Praline Bakery is no longer serving up cake, macarons and other pastries in the Mosaic District.
The bakery closed for good this fall after its lease ran out, according to a farewell message posted to the door at 2987 District Avenue, Suite 160.
“We have so appreciated your business these last five years,” the Praline Mosaic team wrote in the message. “Your support has meant the world to us. We have loved getting to know you, petting your pooches, and watching your kids grow up. We hope that we provided a little bit of sweetness to your lives.”
Specializing in French baked goods, Praline came to the Merrifield neighborhood in 2016 as the first expansion of Praline Bakery & Bistro, a Bethesda, Maryland-based business started in 2006 by former White House pastry chefs Susan Limb and Patrick Musel.
Praline’s original Bethesda store in The Shops at Sumner Place shopping center and a location at The Wharf in D.C. remain open.
While the Mosaic location is permanently closed, the closure letter suggested the team may have another venture in the works.
“While the shop won’t be open anymore, there are still cookies to be baked! If you would like to reach out and learn about what we are doing next, email info@bookgirlbakes.com or ally@bookgirlbakes.com,” the letter said.
FFXnow attempted to contact Praline by email and phone but hasn’t heard back, as of press time. However, a Shopify store called Book Girl Bakes appears to be coming soon.
In other Mosaic District developments, BASH Boxing is now open at 2905 District Ave, Suite 195. The Arlington-based company officially opened the doors of its newest gym on Sept. 23 and will have an opening party event on Oct. 27, according to its Instagram.
BASH didn’t return FFXnow’s requests for comment.
H/t to Adam Rubinstein
A new fitness center is coming soon to Great Falls’ Seneca Square.
Orangetheory Fitness, a national fitness boutique that focused on training endurance and strength building, has signed a lease for 4,726 square feet of space at 1025 Seneca Road in the commercial plaza.
According to the company’s website, the location is expected to open soon. A company representative did not immediately return a request for comment.
The company has locations throughout the country, including several in the area. Local locations include Ashburn, Reston and Potomac Falls.
Photo via Google Maps
Like any cliff worth ascending, bringing the first indoor rock climbing gym to Tysons required perseverance, patience and a little faith in the process.
Once expected to launch in December, Vertical Rock Climbing and Fitness Center had a soft opening this weekend. After 10 months of supply chain and permitting delays, it welcomed founding members only on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 8-9) before expanding to all patrons yesterday (Monday).
“It’s definitely exciting that we’ve been able to do this,” Ethan Ford, Vertical Rock’s operations director, told FFXnow. “It’s come a long way from the furniture store that used to be here, and we’re hoping it does bring something great to this area.”
A smaller, bouldering-focused expansion of the company’s flagship center in Manassas, Vertical Rock Tysons occupies two floors in the back of a shopping strip at 8461 Leesburg Pike anchored by Best Buy and The Container Store.
Consolidated on the top floor, the gym contains 9,000 square feet of bouldering walls with 14-inch-high safety padding on the floor as well as weights and exercise equipment. A Kilter Board with holds that light up based on a route that users can choose with an app is available for training.
The bottom floor is devoted to Basecamp Coffee Roasters, a 2,000-square-foot cafe open to both gym members and the general public. Unique to the Tysons location, the coffee shop reflects the area’s more urban environment and is intended to foster a sense of community, Vertical Rock co-owner and CEO Ian Colton previously told FFXnow’s sister site Tysons Reporter.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to make one in Manassas,” Ford said. “Right now, this is the first one, so we are kind of hoping to bring that same community feeling we have at Manassas over here.”
After following truncated hours for its soft opening, Vertical Rock will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. A grand opening date will likely be set this week, Ford said.
The gym offers individual, family, student and military/police memberships, along with camps and youth teams.
Started in 2012, Vertical Rock is part of a wave of indoor rock climbing gyms that has already taken hold of nearby Arlington County and Alexandria City. However, this is first such facility in Fairfax County, which has been exploring ways to boost sports tourism in recent years.
“There’s gyms popping up everywhere, so being able to bring the first gym to this area is something really special,” Ford said. “I think that it’s going to make a great fit for this area.”
(Updated at 9:15 a.m. on 9/1/2022) A new gym has opened in the Town of Vienna.
The Australian fitness company F45 celebrated the grand opening of its latest franchise at 322 Maple Avenue West on Saturday (Aug. 27). The event was considered a success, according to an Instagram post.
Businesses local to the D.C. area like Greenheart Juice Shop and Vegetable and Butcher participated in the event, which featured massages, food, live music, and vitamin injections.
F45 Vienna says classes are at 5:45 a.m., 6:45 a.m., 8 a.m., and 9:15 a.m. as well as in the evenings. The website says the gym offers cardio, resistance, hybrid and recovery workouts on different days of the week.
