After nearly a year in development, a new café and wine bar in Old Town is soft opening this week.
Owner Ksenia Varakina is opening Cherry On Top at 1021 Queen Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday (June 24), and told ALXnow the grand opening will be on July 10. The shop is expected to offer selections of wine, espresso beverages, charcuterie and pastries.
After 20 years in journalism, Beth Lawton says she’s traded the stress of deadlines for the stress of owning a business in Old Town.
In addition to being a mom with two kids, Lawton has spent the last five years selling handmade items from dozens of local artists at her shop, Made In ALX. At the end of 2024, she had to hang up her journalism hat as the publisher of Alexandria Living Magazine and at least temporarily left behind a long career in journalism.
In 2023, Jess Moak left behind a career as a program manager for large nonprofits to start her own interior design shop in Old Town.
The New York native opened her store Eries Interiors opened Eries Interiors at a 300-square-foot space at 101 S. St. Asaph Street in October 2024. The following month, a fire next door at 103 S. St. Asaph Street temporarily shuttered three women-owned businesses. The landlord spent nearly a year renovating the 1,800-square-foot space and approached Moak with a proposal to help design the interior and move in. Last October, Moak signed a lease and opened in time for Black Friday at 103 S. St. Asaph Street.
Crooked Beat Records will officially close its Del Ray location Sunday, May 3, following the adverse effects of flooding earlier this year.
Owner Bill Daly said in a social media post he has tried to stay in Alexandria and has placed bids on several rental properties in and around the city, though there is a chance the business could move outside Alexandria.
The Twig organization has committed to giving $2 million toward the new medical campus at Inova Alexandria Hospital at Landmark.
Inova representatives say the hospital is on track to open by the end of 2028 and will name its conference center in honor of The Twig for the contribution. Since 1933, the nonprofit has served as the Junior Auxiliary of Alexandria Hospital and has provided more than $7 million to the hospital through its thrift shop at 106 N. Columbus Street and other fundraising efforts.
Crooked Beat Records is reopening at its location on Mount Vernon Avenue with limited hours through the end of April, the store announced yesterday (Monday) on social media.
The store at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue closed after flooding on Jan. 11, and has since been selling merchandise at pop-ups. The store plans to reopen Thursday, Feb. 26, and will remain open on Thursdays from 3-6:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 1:30-6:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5:30 p.m.
Del Ray Hardware was declared the winner of the annual Heart of Del Ray Award on Friday morning.
Hundreds of people voted in the Del Ray Business Association’s annual popularity contest for businesses. Store owner Jay Portlance received an oversized heart to display for a year, symbolizing the store’s place in the community.
Frigid temperatures over the past few days have prompted the Alexandria Warehouse Sale to extend through Presidents Day weekend.
The annual sale featuring dozens of independent Old Town shops and boutiques has extended until Monday, Feb. 16, after the sale’s initial weekend was hit with extreme cold and a High Wind Warning. Discounts at participating retailers range from 60-80% off on goods like clothing and shoes, home decor, toys, books and more.
Amazon Fresh announced today (Tuesday) that it will close all its stores nationwide, including the location at Potomac Yard that opened just a year and a half ago.
The last day for most Amazon Fresh stores across the country is Feb. 1, according to the Associated Press. Amazon plans to shutter all Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores, converting some locations into Whole Foods Markets, according to a press release.
After experiencing catastrophic flooding earlier this month, Crooked Beat Records will close its doors for good this Saturday.
The local vinyl haven plans to open for its last days at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Owner Bill Daly said the building’s management wants to do additional repair work, which would require him and his staff to remove all of Crooked Beat’s inventory and then move it back in.
Dozens of boutiques in Old Town will offer serious markdowns next month as part of the 22nd annual Alexandria Warehouse Sale.
Some 45 participating shops will offer discounts ranging from 60% to 80% off from Saturday, Feb. 7 to Sunday, Feb. 8. Unlike previous years, the sale won’t be held in the Westin Alexandria, but in storefronts, pop-up tents and open retail spaces along King Street and select side streets, according to an event listing by the Old Town Boutique Community.
