(Updated at 10:30 a.m. on 2/7/2024) Chesterbrook Shopping Center is bringing in a pair of beauty services retailers to complement its ongoing exterior makeover.
This summer, the McLean shopping center will welcome the first Virginia location of SkinSpirit, the nation’s “leading provider of Botox and filler,” property owner Federal Realty announced last week.
Also offering facials, body contouring and laser services, SkinSpirit launched in Silicon Valley in 2003 and now has 41 clinics across the U.S., including ones in Georgetown and Gaithersburg. Its McLean location will occupy 2,898 square feet at 6224 Old Dominion Drive.
SkinSpirit will be joined at Chesterbrook in early 2025 by Bluemercury, which sells makeup, skin care, cosmetics, perfume, hair, and bath and body products, Federal Realty says, confirming a merchandising plan that indicated a lease was in the works.
Founded in Georgetown in 1999, Bluemercury has about eight stores in the D.C. area, including ones at the Mosaic District in Merrifield and in Fairfax Corner. Its store at Chesterbrook will be 2,236 square feet in size.
“We are pleased to welcome SkinSpirit and Bluemercury to Chesterbrook Shopping Center,” Federal Senior Vice President of Asset Management Deirdre Johnson said. “These luxury self-care service providers will be outstanding neighborhood additions, further enhancing our patrons’ unique shopping experience.”
Previously confirmed tenants coming to Chesterbrook this year include Small Door Veterinary, which is on track to open this summer, and the restaurant Sorn Thai, which is still projected to launch in late 2024.
The bagel shop Call Your Mother is also expected to relocate soon from the “Lil Deli” truck that arrived last May to a 1,405-square-foot, permanent space next to Le Village Marché.
“The ‘Lil Deli’ will remain in operation until the new space is ready in the spring of 2024,” Federal Realty said.
This summer will also see the completion of Federal Realty’s multi-million-dollar renovation of the shopping center, which was originally built in 1967. Under construction since August 2022, the project is refreshing the storefronts and adding landscaping, decorative lighting, wider sidewalks and outdoor amenity spaces.
(Updated at 8:30 p.m. on 2/6/2024) Idylwood Plaza is shaking up its retail mix to start 2024.
The shopping center on Leesburg Pike in Idylwood will usher in its newest tenant, MIYU Beauty & Wellbeing, with a grand opening celebration at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow (Friday). Falls Church City Vice Mayor Letty Hardi and Councilmember Marybeth Connelly are expected to attend.
Miyu occupies a 2,545 square-foot space next to Whole Foods Market at 7505-P Leesburg Pike, where Honest Soul Yoga used to be. The salon offers non-toxic, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free manicures and pedicures, along with yoga and pilates classes.
The business comes from neighbors Zeina Chouman El Eid and Karen Abouzeid, who both have experience in the beauty industry and decided to combine their skills to “help individuals tap into their inner essence, promote well-being, and bring beauty into everyday chaos,” according to Miyu’s website.
“We offer a tranquil haven and safe space to empower everyone,” Abouzeid, now a managing partner at Miyu, said. “MIYU’s skilled and experienced staff will guide our clients towards self-realization and unmatched confidence, while connecting them with like-minded individuals who share a passion for holistic living.”
Later this year, Miyu will be joined at Idylwood Plaza by First Watch, the daytime cafe, and Fairfax County’s first Chicken Salad Chick.
First Watch aims for summer opening
First Watch confirmed to FFXnow in November that it was looking for a new site in the Falls Church area, but the lease hadn’t been finalized at that time. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 7501 Leesburg Pike was officially announced last week.
Known for its seasonally rotating breakfast, brunch and lunch menus, which include items like avocado toast and lemon ricotta pancakes, First Watch is expected to open its Idylwood location in late summer 2024, according to public relations manager Hunter Carpenter.
The cafe will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for pickup, delivery and dine-in service. It will employ approximately 30 people.
