Alexandria’s summer will kick off this weekend with the Portside in Old Town Summer Festival. Here’s what you need to know.
The free event, which includes the 45th annual Alexandria Jazz Fest, will be held at Waterfront Park (1A Prince Street) on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m.
Big changes are coming to Village Brauhaus at 710 King Street in Old Town.
The new owners will close the doors of the restaurant for three weeks starting Tuesday, June 20, and will hold a grand reopening on Thursday, July 13, in a newly renovated and renamed Alexandria Bier Garden, managing partner Fito Garcia tells ALXnow.
Chadwicks (203 Strand Street) is about to get really busy.
From now until mid-August, it’s the strong season for the unpretentious Old Town staple that has graced the Alexandria waterfront since 1979. From the menu to decor, not much changes in the restaurant/bar (except a recent price hike) as owner Trae Lamond keeps his proverbial ship afloat through a gradually evolving seashore.
More details have been released on the method the former general manager of Hank’s Oyster Bar in Old Town used to allegedly steal $600,000 from the company.
The 53-year-old former employee was indicted earlier this month on 17 counts of felony embezzlement after allegedly creating “at least four fictitious employees for Hank’s Oyster Bar and set up direct deposit accounts in their names to which she had access,” according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
After several months of delay, French bistro Gostov Boulangerie & Brasserie (2213 Mount Vernon Avenue) is set to open next Tuesday in Del Ray.
The notification that the bistro is opening was made by the Del Ray Business Association (Visit Del Ray) on Facebook and Instagram.
Sharp words are being batted around Alexandria, as the fifth annual Del Ray vs. Old Town Softball Battle is intended to settle a few scores.
Thursday’s contest pits a number of Old Town businesses against neighborhood rival Del Ray, and the series is tied at two apiece. Del Ray won the first year, followed by two consecutive Old Town wins, and then Del Ray took back the John Porter cup in a win last year. The cup, which was created by Old Town metal artist Chris Earny, now sits behind the bar of Pork Barrel BBQ, which is owned by Del Ray’s coach Bill Blackburn.
Crooked Beat Records will reopen in Del Ray in the first week in June, owner Bill Daly tells ALXnow.
The record shop closed at 802 N. Fairfax Street in Old Town on April 29, a week after Record Store Day. Daly signed a five-year lease for the 1,200-square-foot basement in 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue — in the same building that houses Cheesetique, the Del Ray School Of Music and Piece Out Del Ray.
Erinn Roth credits her mother with everything.
Roth spent 24 years in the U.S. Army before starting Ms. Jo’s Petite Sweets in Alexandria in 2016. She literally had a dream about making cupcakes before retiring from the Army as a lieutenant colonel and told her parents she wanted to make desserts for a living.
After being closed since January, Abyssinia Market and Coffee House will reopen on Saturday (May 13) in Old Town, owner Lily Damtew recently announced on Facebook.
“I’m very happy to announce that we’ll be reopening the coffee shop this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.” she wrote on Facebook. “All beer and wines are on sale everything must go. Thank you for all the love and support you showed us, we hope to see you on Saturday!”
This could be the start of something big.
In February, Alamgir Mia opened AJ Tobacco & Mini Mart at 1037 W. Glebe Road in the former Look Sharp Cleaners. It’s the first business for the Bangladeshi-born owner, who signed a 10-year lease and hopes to open more convenience stores in the future.
After seven years in retirement in Italy, Franco Abbruzzetti is back at Trattoria da Franco in Old Town.
Last fall, the 85-year-old bought back his restaurant at 305 S. Washington Street from Michael Strutton, who bought it in 2017 and renamed it Michael’s Little Italy. Abbruzzetti and his wife moved to Rome, adopted a young boy, Bruno, who is now five years old, and got bored being away from his business.
