Thursday, April 19, 2012
In a 14-person forum, council candidates outlined their views on some of the city's top issues.
Fourteen candidates for City Council sat elbow-to-elbow Wednesday night, offering highlights of their accomplishments and snapshots of their positions on Alexandria’s waterfront, school system and transportation issues. The event, held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, was hosted by the Taylor Run Civic Association and moderated by association board member Michael Cook. Candidate Michael Hepburn was unable to attend due to suffering an asthma attack earlier and incumbent Councilwoman Alicia Hughes declined to attend via a statement in which she said, among other things: “the Democratic Party slate should be settled before jumping into any candidate mix.” Mayoral candidates Bill Euille, the current Democratic mayor, and …
38.807059
-77.06264
George Washington Masonic National Memorial
101 Callahan Dr, Alexandria, VA
/articles/alexandria-city-council-candidates-address-schools-waterfront-and-transportation-issues
415993
/locations/6841878
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Oral arguments scheduled to be heard Wednesday morning.
The Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday for the City of Alexandria's appeal to a Circuit Court decision regarding the use of Wales Alley. The court granted the city in November its petition for appeal in the litigation with the Old Dominion Boat Club. An order last April from Circuit Court Judge John McGrath said the boat club, which is located at the foot of King Street, has an easement on the city alley connecting Union Street to The Strand. The judge ruled that no obstructions could be built in the alley, but the city appealed. The city is allowing restaurateurs Meshelle and Cathal Armstrong to offer outdoor dining in the alley for its restaurant that opened last year, Virtue Feed and Grain. The city's case will…
38.803869
-77.040349
Virtue Feed & Grain
106 S Union St, Alexandria, VA
/articles/wales-alley-case-to-go-before-supreme-court-this-week
2050880
/locations/6819717
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Del. Scott Surovell paid tribute to Addie in his 'The Dixie Pig' blog named after a favorite restaurant of his grandmother's.
Hayfield Farms resident and entrepreneur Adelaide 'Addie' Arthur died on Thursday, March 22, 2012. She was 73. Addie's family was the owner and operator of many businesses, opening the Dixie Pig BBQ restaurants, according to the Legacy obituary in The Washington Post. "People from all across the country have raved about the Dixie Pig, including weatherman Willard Scott," the Legacy obituary reads. "The restaurant was also featured on an episode of CSI." According to The Washington Post, the first Dixie Pig opened in 1924 on Powhatan Street in Alexandria. Now it's Vaso's Kitchen, but the old Dixie Pig signage still sits atop the restaurant. The second Dixie Pig location opened on Route 1 in 1946. Although the location at Beacon Hill Road …
38.77271
-77.08114
Rite Aid
6711 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA
/articles/adelaide-addie-arthur-dixie-pig-owner-dies-at-73
1254778
/locations/6672149
Friday, March 23, 2012
Teahouse on N. St. Asaph Street opened last week and is already bustling.
Teahouse Teaism opened its doors last week and business is bustling. The new 4,600-square-foot restaurant, located next door to Trader Joe’s, focuses on healthy, wholesome meals, co-owner Michelle Brown told Patch. She said she’s happy to be in Old Town because of its strong sense of community and its reputation as a “nice, safe place.” Brown and her partner, Linda Neumann, chose the spot at 682 N. St. Asaph St. instead of one on the more high-traffic King Street because “with an $11 check average, we can’t put a tea house in the highest rental location,” she said, adding that the available parking was a huge draw as well. The chef bakes everything in-house, Brown noted. “We cook here, we don’t bring in frozen foods and then cook them,” …
38.811549
-77.044401
682 N Saint Asaph St, Alexandria, VA
/articles/teaism-opens-new-location-in-old-town
/locations/6645902
Monday, February 27, 2012
Garden center to hold community events, ‘Tomato Mania.’
Gardening has been in Ray Greenstreet’s blood for as long as he can remember. At age 13, he began working at a garden center in Maryland. He was a "yard boy," taking care of the flowers for a garden center owner with polio. "I just never really got out of it," he said. Greenstreet and his wife, Stacy, are opening an Alexandria location of their popular business, Greenstreet Gardens, in the old Applehouse Garden Center location at 1721 W. Braddock Road. The Alexandria center is the company’s second location—headquarters are in Lothian, Md.—and first in Virginia, an area the Greenstreets have had their eyes on for some time. When Applehouse’s owner decided to retire, the couple jumped at the opportunity to bring their business to Alexandria…
38.82683
-77.08684
1721 W Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA
/articles/greenstreet-gardens-opens-in-old-applehouse-location
/locations/6459966
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Obama administration turns the spotlight on Port City as an example of how the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act helps small businesses.