First Watch can currently be found in Fairfax City, Chantilly and Bailey’s Crossroads, where it opened in 2021. Additional locations are slated to open this spring in Franconia’s Festival at Manchester Lakes and this summer in the former TGI Friday’s in Fair Lakes.
After finding success in Bailey’s Crossroads (5880 Crossroads Center Way), First Watch decided “it was about time to bring our experience closer to home for our neighbors further north,” Carpenter said.
“Though we may be relative newcomers to Fall Church, that doesn’t mean we’re strangers to Fairfax County,” Carpenter told FFXnow by email. “As we quickly approach two decades in the region, we look forward to expanding our presence not only in Falls Church but also in Fair Lakes and Franconia and inspiring a new morning routine for our customers with each new opening.”
Chicken Salad Chick makes way to D.C. area
Started in 2008 by Stacy Brown, a stay-at-home mother in Auburn, Alabama, Chicken Salad Chick announced last May that it had signed a development agreement with Devon Chamberlin and her family, who will open eight franchises in Fairfax and Arlington counties over the next five years.
The first franchise is slated to open at Idylwood Plaza this spring, according to Chicken Salad Chick Chief Marketing Officer Tom Carr.
An Arlington location is also planned. FFXnow’s sister site ARLnow previously reported that that site would open this spring, but Chick Salad Chick now says the Idylwood Plaza restaurant will be the first to open.
The 2,717-square-foot restaurant will be located at 7505 Leesburg Pike, Suite 120A, replacing Loyal Companion after the pet wellness chain shuttered all of its local shops last year, according to Federal Realty, the property manager for Idylwood Plaza.
Chicken Salad Chick sells Southern-style chicken salads made from scratch, sandwiches and pimento cheese. The company has 258 locations right now, including six in central and southern Virginia, but it has wanted to expand into new regions of the U.S., according to Carr.
“The demographics of Northern Virginia, generally, and Falls Church and adjacent areas specifically, make it well-suited for Chicken Salad Chick and its healthy menu options,” Carr said.
A cosmetology business is seeking the Town of Herndon’s permission to open up on Herndon Parkway.
At a meeting on Jan. 22, the Herndon Planning Commission unanimously approved a special exception to move forward with the plan for Rosslyn Cosmetology to open in suite 106 at 299 Herndon Parkway. Specifically, the commission agreed to allow special exceptions for personal services and retail sales uses.
In a report, town staff noted that the zoning ordinance allows flexibility in instances where businesses traditionally located with other commercial service and retail sales have “operational characteristics that make them appropriate to operate in traditional office park developments.”
Rosslyn Cosmetology will be located in a strip of office condominiums that already hosts Fancy Lashes and Beyond, a beauty salon, and multiple spas.
“In this case, the proposed personal services and retail sales uses are consistent with the purpose and intent of the Commercial Office Zoning District and the additional controls that can be implemented through the special exception process,” staff said in the report.
Fadrique Iglesias, a community planner with the Town of Herndon, told the commission that the town previously granted special exceptions for personal services businesses in 2022 and June 2023.
The business currently under consideration will likely include a spa, salon and cosmetic services with up to six people at the business at any time, Iglesias said.
The business will take up roughly 916 square feet of space, if approved for the building.
Image via Google Maps
(Updated at 5 p.m.) A few new tenants are making their way to Merrifield Plaza, the H Mart and Lidl-anchored shopping center at Route 29 and Gallows Road.
The newcomers will include a franchise of Shi Miao Dao, a Chinese noodle shop that can also be found in Rockville, Maryland, among other locations. The Merrifield restaurant is part of the same brand, but the operator isn’t affiliated with the one in Rockville, says a broker for TSCG, which manages and leases Merrifield Plaza.
Specializing in cuisine from the southwestern province of Yunnan, Shi Miao Dao originated in China, where it has more than 750 restaurants, before expanding in recent years to North America, according to Eater San Diego, where a franchise opened last year.
