The Block, a popular food hall in Annandale that has served the community since 2016, will close by the end of August.The owner of the Eastgate Shopping Center on John Marr Drive, Brian Kim, has informed tenants on the northern side of the property that they have to vacate the space by Aug. 31.In addition to The Block, Kimen Ramen & Izakaya, ...
The Block, a popular food hall in Annandale that has served the community since 2016, will close by the end of August.
The owner of the Eastgate Shopping Center on John Marr Drive, Brian Kim, has informed tenants on the northern side of the property that they have to vacate the space by Aug. 31.
In addition to The Block, Kimen Ramen & Izakaya, Chicken Pelicana, and B-Thrifty are all closing.
Kim is demolishing that section of the shopping strip to make way for a multifamily housing building. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the project in October 2023.
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Christopher Travieso, the owner of B-Thrifty, hopes to find another large enough space in Annandale, but that’s challenging as commercial space here is $50 per square foot. Brian Kim has been helping find a new location.
“We’re very sad. We love Annandale,” Travieso said.
Most of his employees have been at the store since it opened in 2020. “They are great employees,” he said, and no one will lose their job. He offered them positions at the other B-Thrifty stores – in Woodbridge and Camp Spring, Md. – and will provide shuttle service to their new jobs.
Travieso is opening another B-Thrifty store in Manassas and is launching an online store on Sept. 15.
He is planning a big sale at the Annandale store starting in mid-August to clear out inventory before it closes.
Employees at Kimen Ramen & Izakaya and Chicken Pelicana weren’t sure what the owners of those restaurants are going to do.
Among vendors at The Block, Sarah Rash, owner of Bold Dumpling, wants to stay in Annandale but hasn’t found a building yet. “I don’t want to lose my customers, and most of my staff live here,” she said. Bold Dumpling opened seven years ago.
Other vendors at The Block are relocating out of the area. Balô Kitchen plans to reopen in Crystal City in October or November. Pokeworks is moving to Fairfax, and SnoCream is relocating to the Fair Oaks area.
Businesses on the other side of B-Thrifty will remain open.