northam wants to see the general election and special elections on May 5 — including the one for the Town of Vienna — delayed to a later date.
Northam asked the General Assembly today (Wednesday) to move the elections scheduled for May 5 to the General Election date on Nov. 3 “to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” according to a press release.
“The General Assembly is scheduled to meet April 22 unless called into session sooner,” the Town of Vienna tweeted. “The Town will share additional information as decisions are made.”
There are three mayoral candidates and seven people running to become councilmembers. Absentee voting for the town’s election began on March 20.
“As other states have shown, conducting an election in the middle of this global pandemic would bring unprecedented challenges and potential risk to voters and those who work at polling places across the Commonwealth,” Northam said in the press release.
Northam is asking the General Assembly to have one ballot in November and to discard all absentee ballots that have already been cast. He also wants elected officials’ terms that will end on June 30 to be continued until the November election.
Additionally, Northam plans to move the June primary election from June 9 to June 23.
Today's news on changing Virginia election dates has 2 parts: (1) Moving 5/5/20 local elections to 11/3/20 will need State Legislature to act, which we can vote on 4/22/20; (2) delaying 6/9/20 primary to 6/23/20 can be done by @GovernorVA's own discretion: https://t.co/KacblZVldd
— Mark Keam 🇺🇸 (@MarkKeam) April 8, 2020
People in Vienna hoping to spot the Easter Bunny this year will have their chance tomorrow (April 9), according to the town’s newsletter.
Town officials organized a “drive-by bunny tour” tomorrow starting at 10 a.m. along the north side of Maple Avenue. People who celebrate Easter or simply want to take a break out of their day can watch the bunny drive down the street while waving, playing music and horn honking.
“Mr. Bunny will visit residents on the south side beginning around 12:30 p.m.,” the newsletter said. “He promises to make his presence known so that residents will be aware when he’s coming through their area.”
To respect social-distancing guidelines, people will not be able to interact with the bunny outside of the drive-by, according to the newsletter.
The idea was inspired by New Zealand’s prime minister who classified the Easter Bunny as an “essential worker,” the newsletter noted, adding that the bunny’s helpers will try to hit as many streets as possible.
Photo courtesy Town of Vienna
The Vienna entrepreneur behind TicketFam decided to launch yet another startup to meet the rising demand for homemade face masks around the country.
Every Mask Counts only has two face mask designs on its website so far, but its founder, Arian Shahbazi, said that the goal is to educate people about the ongoing pandemic and promote safety.
“This website is created to promote people to wear protective face masks during this COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Shahbazi, who told Tysons Reporter that the company has over 150 masks ready to hit the market.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear cloth face coverings — not surgical masks or N-95 respirators that medical workers need — in public places to slow the spread of the virus.
For each mask sold, the entrepreneur said he will send another mask to a hospital in New York, where Shahbazi’s friend works as a health care professional.
Each mask sells online for $14.95 and includes free shipping anywhere in the United States, the website said. Customers can choose from either a Black Panther fabric design or a variated pink and white pattern in sizes small/medium or large/extra-large.
Soon, Shahbazi said people will be able to choose from over 10 different patterns, each of which are handmade and reusable after a wash.
For people in the Virginia and D.C. area, Shahbazi said he will also offer free curbside drop-off to people who are nervous about leaving their homes or accepting packages from the mail.
Shahbazi, who is producing the masks along with the help of close family members, said that there will be as little contact with the masks as possible.
Photo courtesy TicketFam
People can now watch two forums with the candidates running for the Vienna Town Council and mayor’s seat.
In lieu of in-person forums due to the coronavirus pandemic, the North East Vienna Citizens Association (NEVCA) and Vienna Business Association (VBA) teamed up to host the forums virtually.
Doug Francis, NEVCA’s vice president, moderated the two forums — one for three mayoral candidates and a second one for the seven people running for council seats.
The forums, which were recorded on April 2, were uploaded to YouTube earlier today (Monday).
The town’s upcoming election is May 5. Absentee voting — which Fairfax County officials strongly encourage to reduce the risk of spreading the virus — is already underway.
Tysons Reporter will also reach out to the candidates for Q&As that will be published this spring ahead of the election.
