Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is calling on the federal government to investigate whether Navy Federal Credit Union has discriminated when approving loans to homebuyers.
The country’s largest credit union, which is headquartered in Vienna, rejected more than half of the Black people who sought a conventional home purchase mortgage in 2022, despite approving over 75% of white borrowers seeking the same loan, CNN reported last month.
Hispanic applicants also got approved just 56% of the time compared to 77% for their white counterparts, according to the report, which was based on data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The disparities, which exceed those reported by other major lenders, suggest Navy Federal’s practices may violate prohibitions on discrimination in the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Kaine and other senators wrote in a Jan. 12 letter urging a review by the CFPB and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“While it is appropriate for a lender to deny a mortgage application when the loan will not be sustainable for the borrower, those decisions are made based on a borrower’s financial ability to repay the loan,” the senators said. “It should go without saying that a person’s race, or any other protected characteristic, should never be a factor.”
Founded in 1933 to provide loans to Navy Department employees, Navy Federal has grown to 13 million members and now serves all branches of the military, along with Department of Defense civilians, veterans and their families. The not-for-profit credit union has over 350 branches around the world and employs more than 4,000 people at its headquarters (820 Follin Lane), according to its website.
A spokesperson for Navy Federal Credit Union said the organization has “already initiated a review to assess our mortgage lending policies and practices,” noting that more of its conventional mortgage loans go to Black borrowers — about 18%, per CNN — than most other large lenders.
However, CNN reported that most Black applicants are still getting denied, and the racial disparities persisted even when variables like income, property value and neighborhood characteristics were the same.
“Navy Federal is committed to serving each and every one of our members fairly, and we strive every day to expand economic opportunity and access to credit for our diverse community of members,” the Navy Federal spokesperson said. “…We will continue to work to support all of our members — including Black borrowers — to help them build strong financial futures.”
Homeownership emerged in the post-World War II years as a critical path for accumulating wealth. Over the past 10 years, homeowners have gained anywhere from $98,900 to $150,800 in wealth from rising home values, depending on their income, according to a National Association of Realtors report.
However, Black and Hispanic residents have often been excluded by segregation, redlining and other discriminatory practices, leading to the creation of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, gender, disability and other identity factors.
The legislation helped narrow the gap between white and Black homeowners, but those gains were erased by the 2008 recession, according to Urban Institute. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments announced last week that Fairfax County is among eight localities that have adopted a Regional Fair Housing Plan intended to improve access to housing.
In a press release, Kaine noted that he, fellow Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and other senators introduced legislation last July to reduce the wealth gap by helping first-time, first-generation homebuyers get mortgages.
Image via Google Maps
The best place to work in the world can be found right in Tysons, according to a new Fortune magazine ranking.
Hilton, the hotel company headquartered at Park Place II (7930 Jones Branch Drive), topped the 2023 World’s Best Workplaces list released yesterday by Fortune and Great Place to Work, a research and data platform that bills itself as the “global authority on workplace culture.”
Employing 4,300 people in the D.C. area and 460,000 people globally, Hilton has appeared on every iteration of the annual list since 2016, but this is the first time it’s snagged the no. 1 spot, the company said. It’s the first hospitality company to top the list.
“At Hilton, we are building a fully human experience at work, where our team members feel like they are seen, they are welcome, and they are part of something greater than themselves,” Hilton Chief Human Resources Officer Laura Fuentes said. “[This] recognition reinforces what employees are looking for — a workplace culture that helps them reach their full potential.”
The 25 companies on the World’s Best Workplaces list were identified based on surveys of 18 million workers from around the globe, according to Great Place to Work. Hilton is one of 13 U.S.-based companies to make the list.
To be eligible, businesses needed to have at least 5,000 workers, at least 40% or 5,000 of them based in a different country than their headquarters, and to appear on at least five of the Best Workplaces lists that Great Place to Work has released for individual countries.
Hilton appeared on 35 national lists, including the one for the U.S., where it came in at no. 2 both this year and in 2022.
