Want to get rid of extra furniture?
Rick Schneider of Magpie Reclamations (2020 E. Custis Avenue) in Del Ray recently launched a new home clear-out and junk removal service. The Department of Junking offers customers a complimentary consultation on transitioning their old furniture into the secondhand market, thereby diverting it from landfills.
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.
Ben N Jerry’s, Urbano 116, Patagonia, and Jeni’s Ice Cream are just a few of the 21 mixed-use properties in Old Town that have been put on the market.
North Carolina-based Asana Partners bought the properties along the King Street Mile (between the waterfront and the King Street Metro station) worth more than $100 million between 2016 and 2018. Asana reportedly invested $20 million into their redevelopment, and now the portfolio is being marketed by D.C. firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL).
Here’s a quick recap of our top stories this week. Over the last weekend, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security removed its list of sanctuary jurisdictions, which included Alexandria, from its website. The list contained numerous errors, including localities being mentioned multiple times, as well as towns being incorrectly designated as cities. It drew stern condemnation from Alexandria’s elected leaders.
“DHS did not provide any information regarding the criteria used to compile the list, any sources or research used for the designation, or a response to local governments seeking clarification,” Mayor Gaskins told ALXnow. “As a result, they published a list that was wrong and mischaracterized cities like ours. We follow the law and uphold the constitutional and civil rights of our residents.”
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.
The date has been set for the ribbon cutting for a new vintage gift shop in Del Ray.
Stardust Vintage & Gift (1904 Mount Vernon Avenue) will formally be unveiled to the world at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 14. The event will include a continental breakfast, cake, and a toast to the business’s good fortune.
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.”
Everything is coming full circle, because National Donut Day is returning next month, and there are a number of deals to be had at donut shops in Alexandria.
The day, which occurs on the first Friday of June (June 6), celebrates the history of the dessert, dating back to World War I.
The owner of a popular local home improvement business is getting into the restaurant game.
Which business community is better, Old Town or Del Ray? In terms of softball, the arguments will be settled on Monday, June 2, with the seventh annual Del Ray vs. Old Town Softball Game.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins will throw the first pitch at Eugene Simpson Park (426 E. Monroe Avenue) at 6 p.m. The five-inning game will include food trucks and ice cream, and the event is a fundraiser for the Alexandria Little League Scholarship Fund. Del Ray is in the overall series lead with a 4-2 record.
Chuck Todd, NBC News chief political analyst, will be the judge at the 16th annual Taste of Del Ray on June 1.
The former Meet the Press host has a long history with Alexandria, and he’ll decide on the top dishes between 14 restaurants at the ticketed event, which will run from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center fields (2701 Commonwealth Avenue).