If you have a question you would like the Tysons Reporter team to consider asking, please let us know in the comments below or on our social media pages.
Images of three mayoral candidates via Town of Vienna
The coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on baseball season, but a Vienna family won’t let the virus strike its plans to launch a business selling baseball training equipment.
John Morabito, 53, and his two sons Nick, 27, and Dominic, 25, are the three founders behind Perfect Swings USA.
John, who grew up in McLean, told Tysons Reporter that he has been coaching baseball in McLean and Vienna since 1991. Nick and Dominic both grew up playing sports in Vienna, he added.
All three men have played at the collegiate level and have coached teams from little league to minor league players, according to the company’s website.
Now, they are looking to sell hitting tools — the Swing Path Trainer and the Tempo Trainer — to help players improve.
Turning Their Passion Into New Products
Nick told Tysons Reporter that his family came up with the idea for the tools about 10 years ago to help him and his brother get better at baseball.
“Before we ever became a business, bringing homemade Swing Path Trainers around got great feedback from baseball and softball coaches,” Nick said.
The family originally developed the trainers from PVC pipe and wood they got at Home Depot, he said.
“We had no aspirations of turning it into what it is today,” Nick said. But that changed after Dominic graduated and encouraged his family to turn their idea into the business.
“[Dominic] was either like, ‘I’m going to find a corporate job or let’s start this business,'” Nick said. “My dad was getting ready to retire… We took this on full time.”
In the last year, they’ve been working with an engineer and Boston-based Gamut Run Partners, LLC. Nick said that they have three patents for their products.
The family started to manufacture the products about a year ago, Nick said. Since then, they’ve showcased the trainers at conventions around the U.S. late last year and early 2020, according to the website.
The Swing Path Trainer ($349) helps the athlete to keep the bat in the hitting zone with the proper angle, while the Tempo Trainer (undecided price) helps the athlete’s tempo and rhythm during a swing, according to their product descriptions.
“It’s almost like a self coach for the kid or the trainer or the coach,” Nick said, adding that the products help improve players’ swing mechanics.
The products are geared towards little leaguers all the way through high school and college, Nick said, adding that “everybody” can use the products.
While they haven’t sold any of the products yet, Nick said that they have given four away — one to the UCLA softball team, another to a high school in California, a third to a man who runs a show in Texas and the fourth to “my little cousin.”
In the future, Nick said they are looking to release more products and features in the future once they finalize prototyping.
Challenges of Starting a Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Trying to start up the business has been challenging at times for the family.
Production, which involves some parts that come from China, was delayed earlier this year due to a shutdown for Chinese New Year and then slow down several weeks later to add extra precautions for workers due to the coronavirus, he said.
“We’re supposed to go into production tomorrow to start shipping May 1,” he said.
While they are aiming to start selling the products in May, that date could change. “It’s been hard to finalize and put on a date on anything,” he said.
The pandemic affected their plans to travel to conventions and tournaments around the U.S., he added.
As for marketing, Nick said that he’s trying to get the word out in magazines and publications, but has faced some challenges with collegiate baseball publications now that the season is over.
The biggest challenge, though? Nick said that making changes to the products within certain timeframes has been hard.
“We’ve run through six to seven different prototypes,” he said. “This is new for us.”
Despite their obstacles, Nick is staying optimistic.
“We’ll get through this,” he said, adding that coaches might have more time now to watch product demos than if they were traveling with their teams during the season.
Working as a Team
The whole family works together on the new business, Nick said, adding that most of the financial investments have come from him and his father.
“Dad kind of oversees everything,” he said. “He’s mentoring us along.”
While Nick focuses on the sales and marketing side, he said his brother takes care of the operations and engineering while his mom asks people for reviews and manages the product photo shoots.
“We’re a local family. We have a lot of great relationships with local little leagues,” Nick said. “We’re looking to give back.”
Photos courtesy Nick Morabito
The Vienna Town Council will meet tonight (Tuesday) to consider virtual meetings for the town’s lawmakers, board members and commissioners.
According to the meeting’s agenda, the town will consider adopting a “Continuity of Government Ordinance” that would last for 60 days.
According to a draft of the ordinance, public entities would be allowed to meet electronically after providing a public notice three days in advance.