Great Place to Work says the 2023 World’s Best Workplaces list was its most competitive since the tradition began 13 years ago, reporting that 28% more companies participated this year than last year and 40% more employee surveys were submitted.
The recognized companies were united by overall employee satisfaction, with 90% of workers calling them a “great place to work” compared to a little over half for a “typical” workplace. Employees also said they got fair pay, support for a healthy work-life balance and a say in “decisions that affected their lives.”
“This global list followed a rigorous process, one that assures that employees have spoken about what they think are exceptional workplaces where they feel trusted, empowered, and energized to do their best work,” Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontel said in a statement.
Hilton says its benefits for both hourly and salaried employees, including expanded parental leave, adoption assistance and a Go Hilton travel program that gives workers discounts at its hotels and resorts.
The company announced last year that it had renewed its lease at Park Place II, where its headquarters have been located since 2009. It planned to add 350 jobs over the next five years and upgrade the office space and common areas.
Hilton President and CEO Chris Nassetta says the company is united by founder Conrad Hilton’s goal of filling “the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.”
“[The] recognition by Great Place to Work and Fortune is validation that our team members were the people he imagined in his bright vision for the future,” Nassetta said. “It is their dedication, hospitality and passion for the stays they create that has made Hilton the No. 1 best place to work in the world.”
The remaking of Virginia Tech’s campus near the West Falls Church Metro station as a futuristic mixed-use development can officially begin.
The university and Falls Church City completed a sale of the 7.41-acre Northern Virginia Center site to developer Converge West Falls LLC last week, the city announced Wednesday (Nov. 15).
Approved by the Falls Church City Council in August 2022, the $25 million sale required the city to terminate Virginia Tech’s 40-year lease on the property at 7054 Haycock Road. Falls Church retains about $8.4 million of the proceeds from the sale, with the remaining $16.57 million going to the university, according to agreements authorized on July 25, 2022.
The sale paves the way for the academic center’s transformation into a new headquarters for HITT Contracting, a construction company currently based in Fairview Park near Merrifield. The development will also include a construction research lab for Virginia Tech and apartments with ground-floor retail.
“This closing marks an important milestone in a decade-long planning effort initiated by the City of Falls Church,” Falls Church Mayor David Tarter said in a statement. “We are excited about having the national headquarters of HITT Contracting and the Virginia Tech Coalition for Smart Construction as neighbors to our West Falls project.”
Part of a push to revitalize the West Falls Church Transit Station Area, the Northern Virginia Center redevelopment has been in the works since 2019 but stalled in early 2021 after Virginia Tech and HITT decided not to move forward. The lease termination and sale agreements with Falls Church helped revive the project last year.
Converge — a joint venture of HITT and the developer Rushmark Properties — submitted a development plan in September 2022 that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved on July 25.
In a formal unveiling this week, HITT shared that its new six-story, 270,000-square-foot headquarters will emphasize sustainability and serve as a “hub for education and innovation in construction,” while also providing better access to mass transit for its more than 900 local employees.
Features will include a 100,000-square-foot rooftop solar panel array and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor space for Virginia Tech’s new Coalition for Smart Construction, a research center that “will advance building practices and ultimately shape the industry’s future.”
HITT says its research and development team already has over 20 projects that it plans to work on at the new headquarters.
Notable ventures already in progress include a newly patented prefabricated building skin that reduces weight, increases speed to market, and creates more efficient buildings. HITT is pioneering the first use of the Caracol Heron AM robotic arm installed in the US for 3D printing, aimed to augment traditional construction methods, and implementing robotics on-site to support an enhanced experience for HITT’s field team through technology-enabled workflows.
“As an industry, we have to do better to tackle the challenges of rising costs, labor shortages, and our environmental footprint,” HITT Co-Chairman Brett Hitt said. “I believe that Virginia Tech will push the boundaries of construction by bringing its brilliant students to a space where they can work alongside our industry’s brightest minds. Bringing industry and academia together under one roof will help us effect real change.”