Translating roughly to “ready in 10 seconds,” the name refers to the time it takes to dump the ingredients of the restaurant’s signature, DIY noodle soup into the accompanying pork broth, the Washington Post said in a review of the Rockville location that calls the dish “exquisite.”
Shi Miao Dao will occupy 1,200 square feet at 2833 Gallows Road, per TSCG.
Also coming to Merrifield Plaza is La Mexicana, an expansion of the bakery and taqueria that has operated at 2907 Arlington Drive in Hybla Valley since 2002.
According to its website, the eatery was started by a couple who wanted to “share our Mexican heritage and love for baking” and specializes in traditional Mexican dishes, like tacos and tamales. Washingtonian designated it as one of the D.C. area’s best cheap eats in 2017 and 2018.
“From mouthwatering tacos to traditional enchiladas, La Mexicana promises to be a haven for lovers of Mexican cuisine,” TSCG said.
La Mexicana’s second location will be at a 2,000-square-foot space at 2855 Gallows Road next to Lidl. Owner Carlos Benitez estimates that it’ll be four to five months before the restaurant opens, since they’re waiting for Fairfax County to approve the necessary permits to start construction.
Finally, Merrifield Plaza will add Sou the Spa, a South Korean beauty and skin care clinic that can currently be found in Annandale. The spa has leased 1,200 square feet at 2851 Gallows Road.
TSCG says Shi Miao Dao is expected to open sometime in March, but there’s no estimated opening date for Sou the Spa yet.
“We are thrilled to welcome La Mexicana, Sou the Spa, and Shi Mao Noodles to Merrifield Plaza Shopping Center,” TSCG Executive Vice President Billy Orlove said. “These establishments add a unique and diverse dimension to our current offerings, providing something for everyone in the community. We know that Merrifield Shopping Center will continue to be a great source of retail stores.”
Woodland Park Crossing, a shopping center near the Herndon Metro station, is slated to welcome a new tenant.
Massage Envy, a national franchise that offers massage, stretch and skin care services, is set to open in the shopping center at 2328 Woodland Crossing Drive, according to Fairfax County permits.
While the company did not return multiple requests for comment, county permits show that it will take over Suite C in the same building as Kumo Sushi.
Woodland Park Crossing is home to other tenants like Harris Teeter, Manhattan Pizza, Visionworks, Hotworx and Moby Dick House of Kabob.
The shopping center has 11 open spaces, according to its website.
Massage Envy has another location nearby in Reston at North Point Village Center. A location on John Milton Drive in Herndon is temporary closed, according to the company’s website.
You wouldn’t guess from looking at the warmly lit, orderly store that Vienna’s Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio is about to turn 70 years old.
The beauty and skin care shop will hit that milestone this Friday, Sept. 1, making it the town’s second oldest business to still be standing — after the Money & King Funeral Home, according to store owner Sharon Holland.
Anticipating that many potential attendees will be out of town for Labor Day weekend, Holland is planning to throw a birthday bash on Saturday, Sept. 9 instead. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be food, champagne, games with prizes, store-wide discounts, and giveaways, including an offer of a gift with any purchase.
“It’ll be a lot of fun,” Holland said. “We usually have a lot of fun at our events. At Christmas time, we have an ugly sweater Christmas party, which always is a big hit, so that’s a lot of fun too.”
Established in 1953, the Vienna franchise of Merle Norman Cosmetics first set up shop on the west side of town before relocating to Danor Plaza when the shopping center opened in the 1960s. It has occupied the corner suite at 401 Maple Avenue East ever since, according to Holland.
The business came into Holland’s life through her marriage: her husband’s mother bought the store from its original owner in 1971, and she helped run it until they sold it to a friend in 1986.
During that time, the pair added a Merle Norman franchise in Fair Oaks Mall, and in 1990, they expanded further with a store in Centreville that lasted 25 years.
On Sept. 1, 2015, the same day that the Centreville studio closed — a decision influenced by her mother-in-law getting older and repeated rent increases — Holland brought their journey full circle by re-acquiring the Vienna location.
