Dozens of boutiques in Old Town will offer serious markdowns next month as part of the 22nd annual Alexandria Warehouse Sale.

Some 45 participating shops will offer discounts ranging from 60% to 80% off from Saturday, Feb. 7  to Sunday, Feb. 8. Unlike previous years, the sale won’t be held in the Westin Alexandria, but in storefronts, pop-up tents and open retail spaces along King Street and select side streets, according to an event listing by the Old Town Boutique Community.


Residents who want to see their literary creations displayed in Alexandria’s buses and trolleys have until Friday to enter DASH’s 12th annual poetry contest.

“DASHing Words in Motion” is accepting poetry submissions until 5 p.m. Friday from writers age 16 and older who live, work or study in the city. Contest winners’ poems will be displayed for thousands of city transit riders to see during National Poetry Month in April.


The hand-painted designs of Del Ray-based Ella Bella will soon be in the hands of people from around Virginia attending Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s inauguration market.

Ella Bella Flourish Fearlessly is one of two businesses from the D.C. area invited to participate in the Made in Virginia Market in Richmond on Friday, along with Occoquan’s Hello Jackson Home Fragrance Co. Spanberger will make remarks at the market to kick off a weekend of inauguration festivities.


Following significant flooding after a water leak this past weekend, a vinyl record store in Del Ray has closed for the foreseeable future and is considering a move.

Crooked Beat Records owner Bill Daly told ALXnow today (Monday) that a pipe on the roof of the building burst, flooding the basement record shop at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue with several inches of water and ruining merchandise.


Alexandria’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program returns this week, marking 53 years of city commemoration for the civil rights leader.

Guests can expect an evening of “delicious food, uplifting music, and speakers to honor the legacy of Dr. King,” according to the program website. A reception will be held from 5:30-6:20 p.m. on Thursday, and the program will run from 6:30-8 p.m. at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (101 Callahan Drive)


A popular pub in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood is expanding across the river to Old Town, bringing its self-described “five-star dive bar” approach.

The Commodore is planning a second location at 220 N. Lee Street, owners Rob Van de Graaff and Steve Kim announced yesterday (Thursday). The pub will replace Mystic BBQ & Grill, which closed in late November, after about a year and a half in business. Before Mystic, the space hosted Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster BBQ.


Meet Oakley, an “extra-large dog with a big heart” at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria who enjoys walks and slow, snuggly afternoons.

The 10-year-old senior fellow is “a sweetheart with a winning personality,” according to an AWLA volunteer. The pooch is fairly calm, enjoys meeting new humans and knows cues to sit and shake.


A new perfume boutique with an emphasis on niche fragrances is opening on Cameron Street in Old Town next week.

Arielle Shoshana will officially open its doors at 313 Cameron Street next Wednesday, Jan. 14, with a ribbon cutting scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Alyia Gaskins will be in attendance, the business announced this morning (Thursday).


Alexandria was home to the reality TV show “Queer Eye” last summer as the Fab Five filmed their tenth and final season in the D.C. area.

The Netflix show held its production headquarters in a warehouse at Van Dorn Station during a five-week shoot from late June to August 2025, Visit Alexandria spokesperson Allison O’Keefe told ALXnow. The location was coordinated through a partnership between the city of Alexandria, Visit Alexandria and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership.


A 10-year-old girl from Alexandria has set a kids’ world record for the longest time continuously jumping on a pogo stick.

Del Ray resident Lily Youngblood learned how to use a pogo stick on Oct. 6, 2025. Just three days later, she set the world record in her age range for the longest time jumping on one — a distinction recognized by Canada-based Kids World Records.


A D.C.-based wine boutique with a focus on sustainably sourced libations is expanding into Old Town this year.

DCanter Alexandria is preparing to open in suite 112 at 1101 King Street, on the ground floor of CityHouse Old Town apartments. The shop, which first opened on Capitol Hill in 2013, hopes to join Old Town “in the first quarter of 2026,” co-founder Michelle Lim Warner told ALXnow.


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