Outside the construction world, the project will also deliver a 13-story, 440-unit apartment building with up to 18,000 square feet of retail, 55,000 square feet of urban parks, and a portion of West Falls Station Blvd, a new road that will link the also-redeveloping West Falls and Metro station properties.
HITT CEO Kim Roy said the company is “ecstatic” that it will “continue growing in Fairfax County.
“We’re thankful to the City of Falls Church, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Fairfax County for supporting our plans to build this cutting-edge development,” Roy said. “We’re deeply committed to being good stewards of the local community and the environment.”
According to HITT, construction on its headquarters is expected to begin in early 2025 and finish in late 2026.
A restaurant in Seven Corners will raise funds tonight (Monday) for Palestinian refugees after its owner’s family members were recently killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Bawadi Mediterranean Grill announced last week that it will donate 50% of sales made between 6 and 9:30 p.m. to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is tasked with distributing food and other aid in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
As a Palestinian born in Gaza, Bawadi owner Khalid Mekki says he “felt compelled…to try to do something” to help the civilians whose lives have been upended since Israel declared war on Hamas in retaliation for the militant group’s deadly surprise attack on Israeli military sites and towns on Oct. 7.
“When I was reached by the UNRWA, [I felt] it was a great idea for me to be able to participate in,” Mekki told FFXnow.
Bawadi also donated 50% of its sales to UNRWA on Oct. 31.
Located at 6304 Leesburg Pike, Bawadi has been serving kabobs, pita wraps and other Middle Eastern food in the Falls Church area for about eight years now. The restaurant moved to its current site after the lease for its original location in Bailey’s Crossroads ended in 2018.
“We serve all communities. We have no political agenda,” Mekki said. “All we’re trying to do is help those unfortunate people back in Gaza through the only channel that’s available for them.”
Late last week, Israel revised its death toll from the Oct. 7 attack to 1,200 people, down from previous estimates of over 1,400 people, most of them civilians. Another 239 people were taken hostage by Hamas.
Since Israel began its siege on Gaza, more than 11,000 people have been killed in the territory, including more than 4,100 children, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has blocked food, water, fuel and other supplies, allowing just a trickle of aid, according to UNRWA, which operates 14 food distribution centers and 150 refugee shelters in Gaza.
Among the dead are Mekki’s niece, her husband and their three kids. He says the family was killed by an Israeli bomb that hit their house earlier this month.
“It is very sad to lose them,” Mekki told FFXnow. “…We are big believers [in God], and this actually gives us comfort. They are in a better place. We just don’t wish it to anybody else.”
With other family members still in Gaza, Mekki has also been advocating for the U.S. to pressure Israel for a ceasefire, urging anyone who wants to support the fundraiser to also contact Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and their Congressional representatives.
“Killing civilians is not the right option to resolve this conflict,” Mekki said. “We hate to see anybody from both sides getting hurt as civilians, and we want this to end. These people are suffering, and it’s our responsibility, especially in the United States. We enjoy the freedom of speech, we enjoy the freedom of living good that other people in the world deserve the same way.” Read More
An information technology consulting firm based in Reston is growing faster than any other company in the D.C. area, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Goldschmitt and Associates topped the newspaper’s 2023 ranking of the 50 fastest-growing companies in the region, as determined by the average percentage of revenue growth it saw from 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022.
Headquartered at 11601 Quail Ridge Court, Goldschmitt and Associates reported $115.81 million in revenue last year — a whopping 573.4% increase, on average, from $5 million in 2020 and $10.1 million in 2021.
Though aware that the company has been evolving recently, its leaders say they were still shocked to come out on top when the WBJ announced the list at an awards dinner held at The Ritz-Carlton in Tysons on Oct. 20.
“It’s been so busy given our recent growth that we honestly had no idea where we would be in the ranking,” Laura Kelmelis, director of special programs and security, said by email. “Every time another group was announced we were completely shocked…To be #1 is a huge honor, and one we are extremely proud of.”
Kelmelis and Vice President of Finance Nancy Jones attended the dinner and live-texted their reactions to President and CEO Marc Goldschmitt and Chief Operating Officer Rachel Sutler. The messages escalated throughout the evening from “Our name hasn’t been called yet” to “We are in the top 10!” and culminating at “#1!!!, Omg,” according to Goldschmitt.
