Welcome to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories of the week.
The most-read post is about Benny DiForza’s Pizza, which closed in Del Ray after being served with a legal notice barring access to its shop at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue. The notice of no trespass, dated Oct. 26, was filed by a petitioner.
The Pampered Pet Boutique & Barkery (1612 Belle View Boulevard) and its sister store Pampered Pet Bark Bath (1614 Belle View Boulevard) have permanently closed in the Belle View Shopping Center in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.
The boutique opened in 2021, and the dog bath opened last year.
An ABC store in Alexandria’s West End closed to retail customers last month and converted its operations to serve alcohol licensees only.
The store at 4349 Duke Street closed July 15 after nine years of operation, according to Virginia ABC. The agency moved the location’s contents to 901-929 S. Pickett Street, about 2 miles away, where it now serves licensees rather than walk-in customers.
Attention Swifties: There are only a few weeks left before Eras, the Taylor Swift-themed pop-up bar, closes in Del Ray.
That’s right — no more lines around the block, friendship bracelet-making, or Taylor Swift trivia nights at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue. After more than six months in operation, Eras will close the first weekend in August, owner Bill Blackburn tells ALXnow.
Imagine Artwear is closing at 1124 King Street on Monday (June 30), and soon after, their “KiSMET Mural: Love is All You Need” painting on the outside of the building will be removed.
Owner Carol Supplee says that there are still many good pieces available at bargain prices. She also noted that there are custom-made store fixtures and a lot of “free stuff” for the taking.
After 15 years in business, the Glass Stache smoke shop permanently closed at 222 N. Lee Street in Old Town this week.
On Sunday, June 8, the shop announced on Instagram that its last day was on Monday. Customers wanting glass pipes, tubes, rigs, vaporizers, rolling papers, cigar wraps, incense, and other accessories have since been directed to Glassstache.com.
After nearly 20 years in Old Town, Izalia Hair Removal & Rejuvenation Laser Spa permanently closed this week. The company’s website is down, and so are their Facebook and Instagram pages.
In a farewell email to customers, founder Annette Antonelli stated that the situation is “heartbreaking” and that the business had been operating at a loss for “quite a while.” She also said the closure is partly due to customers who did not meet their agreed-upon dates for multiple laser hair removal sessions and consequently expected free treatments.
What a week we just had in Alexandria!
Here’s our recap of everything worth talking and reading about over the past week in the Port City. This week, Alexandria was named a Sanctuary Jurisdiction by the Trump administration, a distinction Mayor Alyia Gaskins said “wrongly targets and mischaracterizes Alexandria and dismisses core principles that make up the foundation of our democracy.”
After seven years in Alexandria, Glory Days Grill permanently closed its doors on Duke Street on Monday, May 26.
The sports-themed family restaurant chain, which has 39 corporate and franchised restaurants in six states, shared the following note on social media:
After being in business for less than two years, Dollar Tree in Arlandria has temporarily closed.
The store opened at 3811 Mount Vernon Avenue in 2023. The former home of CVS was vacant for a decade before Dollar Tree moved in.
If you’re looking for a silver lining, there’s a bunch of positives about Imagine Artwear (1124 King Street) closing in Old Town.
Owner Carol Supplee is scaling back to focus on her health and just got approval from her landlord to keep her women’s clothing, art and jewelry shop open another month (until June 30). Until then, customers can get 50% off all merchandise. Supplee also said that she’s reached an agreement with her vendors as the store is moving online.
