Bombay Curry Company, the popular Indian restaurant located in the retail strip at the Calvert Apartments, will close its doors on Dec. 20.

The retail strip will be demolished next year as the Calvert undergoes a massive renovation.

Owner Balraj Bhasin, who opened the restaurant on Father’s Day in 1995, announced Monday at the Del Ray Business Association luncheon that he is currently looking at other properties in Del Ray.

Bhasin mentioned he has eyes on the empty storefront at 2607 Mt. Vernon Avenue, which most recently housed Del Ray Shoe and Luggage Repair. That business closed in less than a year.

Bhasin said he will work with the city to try to make that Mt. Vernon Avenue property compliant for use as a full-service restaurant.

The 16-story Calvert building is preparing for a massive renovation in 2012, including major design updates to the building's facade and rooftop, replacement of the existing parking lot and retail strip with street level shops and a five-story apartment building, as well as construction of an underground parking garage. A large crane was stationed in the front parking lot of the building on Monday.

Business owners in the retail strip, as well as apartment residents, received notice of the renovation more than a year ago. Many businesses have already cleared out, including Mia’s Market, Calvert Cleaners, Pizzaiolo Cafe and Bar and Del Merei Grille.

The Alexandria City Council signed off on the Calvert redevelopment in September 2010. Del Ray Patch ran a three-part series about the redevelopment prior to council’s decision.

"I hope this serves as a catalyst for more of this redevelopment in Arlandria," Vice Mayor Kerry Donley said last year after council approved the redevelopment. "We're not a suburb anymore. We're more of the urban corridor, urban fabric of the Washington region. And this is an exciting project."

Also at Monday's DRBA luncheon at the Salvation Army, John Dominguez, general manager at Sapore D' Italia Restaurant, announced his family will be opening a hair salon two doors down from the restaurant at 1304 Mt. Vernon Avenue. Dominguez's mother will operate the salon, which will be called Jegal II.

The property was previously home to Hands in Motion salon.