Business

4-story building to replace old structure that partially collapsed on Valentine’s Day 2015

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Manassas City Economic Development

A new, four-story, mixed-use development project is coming to Downtown Manassas.

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Raising Cane’s restaurant aims to replace old Bar Louie on Liberia

By Uriah Kiser
Photo: Raising Cane's Facebook page

Raising Canes wants to bring its brand of fried chicken tenders to the Manassas area. 

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New mural gives unique character to brewery in Yorkshire

By Rick Horner

The Eavesdrop Brewery in Yorkshire has undergone a very colorful facelift, one that according to general manager Sam Madden is giving the brewery a more eye-catching identity.

Over the last year, the owners of the brewery have brought in an artist to paint this mural across the building which as well as the brewery includes local businesses such as the Cairo Cafe, Eugene's Sausage and Fries, and the Renegade Classics Motorcycle Shop.

The mural, painted by artist Nick Zimbra, shows flora and fauna against a colorful background such as the rabbit running on the Renegade Classic shop front or the flowers on the front of the Cairo Cafe. Zimbra, who has worked on the mural over the course of three to four months, has done similar projects in Richmond where he is currently working on a mural for the Capital One building.

Madden praised the mural to Potomac Local News, saying that it's not something you would normally see in many places in Prince William County.

"Personally, I grew up in Prince William County. I'm like, man, there's no public art in. Yeah, it's so boring. So, like, stiff, but it was cool to see it," says Madden.

Madden also touts the uniqueness of the stores located next to the brewery, which includes The Drop Bottle Shop, which stocks hard-to-find ales. 

"So that's stuff that you can't find in your Harris Teeter, Safeway, the other places, the small batches that they make," said Madden.

Many of the stores and restaurants in the brewery managed to survive through the pandemic even as they had to limit the number of customers by half. Many of the restaurants were able to survive through food delivery apps like Doordash as well as curbside service, said Madden.

Eavesdrop Brewery opened in 2017 and offers not just homebrewed beer but also local offerings of cheeses, meats, and honey that are produced at farms west of Manassas, located between Marshall and Front Royal.

Eavesdrop Brewery is located off of Route 28 at 7223 Centerville Road in Yorkshire.


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Stafford defers on agreement linked to 5G testbed project until August

By Rick Horner
State and local officials cut a ribbon to open Stafford County's 5G technology test bed.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors has deferred an agreement with the Center for Innovative Technology until August.

The agreement would allow the county to contribute funds to pilot projects to the Virginia Smart Community Testbed. While federal, state, and private contributions are currently being made to the testbed Stafford County has no such agreement that would allow them to contribute to pilot projects.

Pilot projects that Stafford County has shown interest in investment include the development of flood sensing monitors that could trigger information though connected signs regarding road closures. This would be of particular interest to the county because of the flooding issues on Brooke Road that have constantly caused traffic issues and cut off residents in that area from being able to leave their homes.

Other potential projects of interest to Stafford have been the use of artificial intelligence to analyze data that has been collected for use in what county documents are calling "smart tourism." The concept of "smart tourism" would be put to use in better targeting of visitor spending, such use of A.I. has also been considered in helping with making business expansions more efficient though the usage of multiple data sources.

The county is in the process of drafting an agreement that could create such a mechanism for it to invest in testbed projects of interest. The contract would require information such as the specific task order for each pilot project that outlines the scope of the work as well as financial contributions from the county, CIT, private partners, federal, and state agencies.

The Virginia Smart Community Testbed, which is also using newly-developed 5G cell phone technology, is located at the Stafford County Courthouse and was officially opened in late May. The testbed has made agreements with many private companies such as Verizon as other federal and state agencies to develop smart technology.

The testbed is the first of its kind in the Commonwealth giving Stafford County a chance to become a hotbed of emerging technologies.


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Holiday Inn Fredericksburg Conference Center opens

By Potomac Local News
Patel

A newly-renovated hotel and conference center is expected to draw thousands to the Stafford County and Fredericksburg region.

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Updated: Prince William to host webinar on future of remote working

By Potomac Local News

For those learning to balance work and leisure, as well as the pressures of working remotely from home, the Prince William County Department of Economic Development will host a webinar.