Founded in 1998, Goldschmitt and Associates provides computer programming, business management, data analytics, system training and other IT services to government, educational, private and nonprofit clients, according to its website. It has 206 employees and an office in Leesburg in addition to its Reston headquarters.
The firm has also been ranked among the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. by the Inc. 5000 three years in a row. For the 2023 list, it came in at no. 34 overall, no. 1 among Virginia companies and no. 2 in the IT services category.
“We had a lot of help and guidance to enable our growth,” Goldschmitt said. “As we continue to grow, it’s important that we pay it forward and help other small and emerging companies to learn from both our successes and mistakes.”
Including Goldschmitt and Associates, a total of 19 Fairfax County-based companies made the WBJ’s list of the area’s 50 fastest-growing companies in 2023, an accomplishment highlighted by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority in a newsletter on Friday (Nov. 3).
4. Shiftmed (Tysons)
5. Turn2Partners (Herndon)
12. Shirley Luu and Associates (Tysons)
13. Metaphase Consulting (Reston)
17. Modus Create (Reston)
22. IT Concepts (Tysons)
23. Trustar Bank (Great Falls)
24. PBG Consulting (Tysons)
29. Vika Cos. (Tysons)
30. Inalab Consulting (Fair Oaks)
33. The Alliance Group (Tysons)
34. Omega World Travel (Fairfax)
36. Hive Group (Tysons)
39. Avertra (Herndon)
42. Unissant (Herndon)
44. Bogart Wealth (Tysons)
47. Steampunk (Tysons)
50. Hitt Contracting (West Falls Church)
To be eligible for the ranking, companies had to be private and independently owned. They also had to have a local headquarters and “sustained revenue growth for three years in a row,” making at least $2 million in 2020 and at least $10 million in 2022, according to the WBJ.
This year’s list had 51 companies total as a result of a tie between Hitt Contracting and Largo, Maryland-based Apex Petroleum Group for the final spot.
“Making it any place on the List is a big accomplishment,” the WBJ said in its announcement. “And some of this year’s winners have fought especially hard over the past few years to recover from the pandemic, including several from the hospitality and restaurant industry.”
A Vienna business started by a 9-year-old got a national spotlight yesterday (Wednesday) when its young founder appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
Smell of Love Candles CEO Alejandro Buxton, now 13, was invited to the daytime talk show for an episode celebrating Black Entrepreneurs Day, which was created in 2020 by FUBU founder and CEO Daymond John to promote and raise money for Black-owned businesses.
In addition to getting advice from John, who co-hosted the episode with Barrymore, Alejandro received a $10,000 check from the Alexandria-based human resources company TriNet.
“It was the most amazing experience that I have had in my life,” Alejandro told FFXnow. “In preparing for the show, every emotion that you could feel…happy, nervous, shy, excited; I was overwhelmed and was feeling everything. I didn’t know how it would go and then once I got on the show and when I got on stage, Drew was so nice and Daymond as well so they made me feel really comfortable. Daymond gave me really good advice and I’m really grateful to Drew and her staff for everything they gave me on the show.”
As he recounted during the show, Alejandro launched Smell of Love Candles to create candles for his mom, Patricia Buxton, who “really loved candles” but got headaches from the ones they previously had in the house. Those candles also triggered Alejandro’s asthma.
The company’s candles are made out of soy wax and use carefully handpicked and tested fragrances, according to its website. A pop-up stall at Tysons Corner Center that opened last fall closed at the beginning of this year, but Smell of Love Candles has found success as an online store and at local weekend markets around the D.C. area.
Alejandro shared on “The Drew Barrymore Show” that he had sold more than 16,000 candles by the end of 2022, impressing both the host and John.
“It’s just so inspiring. On behalf of all moms, thank you for being you,” Barrymore said after the teen credited his mom’s love as his motivation.
