As the war in Ukraine drags on, Visit Alexandria has put together a roundup of how locals can help contribute to the Ukrainian people.
In neighboring Arlington, the county has already donated ballistic vests and firefighting gear. In Alexandria, local businesses are hosting events to raise funds for non-profits assisting Ukraine.
As the pandemic winds down, Kristen Moore says she’s selling more cocktail dresses, blazers and jewelry from her Old Town consignment boutique.
Moore, who owns Twist Boutique (109 N. Fairfax Street), says that customers went for more casual styles when forced to work from home, and now are looking to dress up for work and events.
Two Alexandria restaurant groups have been nominated as the top performers in their industry as part of the 40th annual Rammy Awards.
The Bun Papa pop-up, which is located in the Beeliner Diner at the Bradlee Shopping Center, is nominated for outstanding pop-up concept. This is their second nomination in a row since being nominated as the region’s best pop-up spot.
A Bad Ass Coffee Of Hawaii franchise will be opening in later summer in Carlyle, but an exact date has not yet been set.
The company website lists the location at 2466 Mandeville Lane as being in development.
Thinking about going into business in the Alexandria area?
It can sometimes be easier to buy an existing business, and the latest listings on BizBuySell show all kinds of companies in and around the city.
No official announcements have been made, but D.C.-based bagel shop Call Your Mother Deli is not opening in Old Town.
The interior of the storefront at 128 and 130 N. Pitt Street is empty, and despite signing a lease last summer, staff at another location confirmed that the Old Town location is not happening. The brick and mortar has been vacant for more than two years since Helen Olivia Floral Design moved to Del Ray.
Nicole Burlimann now has a completely different life. Exactly two years ago, she was the food and beverage manager at the Hilton Garden Inn — facing a busy spring full of events. Then COVID hit, her position was terminated and she collected unemployment for months while watching and waiting for restrictions to be lifted and normalcy to resume.
After four months, Burlimann started working part-time at Piece Out Del Ray (2419 Mount Vernon Avenue) when it opened in the summer of 2020. The restaurant is owned by the Ponzi family, and they later promoted Burlimann as general manager at their St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub and Market 2 Market locations in Del Ray.
Local businesses will have until the summer to enjoy the fruits of a temporary program that has allowed restaurants to provide curbside pickups, suspend regular operating hours and sell alcohol to-go.
City Council, on Saturday, will consider extending the temporary relief program to local businesses from April 1 to June 30, and expire along with the city’s state of emergency that same day.
After nearly two years of dining and shopping in parking spaces outside of local businesses, Alexandria wants to start charging rent.
City Council will review a staff proposal on Tuesday (March 8) to start charging annual rent to business owners for their use of parklets — converted parking spaces that have been used for outdoor dining, fitness classes and retail.
Bethesda-based Fresh Baguette is opening in Old Town on Tuesday (March 1). The first 20 customers in the door will also get free croissants for a year.
The bakery at 1101 King Street joins the companies locations in Maryland and Georgetown — all part of an expansion plan that will see a number of the bakeries popping up around the region.
Noelie Rickey and Markos Panas have been busier than bees lately, and on Thursday (Feb. 24) their Beeliner Diner officially opened in the Bradlee Shopping Center.
The new family restaurant at 3648 King Street is the former longtime home to Atlantis Pizzeria & Restaurant, which closed early last year. Rickey, Panas and partner Dagmawi Abedje also own the Bread & Water Company bakery in the Belle View Shopping Center. They opened a Bun Papa pop-up at the King Street location in November, and the space has been expanded to include the BeeStreet Virtual Food Hall, which is a collection of pop-up concepts ALX Pizza, Boom Chicky (fried chicken) and Bun Papa.
