Around Town

Several Fairfax County bookstores are participating in an annual bookstore crawl program in Northern Virginia this spring.

The third annual NoVa+ Bookstore Crawl Passport program kicks off this Saturday (April 25) at 18 independent bookstores across Northern Virginia, including Bards Alley and Big Planet Comics in Vienna, Scrawl Books in Reston and Fonts Books & Gifts in McLean.


Countywide

A new Fairfax County government pilot program aims to make life easier for small business owners seeking to make minor alterations before they open their stores.

The Tenant Support Services (TSS) initiative is designed to move applicants through the permit approval process more efficiently by providing “early guidance, clear expectations and coordinated review support,” county officials said in announcing the effort.


Around Town

Though Fairfax City has a varied dining scene, a couple from Nepal saw a void that they could fill with their home country’s cuisine.

The resulting restaurant Wow Nepal, located at 10728 Fairfax Blvd, had its soft opening on Jan. 28. Chef Bewek Bastola runs it alongside his wife, Samrina Pandit.


Around Town

Vienna Inn will celebrate its lasting power in town by commemorating its 66th anniversary in February.

The restaurant’s 66th anniversary celebration begins this week with a month-long series of events and specials to thank customers for over six decades of support.


Around Town

Thanksgiving week has arrived, and for many local businesses, that means a critical holiday shopping season will soon be in full swing.

Small Business Saturday sales are expected to deliver nearly 20% of the annual revenue, on average, for small businesses this year, according to a study by American Express, which created the occasion in 2010.


News

At a time when small businesses locally and nationally are starting to feel the economic fallout of federal spending cuts and tariffs, the City of Fairfax is doing its part to give those businesses a promotional boost.

Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED) is nearing the halfway point of its Small Business Month celebrations, which kicked off on April 28 and will culminate on May 31 with a retail fair in Old Town Square (10415 North Street).


Around Town

The locally owned businesses at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston hope residents will still have an appetite for shopping after they get stuffed on Thanksgiving and scramble to take advantage of (or avoid) Black Friday.

Several shops at the plaza will offer discounts, specials and other deals throughout the day on Small Business Saturday, which falls this year on Nov. 30, according to OmBaked CBD Boutique, one of the participants.


News

A McLean resident has pleaded guilty to spending federal COVID-19 relief funds intended for his home business on personal expenses, including gambling and real estate payments.

Mehdi Pazouki, 65, pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday (Feb. 23) to defrauding the Small Business Administration of approximately $455,000 in loans created to help businesses survive during the pandemic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Eastern District of Virginia.


News

Fairfax City is browsing for makers of art, crafts and other products who want to expand beyond an online shop or farmers’ market stall but aren’t quite ready to commit to a full storefront.

Those are the budding entrepreneurs that the Fairfax City Economic Development team (FCED) hopes to attract to Wander In, an upcoming retail incubator store that the city is developing with the Old Town Fairfax Business Association (OTFBA).


News

The Herndon Town Council wants to move forward with creating a new advisory committee focused on the small business community.

The committee would focus on developing recommendations from the town’s recent business survey, which highlighted the business community’s desire for more support from the town.


View More Stories