Abricott, a new business with a heady gamut of nuts and sweets served 100 different ways and counting, has opened in the heart of Reston Town Center.
Located at 11900 Market Street, where it has a direct view of the Mercury Fountain, the small storefront has a prime location, robust smells and bold interior color palette that easily capture the attention of passersby.
“It’s called ‘fresh papaya’ not ‘orange,’ orange is something else,” owner Eduard said of Abricott’s signature color. “When you cut a papaya, you see this color.”
Red was also carefully considered, but after collecting feedback, particularly from children, fresh papaya won out.
Everything about Abricott is intentional: its branding, location and even the vagueness of its work-in-progress website, which won’t provide many personal details about the business owner. Eduard requested the use of only his first name for this article, because he wants the focus squarely on the store’s unique offerings.
Abricott sources its chickpeas directly from Turkey, roasted and served six different ways, including covered in chocolate. There are some 30 varieties of lokum — also known as Turkish delights, a chewy gelatin confection with origins in the Ottoman Empire — that can be purchased with walnuts, almonds and pistachios, topped with a dusting of sugar or powdered pistachio.
There are seemingly endless trays of dried fruits; strawberries, coconuts, dates and apricots — a homophone for Abricott, but otherwise unrelated to the name. There are also coffee and teas; iced teas will be on the menu in the warmer months.
The offerings appeal to Indians and people from Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Arab countries, where many of the fruits and nuts grow, but Americans like them, too, said Eduard, who is Armenian. Apple orchards are readily found throughout Virginia and Maryland, so he would like to eventually serve locally sourced dried apples.
The concept for Abricott was realized when he noticed a dearth of places to buy quality, healthy dried fruits and nuts.
“I can see the gap,” he said. “If you go to CVS and Whole Foods, you don’t find good products. I wanted a niche market for nuts and sweets.”
Though it has only been open at Reston Town Center since early January, Abricott already has a second location on track to open in March on Spring Street in Herndon. That site will include an onsite roasting facility for almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkins seeds and more.
The Reston location was slated to open in the summer of 2025 but experienced permitting delays. The opening was pushed back further due to the federal government shutdown, which kept international products sitting at entry ports for months because there were not enough U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors, Eduard said.
Opening during the slower winter months has its advantages because as a business owner, it’s a chance to make changes and suss out mistakes, he said.
Abricott is also developing its presence as an online gift company allowing customers to choose their own packaging and contents.