“We bought this one back, so it’s back in the family, so to speak,” Holland said.
A user of Merle Norman products herself, Holland attributes the Vienna studio’s longevity in part to the loyalty of “Merle girls” — as the company calls its regular customers.
Founder Merle Norman developed “Three Steps to Beauty” — a cold cream, Miracol lotion and a power base — while studying medicine and chemistry in college, according to the company’s official history.
After initially planning to sell the cream, a deal killed by the 1929 stock market crash, Norman instead opened her own store in Santa Monica, California, in 1931 and saw such success that 94 studios were in the works by the end of 1934.
Still owned by Norman’s family, the company has stayed true to her practice of letting customers try its makeup and skin care products for free before they make a purchase, Holland says.
“We’re not pushy, you know. We let you decide what you like, try it if you like it, that’s great. If you don’t like it, that’s fine too,” Holland said. “…Sometimes they come in and just chat. It’s a safe place for women to come, and yeah, they just like it. They like coming in here and the personal attention that they get, and you make friends. We make friends with all of our customers.” Read More
An expanding hair salon chain from Maryland has chosen to set up its first Virginia location in the Town of Vienna.
Later this year, Symmetry Salon Studios will open a 3,925-square-foot space (262 Cedar Lane, Suite N) at the Cedar Park Shopping Center, which is also getting the gym Starfit Studio.
Started in Bethesda in 2012, Symmetry advertises itself as an “elevated” experience for “elite stylists,” per its tagline.
“Vienna doesn’t have that today,” Symmetry CEO and founder Tom Ruder said. “We’ve done our research and there’s nobody in the marketplace that can kind of provide that. And [when] we say Vienna, it’s not only Vienna, but it’s also Tysons and Merrifield, the Mosaic District.”
Deviating from the commission-based approach of traditional hair salons, Symmetry is stylist-owned and operated, according to Ruder. It provides rental studios for individual stylists, while the company handles the business operations, including landlord discussions and facility maintenance.
That gives each stylist flexibility over the services they provide, the ambience and their working hours, since they will have around-the-clock access to their studio, Ruder said.
“They get to decide…what works for them,” he said. “So, someone might have a wedding and they’re going to come in early on a Saturday morning and do the wedding party, would just be one example, or someone’s got a client who’s out of town and they can only visit at 11 o’clock at night or 2 in the morning. They could come in and provide a service at that time.”
Leasing is already underway for the Vienna location, which will have 23 studios for 26 stylists.
The front desk will be staffed for about 80 hours each week during the busiest times of the day, and there will be a beverage bar with coffee, tea, soda and water for patrons waiting for an appointment, which Ruder says is intended to create a “luxurious feel.”
That emphasis on comfort extends to how Symmetry’s locations are constructed, Ruder told FFXnow, highlighting the use of wide hallways and concrete floors “padded” with tile.
“The stylists stand on their feet all day long and it’s really bad for their feet,” he said. “It’s bad for their posture, and it’s uncomfortable. So, we focused on that and spent a tremendous amount of research and time to get the floors so they’re comfortable.”
The company is in the process of obtaining permits from Fairfax County and Vienna. Once that is complete, Ruder anticipates the build-out will take another 12 to 14 weeks for a potential opening this fall.
The Vienna location will be Symmetry’s fifth, joining sites in Bethesda, Rockville, Annapolis and Gaithersburg.
Comparing the expansion plans to Morton’s The Steakhouse, rather than McDonald’s, Ruder says the company is seeking to add one to three locations a year. Though he couldn’t give details about ongoing negotiations with landlords, Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, Manassas and Woodbridge are “all in play,” along with D.C.
“We’ve looked for years to try to make it into Virginia and we’re thrilled with our opportunity in Vienna,” Ruder said.
