Things were looking a little bleak at Lake Anne in December as winter officially began. Temperatures started to cool and evening business traffic on Washington Plaza slowed noticeably, as it does each year. Then the news hit that our hoped for game changer, the major revitalization project for Lake Anne Village and the Crescent Apartments, had been abandoned by the renowned developer frustrated with the public-private endeavor. Things began to get downright gloomy among merchants and residents in the village. The downward spiral accelerated when Lake Anne was buried in 29 inches of snow in the Great Whiteout of 2016. Ten days later, we are still digging out. We’ve hit bottom.
But, lo and behold, it seems the reports of the Lake Anne Village demise might be premature. Indeed, there are exciting prospects on the near-term horizon! Here’s what’s happening.
On Saturday, Feb. 6, the U. S. Post Office returns to Lake Anne, tucked neatly into Doris Tyler’s Chesapeake Chocolates along the quay. That’s right, a contract Post Office, like the one we lost a few years ago when the legendary Lake Anne Pharmacy closed, will return in one of my favorite shops. Imagine—a real Post Office co-located with Doris’s delicious chocolate creations (including her unique “4 for the 99 percent” gem), her Virginia wines and sundry other goodies! Doris worked hard to win the USPS competition for the new concession and to re-do her business to accommodate it.
In early March, Jason and Melissa Romano will open both the doors and their taps at the new Lake Anne Brew House right next door to Chesapeake Chocolates! Talk about hard work! Jason and Melissa are inventing their own beers in a nano brewery. The concept is so new that they were the first to run the gauntlet of a new regulatory process for approval to operate. It has taken much longer than they, or we the thirsty ones, had hoped.
Furthermore, they utilized Kickstarter’s innovative app to raise over $25,000 online from folks who liked their business plan and agreed to pony some bucks to help out. Scores of people from Lake Anne and beyond chipped in. In return, we get some beer discounts, personal growlers and such at a nice neighborhood pub. Jason and Melissa, not only got some capital to start up, they also get scores of people who believe in them and who most certainly will be their customers!
Wait, there’s more! The Lake Anne Coffee House, which sadly had been in a state of decline, has new owners, Rick and Eve Thompson, who already oversee the Lake Anne Condominium and run the Saturday Crafts Market on the Plaza. They are renovating the entire building (originally a townhouse) and hope to open a classier coffee house in early March. A few years ago, the Coffee House drew crowds of customers, especially during the May-November Reston Farmers Market season, but also during the slower winter months. It will be good to have it back.
Late-breaking news! In addition to the reopened Coffee House, the Thompsons are adding a wine bar, another first for little Lake Anne, which will now feature no less than five diverse places to find your favorite drink.
All this is happening now. Lake Anne’s outlook is suddenly promising, with desirable new businesses injecting new life. A tip of the Progressive’s hat to local entrepreneurs bringing revitalization to Lake Anne from within!