new business | ALXnow

Life Alive Organic Cafe seeks permit for Old Town location

Published September 11, 2025 at 3:15PM

Life Alive Organic Cafe has filed paperwork to open at 400 King Street in Old Town (via Facebook)

A popular Massachusetts-based fast-casual organic restaurant has filed paperwork to open at 400 King Street in Old Town.

Life Alive Organic Cafe has filed a special use permit application to open in the space formerly occupied by Long and Foster Realtors. The building is currently home to The Alexandrian Old Town Hotel at 480 King Street and Southern restaurant King & Rye, near City Hall at 301 King Street. Life Alive is planning on a 3,000-square-foot, 97-seat restaurant to be open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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French cafe chain Maman begins construction in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published September 9, 2025 at 8:30AM

Construction has begun at Maman Coffee Baking Kitchen at 701 King Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Interior demolition work started last week at a new French cafe in Old Town.

Aug. 28 was the last day for public comments on Maman Coffee Baking Kitchen’s special use permit application (SUP) to operate a cafe, bakery, restaurant, and accessory event space at 701 King Street. The building is located at the corner of King and N. Washington Streets, and is the former home to Foxtrot, which closed in 2024.

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Pak Soii Izakaya files paperwork to open on Mount Vernon Avenue

By James Cullum

Published August 14, 2025 at 11:45AM

Japanese restaurant Pak Soii Izakaya & Bar is coming to 1909 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (staff photo by James Cullum)

Four months after signing a lease with the landlord, a new Japanese restaurant has filed paperwork to open on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray.

The owners of Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar signed a lease at 1909 Mount Vernon Avenue in April, the former home of Zuki Moon. Today (Aug. 14), an application for a change of ownership to the business was submitted to the city. No major interior renovations are planned, and the only additions to the space will be a new water heater, interior painting, and decorations.

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French bakery and cafe files paperwork to open at 701 King Street in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published August 7, 2025 at 10:30AM

A lease has been signed at 701 King Street, the former home to Le Pan Quotidien. (Courtesy Google Maps)

A new French cafe wants to open in a prominent location in Old Town.

New York City-based Maman Coffee Baking Kitchen has filed a special use permit application to operate a cafe, bakery, restaurant, and accessory event space at 701 King Street. That’s the former home to Foxtrot, which closed in 2024, located at the corner of King and N. Washington Streets.

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ABC store closes to public on Duke Street, converts to licensee operations

By James Cullum and Ryan Belmore

Published August 6, 2025 at 3:00PM | Updated August 7, 2025 at 10:40AM

The Virginia ABC store at 4349 Duke Street has closed (via Google Maps)

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.

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2D Noodles soft-opens on Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria

By James Cullum

Published August 5, 2025 at 2:30PM

2D Noodles at 3823 Mount Vernon Avenue (staff photo by James Cullum)

A new Vietnamese-Japanese fusion restaurant soft-opened today in Arlandria.

2D Noodles (3823 Mount Vernon Avenue) is testing out its kitchen and menu today (Tuesday, Aug. 5) and plans to fully open once several more staffers are hired, the restaurant’s general manager told ALXnow. The restaurant is located in the Del Ray North shopping center, just two stores down from their sister restaurant, Sake Express Japanese Hibachi.

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Valvoline Instant Oil Change cuts ribbon at new location in Del Ray

By James Cullum

Published July 22, 2025 at 2:00PM

(Left to right) Joe Haggerty, CEO of The Chamber ALX, service center manager Byron Rodriguez, regional administrator Maria Papavasilis, area manager Ebony Johnson, general manager Andy Gillard, and Tony Curry-Fisher, Director of Membership for The Chamber ALX, at the ribbon cutting for Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 3405 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (courtesy image)

Valvoline Instant Oil Change opened its newest location on Tuesday (July 22) at a longstanding Del Ray auto repair shop.

Staff from Valvoline Instant Oil Change and leadership from the Chamber ALX cut the ribbon at the business at 3405 Mount Vernon Avenue. That’s the former longtime home to Lube-It Pennzoil.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published July 18, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated July 18, 2025 at 3:57PM

Allen Brooks (on left) and Doug Bauer, co-founders of Continues Arcade at 1050 N. Fayette Street (staff photo by James Cullum)

Welcome to Friday, Alexandria! Nearly all of our top stories this week are about local businesses.

Just in time to catch the end of the summer, our top story is on the beta launch of Continues Arcade, a new bar and restaurant featuring more than 60 restored classic arcade games. In anticipation of next week’s soft opening, ALXnow got a sneak peek inside the space at 1050 N. Fayette Street.

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New coffee shop and wine bar pitched for Queen Street in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published July 17, 2025 at 5:00PM | Updated July 18, 2025 at 12:58PM

Ksenia Varakina wants to open Cherry On Top at 1021 Queen Street in Old Town (via Instagram)

A new coffee shop and wine bar has been proposed in Old Town.

Ksenia Varakina recently moved to Alexandria from New York City and wants to open Cherry On Top at 1021 Queen Street before the end of the year. She says that the proposed shop is off the beaten path and wants it to be a refuge for locals to unwind.

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Continues Arcade soft opens next week in Alexandria with 60+ classic games

By James Cullum

Published July 17, 2025 at 1:00PM

Continues Arcade at 1050 N. Fayette Street (staff photo by James Cullum)

Get your index fingers ready, because Continues Arcade is opening next week near the Braddock Road metro station.

The inside of Continues Arcade is still being finished, but features more than 60 classic arcade games, as well as large leather couches and sectioned off tables to hook up TVs to classic gaming systems like the Nintendo NES or Sega Genesis.

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Wink Lash Art moves to new location on King Street in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published July 15, 2025 at 1:30PM

Wink Lash Art is now open at 201 King Street in Old Town (via Instagram)

There’s a new business in Old Town that’s not only raising eyebrows, but extending lashes.

Wink Lash Art moved to its new location on the second floor of 201 King Street (above Comfort One Shoes) at the end of June. Owner Bianca Claudia Briscan says that the 850-square-foot space more than doubles the area she and her staff worked with the last six years at their previous location at 300 S. Washington Street.