While many business owners are just happy to have the lights on, Elizabeth Todd has major expansion plans in the works.
At 900 square feet, The Hive at 301 Cameron Street is just too small a space to house all the inventory Todd has in mind. She’s currently in the works to sign a lease down the street at 315 Cameron Street, a 2,000-square foot townhouse and former home to the A Galerie antique shop.
“If we open any day in October, even if it’s the 31st, we’ll be happy,” Todd told ALXnow. “I would say a mid to late October is hopeful.”
The new location will have more dressing rooms and a private showroom for clients who want to make an appointment for themselves or their friends.
“Folks can have a private shopping experience in our showroom,” Todd said.
Todd will keep The Shoe Hive as-is at 127 S. Fairfax Street. She started her business with the shoe concept in 2003, and opened The Hive at 301 Cameron Street in 2016.
Todd is also going to convert the 301 Cameron Street space into a casual men’s clothing shop by next spring called “The Hive For Men”.
“We’re going to carry casual men’s attire,” Todd said. “I’m still looking for the designers and clothing lines for that, but we’re going to carry johnnie-o and rag & bone.”
In the meantime, Todd is going to be going to New York this month to find more clothes to sell back in Alexandria. What kind of clothes? Casual, she says. That’s what her base of local customers have gotten used to over the last year, and buying new clothes can be refreshing, she said.
“Getting dressed can give you a sense of purpose,” she said. “After a few days of sitting around in your sweatpants or pajamas, it feels better to get dressed up. You’re more productive, and people now need more casual clothing in their life. So, We’ve filled that niche where a lot of professional women who shopped with us before that were used to wearing suits downtown every day just don’t need to do that anymore.”
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If you had a chance to enhance a child’s future with a time commitment of less than 2 hours a week, how would you respond? You have that opportunity right now to join over 200 Alexandrians as a reading tutor volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC).
ATC tutors work with one child in kindergarten, first, or second grade in Alexandria public schools who need extra help with reading. Tutors meet with their Book Buddy 1-2 times each week for 30 minutes October-May at school, during school hours. Many struggling readers only receive one-on-one instruction through this program, and it makes all the difference. Last year, ATC served 195 children, of whom 82% ended the year reading on grade level and 96% made substantial reading gains. But the need is great, and we are still seeing learning lags from the pandemic.
This year, ATC plans to significantly increase the size of the program to reach over 250 students and to serve every elementary school in Alexandria. This is very exciting news, but we will only succeed if we can recruit more tutors. ATC trains you, matches you with a child, and provides ongoing lesson materials and support.

If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!
In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!
We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.