Now four seasons in after premiering in fall 2020, “The Drew Barrymore Show” has drawn praise for its intimate interviews of normally guarded celebrities, but the “E.T.” actor faced a fierce backlash this fall when she attempted to film while the Writers Guild of America was on strike. She soon backtracked and shut down production until the strike ended on Sept. 27, though three writers in the WGA still declined to return.
Barrymore introduced Alejandro to her audience yesterday as “an absolute cutie pie” and noted that he’s “a huge fan” of John.
“We want to surprise him, because he has no idea you’re here right now,” she told John.
Alejandro confirms he “had no clue” that he would meet John, who’s regularly featured as an investor on the reality TV show “Shark Tank.”
“It’s the only thing I watch almost every episode, and he’s one of my favorite sharks,” Alejandro said. “So, seeing him in person and him giving me advice, that was really big.”
John advised Alejandro, who asked how to get his products in physical stores, to essentially keep doing what he’s doing, selling directly to customers instead of working with other distributors.
“If the store sells it, you don’t know who bought it, but if you sell it direct, you know who bought it,” John said. “…You want to super-size everybody’s fries, and the way to do that is having this communication of growing a community like you’re doing already.”
Alejandro says he plans to follow that advice. Having the $10,000 from TriNet certainly can’t hurt when it comes to operating a business. The candle-maker told FFXnow that he plans to use the money to buy supplies — both for Smell of Love Candles and for classrooms in need.
“My mom used to be a teacher, and it’s hard to be a teacher, so we’re fulfilling teacher wish-lists,” Alejandro said.
The owner of a local “exotic” snack shop has been arrested as part of a drug ring investigation by county police.
Last week, the Fairfax County Police Department announced it had arrested four individuals related to an investigation into an “extensive drug ring” in the Mount Vernon District.
One of those arrested was Matthew Powers, owner of the snack and collectible shop “Highs & Lows” which has locations on Richmond Highway and in Springfield Town Center. There’s also a shop inside the mall in Pentagon City.
Highs and Lows is advertised as having the “biggest selection of exotic sodas and snacks” in Virginia, with snacks “from all seven continents.”
Powers, who goes by the moniker “Fresh” and calls himself the shop’s “CE-BRO,” appeared over the summer on Fox5DC to promote the shops.
After a months-long investigation, FCPD says it arrested Powers and charged him with six counts of distributing narcotics and two counts of money laundering.
“During the operation, the detectives successfully confiscated a range of illicit substances, including Psilocybin and LSD, along with two firearms,” police said in the Sept. 18 press release. “Additionally, they seized over $138k in cash, discovered several bank accounts, valuable jewelry, and even a Porsche SUV – all believed to be connected to the illegal operations.”
The release notes that the seized narcotics have an estimated “street value” of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Powers is being held on a $10,000 bond.
FFXnow has reached out to FCPD for more details and to see if the stores were involved in any of the alleged illegal activity but didn’t hear back by publication.
As of yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, Highs & Lows on Richmond Highway was closed, and its phone number was disconnected. FFXnow emailed the business for comment but has not heard back either as of publication.
Three others were also arrested along with Powers, all charged with similar crimes. Those three men are in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
A senior at Langley High School, a county planner who helped craft an environmental plan for Reston, and a local business dedicated to reducing waste are among the recipients of this year’s Fairfax County Environmental Excellence Awards.
Handed out annually since 2000, the awards recognize residents, county staff, businesses and other organizations “who demonstrate extraordinary leadership within the community and exceptional dedication to the preservation and enhancement of the county’s natural resources,” according to the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination.
Announced at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday (Sept. 12), the winners were selected by the Environmental Quality Advisory Council, an advisory group appointed by the board. The council administers the awards with OEEC’s support.
“By giving their time, passion and expertise for the betterment of our environment, these awardees are true climate champions,” said Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, who chairs the board’s Environmental Committee. “We applaud them for leading by example and helping to ensure that our county residents and visitors can enjoy a healthy and beautiful Fairfax County for decades to come.”