A new waxing salon has arrived in Vienna with promises of a less harrowing experience than the one Steve Carell was subjected to in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”
Bare Skin Waxing will get a ribbon-cutting at 6 p.m. today (Thursday) to mark the opening of its second location since launching in Alexandria a decade ago. With Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert scheduled to attend, the ceremony will be outside the salon at 123 Church Street NW.
“We chose Vienna as our next major milestone due to its alignment with our core values of diversity, inclusivity, and a strong sense of community,” a Bare Skin spokesperson said. “The vibrant history, cultural richness, and the community’s embrace of different backgrounds resonated deeply with us.”
According to the company, Bare Skin originated in Old Town Alexandria with the goal of developing a “unique and gentle waxing technique” that would work for people who have sensitive skin.
The salon’s specialty is Brazilian waxes, but it provides bikini, leg and eyebrow waxing services as well, per its website.
“Our aim was to provide a comfortable hair removal experience without any irritation in a warm and welcoming atmosphere,” the spokesperson said. “Over the years, we have served thousands clients in the local area, helping them achieve smooth, hair-free skin — with comfort as our top priority.”
Bare Skin says it decided to expand to Vienna after noticing an abundance of clients visiting the Alexandria shop from Vienna, McLean and Fairfax.
“As most of our waxing and skin care treatments take less than 30 minutes, we wanted to ensure that the journey to our salon was shorter than the service itself!” Bare Skin said by email. “…We are excited to contribute to Vienna’s thriving beauty and wellness scene while forging meaningful connections with the local community.”
A clinic that provides liposuction, laser hair removal and other cosmetic services is ready for its big reveal next month in Tysons.
LightRx Face & Body will introduce itself to Pike 7 Plaza (8365 Leesburg Pike, Suite C) with a grand opening on June 8. The “premiere party” will run from 5-8:30 p.m. and feature an appearance by Miss Virginia 2022 winner Victoria Chuah, the medical spa announced last week.
The event will also offer live demonstrations, discounts, the chance to meet staff, and gift bags for the first 150 visitors with product samples, merchandise and coupons.
“Everyone deserves to feel confident and beautiful on their own terms, regardless of budget, lifestyle or circumstance,” LightRx President Rich Morgan said in a statement. “That’s our vision — and we can’t wait to offer our services at Tysons…to help people regain their natural confidence and bring out their inner light.”
Founded in 2014, LightRx had 88 locations across the U.S. by 2018, but the Michigan-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2019 amid growing consumer complaints and financial challenges attributed to its rapid expansion. At one point, a Reston location was in the works.
Since then, the company has downsized to 27 locations, with the Tysons spa representing its fourth in Virginia. There is also a location at Beacon Center (6700 Richmond Highway) in Groveton.
The expansion to Tysons gives LightRx a “perfect, centralized location” to serve the D.C. area, Morgan said.
The spa provides free consultations for laser liposuction, laser hair and fat removal, body contouring, cellulite reduction, skin tightening, and other non-surgical body sculpting treatments.
Other tenants expected to open at Pike 7 Plaza this year include the grocery store Lidl and Dave’s Hot Chicken. Fairfax County also issued permits on May 17 allowing construction on a new, 2880-square-foot drive-thru building for Shake Shack on the northeast corner of the shopping center’s parking lot.
A luxury hair salon has officially opened in the Town of Herndon.
The Salon de Muse held a grand opening in late January at Reston-Herndon Business Park.
Located at 366 Victory Drive, the salon has six chairs for independent hair stylists on the main level and an upper level with three treatment rooms that host massage therapists, estheticians, and make-up and eyelash extension technicians, according to its website.
The business is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays.
Nordic-Knot, a local business that specializes in pretzel baker, has also signed a lease for that building for a production-only location, the property manager announced earlier this week. Its flagship location at Lake Anne Plaza will remain.
Co-owner Melissa Romano emphasized that the second location is strictly for production only.
“There will be no change to operations for our business, we are simply adding additional production space off-site,” Romano wrote in a statement.
Nordic Knot specializes in hand-made pretzels that are baked to order.
