Ballston mall’s much-anticipated metamorphosis into the shiny new Ballston Quarter continues, and developer Forest City has just unveiled the first cadre of retailers to sign on.
Much like the restaurants on deck for its Quarter Market food hall, which include D.C. startups like Timber Pizza Co. and Buredo, the retail mix will be decidedly local and regional in flavor.
Tenants on board to fill the 850,000 square-foot shopping destination now include Steadfast Supply, a “creative economy” purveyor and curator of cool home, fashion and artisanal goods by independent designers and brands, which opened its first storefront at The Yards in D.C.; the homegrown women’s boutique Gossip, which owner Katherine Glorioso Dress is relocating from its original 23rd St. location in Crystal City to Ballston; and the family-owned Potomac River Running , a go-to for running gear, which has eight locations throughout Northern Virginia.
Additional confirmed tenants include the fashion and accessories boutiques Scout and Molly’s and Francesca’s, both of which have stores in the Mosaic District and other locations nationwide. The co-mingling of local, regional and national brands is an intentional play designed to create a more personalized shopping and dining experience.
“These dynamic regional businesses, paired with major national brands and our growing lineup of best-in-class experiential and dining offerings establishes Ballston Quarter as the pinnacle of what modern shopping developments will become as the future of retail takes form,” Forest City senior vice president of development Will Voegele said in a press statement.
Slated for completion this fall, Ballston Quarter will include 360,000 square feet of retail; an 18-concept, 25,000 square-foot food hall; a 22-story, 406-unit residential building and 176,000 square feet of office space. Forest City representatives are betting the concept will appeal to customers who like to know their baristas and shopkeepers by name, and meet the brewmaster behind their favorite IPA.
“The theme is really all about creating a community hub with a collection of best-in-class retail, dining, entertainment, wellness and experiential offerings that will appeal to all ages,” Voegele says.
Other tenants rounding out the “experiential” vibe of the massive complex include the arcade and karaoke emporium Punch Bowl Social, Cookology, a destination for culinary classes, and Regal Cinemas.
Continuing the larger transformation of this metro-adjacent urban village, a “small format” Target is slated to open nearby, at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Glebe Road, in 2021.