The lone winner in the individual county resident category was Mei Torrey, a rising senior at Langley High School who “promotes and actively seeks opportunities to increase awareness of, and take action on, local sustainability issues,” the OEEC says.
Now president of her school’s Saxons Go Green environmental club, Torrey has organized fundraisers and worked with the nonprofit Clean Fairfax to design and distribute reusable bags to local retailers and low-income communities, according to the county.
The 2023 award lineup features three winners in the “county employee” category:
Hugh Whitehead, an Urban Forester with the Urban Forest Management Division. In 2016, Mr. Whitehead initiated a tree planting program in partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools. Since 2016, a total of 494 trees have been planted at twenty-one different K through 12 schools including seven Title 1 schools. This program not only supports the Board’s Sustainability Initiatives, reforestation goals, and recommendations from the Joint Environmental Task Force, but furthers educational opportunities throughout the county.
Joe Gorney, a Planner with the Department of Planning and Development, Environment and Development Review Branch. Mr. Gorney works collaboratively with other county agencies on a diverse range of environmental review topics, working to create a sustainable future for residents and employees. He was the staff lead for the Environmental Plan guidance update for the Reston planning study, designating Reston as “biophilic” community.
Craig Carinci, Director of Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, Stormwater Planning Division. Mr. Carinci provides excellence in leadership through monitoring and improving stream health. During his tenure as Director, Fairfax County has restored over 100,000 linear feet of streams, facilitated by his open-minded leadership and business acumen that fearlessly encourages his team to push forward on initiatives and collaborate with partners to achieve cost savings.
The Environmental Excellence Awards for organizations and businesses went to Trace the Zero Waste Store, which can be found at 140 Church Street NW in Vienna, and the grounds committee of the Montebello Condominium Unit Owners Association. Read More
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
McLean is getting its own independent bookstore, filling a geographical gap in between Vienna’s Bards Alley and One More Page Books in Arlington.
In fact, Fonts Books & Gifts owner Amber Taylor prepared to launch her own business by working as a bookseller and events manager at One More Page.
Taylor says opening her own store was her goal when she met with One More Page owner Eileen McGervey for coffee and a chat about four years ago. McGervey mentioned that she was hiring and suggested working at the Arlington shop would give Taylor useful experience.
“I immediately took her up on her offer (while still running my consulting business),” Taylor told FFXnow by email. “I truly believe the education she and her whole team gave me will be a key to my success. I’m excited to add another bookstore to the growing family of stores in Northern Virginia.”
Located at 6262B Old Dominion Drive in Chesterbrook Plaza, Fonts Books & Gifts will officially open its doors in October, but McLean residents can already support the business with purchases online through Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, for those inclined toward audiobooks.
In addition to books, the store will sell “unique gifts, greeting cards, journaling supplies, candles, stickers, ‘dry’ spirits and non-alcoholic beer, and more,” according to a press release.
Fonts also plans to host author events and book signings, book club meetings, journaling classes, comedy nights, and other activities, including fundraiser evenings to benefit local schools and nonprofits.
Some events could be held in a small outdoor reading area behind the 1,045-square-foot store that can accommodate eight to 10 people.
“One of my favorite things about local bookstores is the community they nurture,” Taylor said. “Customers and booksellers develop long relationships, driven by a shared love of books and stories. They help each other explore unknown worlds and topics. And, there is always something new coming in the door.”
Though originally from Ohio, Taylor says she has been an Arlington resident for 25 years, 10 of them in a neighborhood right on the McLean border. She notes that her daughter attended the Montessori School of McLean, which is directly behind Chesterbrook Plaza.
While this is her first attempt to run her own bookstore, Taylor says “books have always been an important part of my life and that of my family.” An avid reader, she has aunts and cousins who’ve worked as librarians and publishers.
She’s eager for Fonts to join Fairfax County’s growing independent bookstore scene, which also includes the kid-focused toy and book store Child’s Play at 6645 Old Dominion Drive.
“The importance of books and stories has just always been part of me,” Taylor said. “I am thrilled to now be a member of the independent bookstore community, especially at a time when it is more important than ever to support diverse and creative voices.”