People would have the chance to access and comment on the meeting electronically.
Noting that “the COVID-19 pandemic makes it unsafe to assemble in one location a quorum for public bodies,” the ordinance says that non-emergency public hearings may get postponed.
The town’s proposal comes on the heels of Gov. Ralph Northam issuing a stay-at-home order to Virginians yesterday.
The state has recently seen an increasing number of COVID-19 cases — especially in Fairfax County.
The emergency meeting is set to start at 7 p.m.
Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.
As we begin week 3 of this fight against the Coronavirus, I wanted to take a moment and express my sympathy for everyone impacted by this horrendous circumstance.
I know this hasn’t been easy in so many different ways, for so many different people, but hopefully we’ll all be able to go back to normal life soon(ish) and get everyone back on their feet. In the meantime, if you are able to, there are many ways you can support our local community. If I don’t mention your organization, PLEASE add it to the comment section below to get the word out.
Meals for Those on the Front Line (Nurses, Firefighters, EMT, Doctors): This helps support the local restaurants all while donating meals to those who deserve extra thanks right.
- Social Burger + Sandwich Shop: A partnership to drop off 900 meals to INOVA Fairfax over the next 3 weeks. Meals are $12 + tax, and will be donated to ER, respiratory, laboratory, surgical and several other departments. Order on the Social Burger site, look for “Frontline and First Responder Meals“.
- CrossFit Mill Street is joining this partnership and hosting ZOOM Fitness Sessions (check out the times on their Facebook page). For everyone who attends, they’ll donate $2 per person towards a meal through Social Burger + Sandwich Shop.
- INCA Social: Delivering 50 meals 2 days a week to the INOVA Critical Care Unit at $8 a meal. You can order on their app or website: Order Now -> Delivery -> Choose Items -> Buy a Nurse a Meal (at the bottom).
- Vienna Inn + Church Street Pizza: Providing breakfast, lunch and dinner for the Vienna Fire Department and Vienna Police Department. You can sign up for a slot here.
- A Shout out to Clarity in Vienna for delivering their Focaccia Pizza to some medical workers and emergency personnel last week on their own.
Also don’t forget about the BRAWS Organization in Vienna. Not only do they support women directly, they support other organizations like Women Giving Back. Donate money, new undergarments or menstrual supplies here.
There are also multiple signs up for helping people directly impacted:
- Bear Branch Tavern GoFundMe for their employees
- Adopt a Family — provide 3 meals for a family impacted by the pandemic (can also be gift cards)
Last but not least — I know for my family, talking about where we’re going to get take out or delivery can infuse some small bit of normalcy into our day, all while supporting our local businesses to help them weather this storm. The Vienna Foodies group has put together a spreadsheet to help identify places that are open, their operating schedules, and how you can get the food.
Some things we’ve done are take my kids for a walk to get ice cream at Rita’s or Kiln & Co, grab sandwiches at Sandwich Shop, or go try a new restaurant we normally wouldn’t get a chance to. A positive note is that there’s no traffic — so it’s a quick drive to anywhere to get take out from a new place.
Last night we actually got Peter Chang’s in Arlington, we got Liberty BBQ one night in Falls Church… you can see where my savings in gas money has gone these past 2 weeks. If you’re worried about how they’re handling the food — call and ask. For example, Kiln and Co has free toppings, but nobody should be sharing a spoon… so the smart people there are packaging the toppings to go so there’s no contact.
Vienna police are investigating reports of a vehicle getting vandalized with paint and a suspicious chalk message outside someone’s home.
Last Friday, a man reported that someone used paint vandalized his vehicle while it was parked in the 400 bock of Church Street NE, police said.
In a separate incident, a woman who had recently received solicitations for people claiming to be from T-Mobile reported that someone wrote “T-Mobile” on her driveway in chalk, police said.
The chalk message happened during the day on Monday (March 23) in the 500 block of Nanterry Circle SW, police said.
“Someone did the same thing on the curb earlier in the week,” police said.
On March 17, police issued a summons to the men and charged them with Soliciting Without a Town Permit after receiving several reports about two men allegedly claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or T-Mobile.
The men were released on their signatures.
Photo via Facebook
