Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Braddock ‘Elizabeth’s Counter’ Last of Regional Chain After Bankruptcy Filing

Published September 1, 2020 at 4:45PM

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing has left Elizabeth’s Counter in Alexandria as the last vestige of the once powerful ring of regional Sugar Shack locations, according to the Washington Business Journal.

Months after Sugar Shack owner Rob Krupicka unveiled ambitious plans to convert the Northern Virginia and D.C. locations from donut shop Sugar Shack into a new restaurant called Elizabeth’s Counter, Krupicka told WBJ that the pandemic drove down sales and forced him to close locations in Arlington and Washington D.C.

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AWLA Wins $10,000 Grant for Local Pet Assistance Programs

By Vernon Miles

Published September 1, 2020 at 2:30PM | Updated September 1, 2020 at 2:59PM

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) has won a $10,000 grant to help provide assistance to pet owners who might not otherwise be able to afford veterinary care for their animals.

The Mars Petcare Better Cities for Pets program is funded by Mars Petcare and administered by the Humane Society of the United States. The AWLA said funds from the grant will allow the organization to assist pet owners in the community to address urgent or chronic veterinary concerns.

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Zero Waste Old Town Grocery Store Plans to Add Beer Growler Refills

By Vernon Miles

Published September 1, 2020 at 11:30AM

After a tumultuous start right as the pandemic hit, business at Old Town zero waste grocery store Mason and Greens (913 King Street) is doing better as quarantine has forced locals to reassess trash output.

“When we started off, we were just doing online orders,” said Justin Marino, who opened Mason and Greens with his wife Anna Marino in March. “We pushed up the deployment of our website a little further so we could do online orders and pickups.”

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Community Commemorates 100th Anniversary of the Parker-Gray School

By Vernon Miles

Published August 31, 2020 at 4:45PM

Parker-Gray School (photo via City of Alexandria)

Even as the city sorts out how to handle issues of diversity and institutionalized racism in the school system, Alexandria is commemorating the 100th anniversary of a local school for Black students built in part by local supporters and parents.

In September 1920, the Parker-Gray School opened on Wythe Street where the Charles Houston Recreation Center is today. The school started as an elementary program, but added a high school in 1932. The school operated as the city’s lone Black high school.

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Visit Alexandria Extends ‘Restaurant Week’ to Restaurant Fortnight

By Vernon Miles

Published August 31, 2020 at 2:45PM

After some initial success, Visit Alexandria has announced the ongoing Restaurant Week deals will be extended for an additional week.

Currently, over 60 restaurants across the city are offering takeout, delivery, or curbside pickup meals-for-two at $49. A full list of participating restaurants is available online.

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Superintendent: Black Student Voices Must be Heard in T.C. Williams High School Renaming Discussion

By Vernon Miles

Published August 28, 2020 at 3:45PM

Alexandria City Public Schools said the renaming of T.C. Williams High School is a conversation that must prioritize the school’s Black voices.

At a school board work session last night (Thursday), the board expressed universal approval of the planned vote on a name change for T.C. Williams High School later this year, but also pushed back against the vocal advocates for the change who accuse the school system of dragging its feet.

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Alexandria’s Art Festival Social Distances from King Street with Move to Carlyle

By Vernon Miles

Published August 28, 2020 at 2:30PM

In years past, the Alexandria Old Town Art Festival has packed King Street full of art vendors. This year, that changes with a new venue to allow for some extra pandemic precautions.

The Old Town festival will be moving a little west to 300 John Carlyle Street in the Carlyle neighborhood on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13.

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A Look at the Slow Road to Economic Recovery in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published August 28, 2020 at 11:30AM | Updated October 18, 2021 at 10:23AM

Consumer spending in Alexandria (image via Oppurtunity Insights)

For Alexandria businesses, things are better than they were, but data from Opportunity Insights shows recovery is a gradual process.

Alexandria’s consumer spending, which was down 25% from January numbers in July, has climbed to 14.8% below January spending levels. The data includes all credit and debit card transactions from an area, so that includes online orders.

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Meet the Animal Welfare League’s Biggest Adoptable Pet: Bruce

By Vernon Miles

Published August 27, 2020 at 3:30PM

The two-year-old mastiff is a large dog currently looking for a new home in the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA).

“At over 100 pounds, Bruce is the largest animal currently at the AWLA,” said Gina Hardter, spokesperson for the AWLA. “But he’s so sweet, we think at least 25 pounds of that must be his big heart. Check out how he dwarfs the kiddie pool!”

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What Does Southern Towers’ Acquisition by CIM Group Mean for Alexandria Affordable Housing?

By Vernon Miles

Published August 27, 2020 at 1:45PM | Updated August 27, 2020 at 2:19PM

Southern Towers residents wait for the bus. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Real estate investment company CIM Group recently purchased large apartment community Southern Towers, Costar first reported, but what’s unclear now is what that means for affordable housing in the city’s West End.

Southern Towers is a 2,261-unit apartment complex that is one of the city’s last large bastions of market-rate affordable and committed affordable units — units that are required to remain at a certain affordability. Helen McIlvaine, director of the city’s Office of Housing, said Southern Towers has 105 committed affordable units that were mostly established in the mid-2010s.

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Four Alexandria History Sites Featured In Encyclopedia Virginia’s Virtual Tours List

By Vernon Miles

Published August 26, 2020 at 4:50PM

Carlyle House in Alexandria (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The ambitious Encyclopedia Virginia, a project that aims to catalog and document the state’s history in a way that’s accessible to the general public, has featured four local sites on its catalog of historic spots with virtual tours.

Each of the locations have interior views with 360 degree views and the ability to move around as one would on Google Maps.