The gym is located next to the forthcoming YamaChen Sushi, which has now been under construction for almost a year. An employee at the restaurant’s Fairfax location said she doesn’t know when the Vienna one will open.
Known for its high intensity interval training workouts, F45 has grown rapidly in Fairfax County since 2019, adding franchises in Tysons, the Mosaic District, Fairfax Corner, Fairfax Circle, and Reston. The company says it’s the fastest-growing gym franchise in the world.
Yet another studio is in the works at Springfield Plaza. That location is on track for an opening in November or December, a pre-sales representative for the franchise told FFXnow.
Reston Station’s newest district — Reston Row — will be home to a major fitness facility.
VIDA Fitness Brands plans to open a flagship facility at 1845 Reston Row Plaza, taking up roughly 50,000 square feet across three levels of the office tower. The office tower is the fourth in Reston Station and the first building that will be built at as part of Comstock’s mixed-use development.
“We are thrilled to have VIDA Fitness and its suite of signature brands join the Reston Row District,” said Timothy J. Steffan, Chief Operating Officer for Comstock. “The integrated combination of health, wellness and beauty represents another significant merchandising addition to the retail component of the Reston Station neighborhood and will provide an array of fitness and wellness opportunities to Reston residents and guests at the JW Marriott next door.
According to a press release from Tuesday (July 26), the fitness facility will include a spa penthouse pool club on the rooftop — the company’s first open to non-resident members in the Dulles corridor.
VIDA plans to offer outdoor fitness classes at Reston Row’s Central Park. It will also include SweatBox, a workout method that combines cardio and strength training at intervals. Other features of the facility include:
- An oxygen treatment and recovery center with IV treatments, compression therapy and cryotherapy
- Aura Spa, a day spa that offers facials, sports and Thai massages, waxing body scrubs, cupping and CBD oil treatments
- Bang Salon
- Fuel Bar, a full-service lobby bar and cafe that includes co-working spaces and meeting areas
The facility will also have locker rooms, steam and sauna rooms, and WiFi access throughout the building.
“We are beyond excited to launch our newest location at Reston Station,” said David von Storch, president and founder of Urban Adventures. “It is clear to me that Comstock is creating a world-class urban environment at Reston Station with a retail tenancy consisting of the best forward-thinking local and regional operators, and office tenants that provide thousands of potential VIDA customers. We look forward to bringing VIDA Fitness and its affiliated brands to Reston Station, the perfect retailing opportunity to expand our market reach.”
VIDA has six other locations in the D.C. area, including a facility in Arlington.
Reston Row is currently under construction and will also include a JW Marriott hotel.
A boutique gym is bringing its boxing-inspired workouts to Fairfax County.
Introduced to Rosslyn in 2018, BASH Boxing will soon extend its reach beyond Arlington County for the first time with a new studio at the Mosaic District in Merrifield.
The location is expected to open in September, a BASH employee told FFXnow last week, but the company is already getting acquainted with the community, popping up at the weekly farmers’ market and partnering with other businesses on free workout sessions.
The gym will be located in 2905 District Ave, Suite 195, on the same corner as EagleBank and Sweetgreen. The room was previously occupied by Zengo Cycle, which declared bankruptcy and shut down all of its fitness studios last year.
With two established sites in Rosslyn and Ballston, BASH announced plans to start franchising in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to pivot to live-streamed classes that spring, founder and co-owner Alexandra Trakas told FFXnow’s sister site ARLnow in January 2021.
As its studios reopened for limited in-person classes in the summer of 2020, the business also revived its franchising plans.
“Trakas and her investment team, which includes Washington Capitals player Tom Wilson, plan to help open hundreds of locations ‘in the coming years,’ locally and nationally,” ARLnow reported.
The past couple of months have been busy at the Mosaic District, with a Pressed juice bar and Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza opening in May and June, respectively. In addition, the Mosaic Skateland roller rink has returned for a second year, and Jinya Ramen Bar recently completed a move to a larger location at 2911 District Avenue, Suite 170.
The Middle Eastern restaurant Tawle is expected to open in Jinya’s newly vacated suite later this year.
Screenshot via BASH Boxing/Facebook
A new 25,000-square-foot fitness facility is officially opening its doors in Reston Town Center next week.
The St. James — which currently operates the region’s largest athletic facility — will open a new performance club on Saturday, April 30. The facility includes two turf areas, a sauna, cycling studio and more than 70 group fitness programs.
The center will be located at 11985 Market Street.
Opening day festivities kick off at 9:30 a.m. with free tours of the space and fitness classes. Giveaways and raffles are also planned, including a chance to win one year of membership and free personal training.
The facility is also offering Reston members 25% off of a summer camp operated through the facility’s Springfield Complex. Free transportation is also included from Reston to Springfield.
The main facility in Springfield has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, field house and 50 group classes per week. It also includes sports leagues and numerous camps.