The pandemic forced us to work and learn in new ways that revealed new concerns in the workplace, such as the need to connect with each other or the struggle of prioritizing a healthy work-life balance while working from home.

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Stafford launches monthly lunch & learn entrepreneurial series

By Press Release

Join the business community on July 15, 2021, from noon until 1 p.m. in the Virginia Smart Community Testbed, next to the county government center, for a sponsor-provided lunch and must-have discussion on business tax benefits from award-winning tax and accounting firm Cherry Bekaert LLP.

All businesses have seen disruptions in operations and revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. If you have seen a decline in gross revenue for your business in 2020-2021, join this complimentary lunch and learn about future tax benefit solutions and options.

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Meadery to expand into Fredericksburg following permit approval

By Rick Horner

A special use permit applied for by Haley's Honey Meadery has been approved by the Fredericksburg City Council.

Haley's, which is located in Hopewell over an hour south of Fredericksburg, will soon open a second location in the city. Haley's will be located at the old Pure Gas Station on Princess Anne Street and is currently under construction to be rebuilt as a tasting room and specialty restaurant.

The conditions of the special use permit will allow Haley's to operate a tasting room that will allow customers to sample ciders, mead, and wine which are made in Virginia. The permits also allow Haley's to sell those types of alcoholic beverages, none of those beverages will be made in the Fredericksburg restaurant but instead will be shipped up from their main location in Hopewell.

Haley's owner Tonya Haley told Potomac Local News that she was attracted to the area because of the upcoming breweries, wineries, and distillers that have come to the city over the last few years. The owners of those establishments and other members of the community brought the growing vibrancy and economic development to Haley's attention which encouraged her decision to open a new location in Fredericksburg.

Haley hopes to have the Fredericksburg location open before August.

Haley's will open in the Canal Quarter of the city which has been rezoned along with several nearby areas as a Creative Maker zone. The goal of the zone is to attract new and innovative businesses and allow them to create an identity that will make them unique and add to the charm and appeal of Fredericksburg.

"I'm looking forward to joining the Fredericksburg community," says Haley.

Haley's Honey Meadery will be located at 1600 Princess Anne Street in Downtown Fredericksburg and plans to operate from noon to 10 p.m. once it's open.

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Virginia drops case against restaurant that defied governor’s coronavirus orders

By Rick Horner
Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, and Gourmeltz restaurant owners Maria and Matt Strickland. [Photo: Rick Horner/PLN]

The state dropped its case against a Fredericksburg-area restaurateur that defied orders to comply with Gov. Ralph Northam's coronavirus pandemic protocols.

The move comes after Spotsylvania County Circuit Court Judge Richard Rigual in March ruled in favor of the restaurant after the stated tried to shut it down for defying Northam's Executive order which, among other things, ordered restaurants to operate at 50% capacity, prevent anyone from bellying up to the bar, and to require customers and employees wear masks.

Gourmeltz, the diner known for its oversized grilled cheese sandwiches, defied the governor during the duration of the pandemic. Northam lifted the mask mandate for unvaccinated people on May 15 and all remaining coronavirus restrictions on May 28.

At a press conference held at the Gourmeltz restaurant today, owner Matt Strickland, his wife Maria, and their attorney former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, of Georgia, now the head of Liberty Guard, said the restaurant's health department license would soon be restored.

"I'm glad that things went the way they did," said Strickland," We stood up for our rights against the government, for the rights of other restaurants, for the rights of the community."

Stickland's attorney Bob Barr, whose organization Liberty Guard funded the defense, claimed victory in the case saying that if the Virginia Government decided to go after Strickland again on these matters that they were prepared to fight again. Liberty Guard provided pro-bono legal services to the restaurant, Strickland told PLN. 

Strickland, an Army veteran, refused to comply with the state's orders, calling them unconstitutional. In court, the state described the restaurant as a threat to the community. 

"So, last week, I was a 'substantial and imminent threat to the community,' and this week I'm good to go," said Strickland.

Gourmeltz received regional attention in February when hundreds of people, coming from as far away as Baltimore, lined up to dine at the restaurant, to support Strickland's business. 

Gourmeltz is located at 10013 Jefferson Davis Highway in Spotsylvania County.

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