local business | ALXnow

Silent reading party with Halloween twist set for Oct. 18 in Old Town

Published October 13, 2025 at 3:30PM

Reading in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Settle back with a good book and relax next Saturday, because Hotel AKA Alexandria (625 First Street) is hosting a silent reading party with a Halloween twist on Saturday, Oct 18.

Tickets for the event cost $39, and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., book lovers can relax to live piano music in the hotel’s a.lounge+bar. The ticket also includes a festive cocktail, mocktail, and light bites, according to the event announcement. Old Town Books will also be on hand to provide a selection of seasonal books. More on the reading party is below.

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Jones text scandal, ice cream assault case lead Alexandria’s top stories

By James Cullum

Published October 10, 2025 at 3:30PM

Democrat Jay Jones speaks in Richmond during his 2024 campaign kickoff for attorney general. Jones is now facing bipartisan backlash over newly surfaced text messages containing violent remarks about a former Republican House speaker. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury)

Welcome to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories of the week.

With less than a month until the Nov. 4 general election, this week’s most-read story is on the controversy surrounding Virginia’s Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones. The National Review broke the news last Friday (Oct. 3) that in August 2022, Jones sent text messages to Del. Carrie Coyner (R-75), “fantasizing about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children,” according to the Virginia Mercury story posted on ALXnow.

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Del Ray Psych and Wellness therapist to appear on TLC’s ‘Baylen Out Loud’

By James Cullum

Published October 10, 2025 at 3:00PM

There's a watch party Oct. 14, 2025, to see Amy Begnal, the clinical director at Del Ray Psych and Wellness, appear in the new TLC series Baylen Out Loud (via Facebook)

There’s a watch party in Alexandria on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to see Amy Begnal, the clinical director at Del Ray Psych and Wellness, appear in the new season of the TLC series Baylen Out Loud.

Begnal will appear in three episodes this season, providing pre-marital counseling to Baylen Dupree and her fiancé, Colin Dooley. The watch party will be held from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Piece Out Del Ray (2419 Mount Vernon Avenue). The show airs at 9 p.m. Dupree, who lives in West Virginia, suffers from a severe case of Tourette’s Syndrome, and the show explores her desire for independence and the steps she takes “toward being in the world on her own,” according to TLC.

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Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar will soft open in Del Ray on Oct. 17

By James Cullum

Published October 10, 2025 at 2:00PM

Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar soft-opened at 1909 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2025 (via Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar)

After months of interior renovations, Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar is soft-opening at 1909 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Owner Jay Chainam tells ALXnow that it’s been a lot of work to get the restaurant up and running, and that he and his staff are excited. Earlier this month, Chainam and restaurant co-owner Supattra Pummora held a pop-up to finalize the menu for Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar at their sister restaurant, Gin Ramen & Asian Tapas (500 John Carlyle Street).

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20 Old Town Boutiques ‘falling into fashion’ with deals and giveaways on Saturday

By James Cullum

Published October 10, 2025 at 12:00PM

Alexandria Days returns on Oct. 11, 2025 (courtesy image)

Twenty Old Town boutiques are falling into fashion with deals, giveaways, and more on Saturday (Oct. 11).

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the boutiques are featuring exclusive fall collections, interactive in-store activations, and seasonal bites and sips. Customers can also buy a seasonal tote from participating businesses, and enter to win a $1,000 gift card and Aiyana Atelier products, and a second prize of a $500 gift card at any participating boutique.

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Bespoke shoemaker draws months-long waitlist in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published October 9, 2025 at 5:30PM | Updated October 9, 2025 at 6:06PM

Shoemaker Drew Altizer of Old House Provisions at 315 Cameron Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

It costs between $6,000 and $9,000 to get a pair of bespoke shoes made at Old House Provisions in Old Town, and there’s a waitlist.

Shoemaker Drew Altizer opened his shop at 315 Cameron Street last December, selling custom-made men’s suits and high-end footwear from Alden, Edward Green & Co. and Viberg. If you want a pair of bespoke shoes, it might take some time, like eight-to-10 months, he says.

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Taste For Giving fundraiser returns to Old Town Nov. 7

By James Cullum

Published October 9, 2025 at 3:00PM

The 18th annual Taste For Giving in Old Town is on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 (courtesy image)

More than a dozen Alexandria and area restaurants are participating in the 18th annual Taste For Giving in Old Town next month.

Tickets for the Nov. 7 event cost $75, and proceeds benefit several Alexandria nonprofits and charities. The Alexandria Rotary Foundation is hosting the event at the Atrium Building (277 S. Washington Street) in Old Town. Over the past 17 years, the Rotary Foundation has raised more than $1.7 million for organizations throughout the city.

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Grocery store opens inside Del Ray Farmhouse Market and Garden

By James Cullum

Published October 8, 2025 at 2:15PM

The Del Ray Farmhouse Market and Garden at 1913 Mount Vernon Avenue (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Del Ray Farmhouse Market and Garden, located at 1913 Mount Vernon Avenue, has just opened a small grocery store inside its premises.

Owner Jay Portlance soft-opened the grocery store today (Oct. 8), selling vegetables, fresh bread, and eggs. He said that the store will support local vendors and farms. Portlance noted that the store is a “micro-version” of a standard grocery store and plans to expand its offerings over the next several weeks.

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Alexandrians launch Victorian mystery game series

By James Cullum

Published October 7, 2025 at 5:30PM | Updated October 8, 2025 at 10:45AM

(Left to right) Kiernan McGowan, Raven Bonniwell, Kerry McGee and Jon Reynolds of the Alexandria-based Literary Adventure Society (courtesy photo)

Ready to solve a mystery at home?

Four years ago, a group of Alexandrians combined their talents to launch the Literary Adventure Society, a play-at-home mystery game series based on classic detective stories set in Victorian London, featuring sleuths Sherlock Holmes and Loveday Brooke. Would-be detectives (up to six at a time) can order the $55 interactive mystery boxes that include audio plays, clues, as well as custom tea blends and scented candles to get everyone in the right frame of mind to unravel mind-bending crimes like A Scandal in Bohemia, The Dancing Men, and The Mystery of the Black Bag.

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Inaugural Alexandria Book & Craft Festival bringing 14 artists, 25 authors to Old Town

By James Cullum

Published October 7, 2025 at 10:00AM

The first-ever Alexandria Book and Craft Festival will be held in the Tavern Square courtyard behind 415 King Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2025 (courtesy image)

Local authors and artists will converge in Old Town later this month for the inaugural Alexandria Book and Craft Festival.

The free event from Elaine’s Literary Salon and Made in Alexandria will be held Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Tavern Square courtyard behind 415 King Street in Old Town’s Historic District. More than 15 artists and 25 authors will be on hand to display and sell their work.

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‘KRISSFIT’ gym opens on Colvin Street in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published October 6, 2025 at 1:45PM

(Left to right) Viktoria and Kriss Baychev, Chamber ALX CEO Joe Haggerty, and two children at the ribbon cutting at KRISSFIT at 3014 Colvin Street in Alexandria (courtesy image)

There’s a new gym just off Duke Street in Alexandria.

Over the weekend, the ribbon was cut at KRISSFIT at 3014 Colvin Street, near the intersection of Roth and Duke Streets. The gym is owned by personal trainers Kriss and Viktoria Baychev, who specialize in core training, nutrition, strength training, endurance training, and bodybuilding.