Bill Butcher, owner of Port City Brewing, stars in a White House video explaining the difficulties in getting financing to get his business started but how a local bank aware of new government loan programs came to his aid. In the video "Faces of Change: Bill's Small Business Loan," Butcher said he spoke with 10 banks a few years ago and found it "discouraging." The bank that finally wanted to "work with us" was a local bank aware of Small Business Administration loans "that really helped us a lot" and "saved us thousands of dollars," he said. The bank was aware of new programs the administration put in because of the Recovery Act, Butcher said, adding that his business is now growing as is his distributor's business. The connection …
Friday, February 10, 2012
Old Town Alexandria and Del Ray boutiques are havens for special finds. Treat yourself or treat someone else.
Alexandria offers a bevy of boutiques with unique finds for many holidays. For our photo gallery of Valentine's Day offerings, we visited the shops listed below. Click on the shop name to find out more information such as hours and location: Old Town Alexandria Arts Afire Bloomers Bellacara The Hour Olio Del Ray Artfully Chocolate Cheesetique Kiskadee Potomac West Interiors and Antiques A Show of Hands
Monday, February 6, 2012
New signage installed; store could open in four to six weeks.
Grape + Bean Rosemont is beginning to take shape along Commonwealth Avenue with an opening expected in the coming weeks. A staff member at the Old Town location of the wine and coffee market told Del Ray Patch that co-owners David Gwathmey and Sheera Rosenfeld are aiming to open the Rosemont shop in “four to six weeks.” Last week, new signage and logos were installed on the Rosemont store located at 2 E. Walnut Street. The building formerly housed the Rosemont Park Market. “We think our new store will be an upgrade with the neighborhood and a little more in line with people’s preferences,” Gwathmey told Patch in July. “We hope to be a neighborhood partner for many years to come.” As previously reported, the sign for the still-operating …
38.81218
-77.06131
2 E Walnut St, Alexandria, VA
/articles/grape-bean-rosemont-taking-shape
/locations/6321828
Thursday, February 2, 2012
New salon opened in December.
For Gloria Dominguez, moving her hair salon to Del Ray was a no-brainer. Dominguez, a native of El Salvador, formerly operated the salon Jegal in Foggy Bottom. She and her husband, Jose, who also own Sapore D Italia Ristorante on Mt. Vernon Avenue, decided to move the salon, now Jegal II, into the same shopping plaza. “We’ve been very happy,” Dominguez said. “I wanted to be closer to my kids. We had the restaurant next door. We saw this place, and it was an opportunity to open a new business.” Jegal II opened the second week of December at 1304 Mt. Vernon Ave. The salon offers complete hair-styling services, including color, as well as manicures, pedicures and waxing, and accepts walk-in appointments. Dominguez created the name “Jegal” by …
38.817961
-77.057144
1304 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA
Jegal II
/articles/jegal-ii-offers-styling-services-in-del-ray
/locations/6302809
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Alexandrian Derek Hyra, who works as a professor at Virginia Tech's Old Town campus, studies inner city economic development.
Alexandria resident Derek Hyra, who serves as a professor at Virginia Tech's Old Town Alexandria campus, has been elected chairman of the board of commissioners for the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority. “It is an honor and privilege to serve the City of Alexandria in this leadership role,” Hyra said in a statement posted by Virginia Tech. “This is an important public service opportunity that not only coincides remarkably well with my scholarly interests but it closely aligns with my personal values.” Hyra joined Virginia Tech in 2009. His research focuses on inner city economic development, with an emphasis on housing policy and race. In 2011, Hyra was appointed to serve on the new Small Business Administration’s Advisory …
Gail G
3:45 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012
If you wish to hear more from the candidates, the Alexandria Democratic Committee is sponsoring two debates before the primary. The first one is this coming Wednesday night at 7:30 PM at Hammond Middle School. It won't be easy to hold a debate with 14 people but the ADC has established rules for the debate and there will be a moderator from the Sorensen Institute. All interested voters are … more ›