BUSINESS ACTIVITY
- Kilwins Fredericksburg opened this week at 721 Caroline St. downtown. The shop is well-known for its ice cream, fudge, candy and more. The business will be featured soon in the Biz Beat Clips video series.
- Strayer University has closed its local campus at 150 Riverside Parkway (Suite 100) in Stafford County. Strayer still has Virginia campuses in Arlington, Chesterfield, Loudoun, Newport News and Virginia Beach, according to its website.
- Logan’s Roadhouse at the Spotsylvania Towne Centre recently closed after failing to pay its rent, and the owner of the mall (Cafaro) last week donated 1,612 pounds of unused packaged food left behind at the restaurant to the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank rather than letting it go to waste. Cafaro spokesman Joe Bell said his company is seeking a new restaurant for the space. Separately, the cans from the 14th-annual “Canstruction” event on display this week at the mall will also be sent to the food bank.
- The 33,200-square-foot Value City Furniture store at 1731 Carl D. Silver Parkway in Fredericksburg will close as part of the chain’s bankruptcy liquidation. The space is available for lease with Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. A closing sale is under way at the local Value City store.
- Joshua Lawrence Salon, which has been at 417 William St. in downtown Fredericksburg for eight years, will close March 14.
- Ziba Hair Lounge is scheduled to open in April at 3130 Cowan Blvd. in Fredericksburg’s Central Park.
- Sansage Medical Spa plans to open a downtown Fredericksburg location at 415 William St., according to fliers on the window. Spaces Design Studio had been in that space and recently moved to 631 Prince Edward St. downtown.
- Luca Bee’s Baby Boutique plans to open May 1 at 1109 Caroline St. near the library in downtown Fredericksburg. The store will offer clothing and accessories for children and infants.
- Halal Munchies has opened at 44 Mine Road in Stafford in a space formerly occupied by Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop (which has a location at 2203 Plank Road in Fredericksburg).
- A new Dairy Queen location recently opened at 51 Civilian St. off U.S. 17 in Stafford.
- A new Edge Car Wash location recently opened at 50 Murphy Way in the Ferry Farm area of Stafford.
- A new Panda Express location recently opened at 1121 Courthouse Road in the Burns Corner area of Stafford.
- The Primrose School of Stafford at Embrey Mill recently opened at 805 Wonder Road.
- Dolee Nails & Spa recently opened at 825 Wonder Road in Stafford’s Embrey Mill area.
- Eden’s Market, a health-food store, has opened at 311 Frederick St. in downtown Fredericksburg.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
- Former Rappahannock Area YMCA CEO Barney Reiley will be honored Friday in Richmond with a resolution by the Senate of Virginia recognizing his 42 years at the Y, 32 of which he served as chief executive. Reiley retired in 2025. He is a planned upcoming guest on our Biz Beat Banter podcast.
- Fitzhugh Johnson, who has made a name for himself at a young age as a local commercial real estate broker for Johnson Realty Advisors after some early life struggles, is the subject of this week’s edition of the Biz Beat Banter podcast. (As an aside, Johnson Realty Advisors has moved into its new space at 509 Lafayette Blvd. in Fredericksburg, across the street from its longtime former office.)
- Biscuit Batch, a restaurant in Spotsylvania Courthouse Village, is the subject of this week’s Biz Beat Clips video.
- The Stafford Hospital Auxiliary has raised the money needed to purchase a blood bank tube sealer for the lab benefitting the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
- Rappahannock Goodwill Industries (RGI) has been selected to present at the 2026 Virginia Workforce Symposium April 20–21 in Harrisonburg. RGI’s session, “Never Write Another Resume: How Skills-Based Hiring is Transforming Recruitment in the Age of AI,” will highlight how artificial intelligence and skills-based assessments are reshaping hiring practices across Virginia.
- Michelle Duggins, owner and chef of Michelle’s Table, will be executive chef at the planned Curio Wine Bistro & Bar at 205 William St. in downtown Fredericksburg. The location is just down from Curio’s current location at 209 William St. The two buildings share a courtyard at the rear.
- The Oberle Academy in Fredericksburg has appointed Kristi Allison as director of workforce development. Allison was formerly a teacher and then coordinator of career and technical education at James Monroe High School. Most recently, she was a secondary workforce development specialist for the Virginia Department of Education. The Oberle Academy President and CEO Al Fagan will be the guest on next week’s edition of the Biz Beat Banter podcast.
REAL ESTATE REVIEW
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This home on Paige Lane in Spotsylvania topped the list of home sales in the region for the past two weeks. The house sold for $1.26 million.
There were 200 homes sold in the past two weeks in the Fredericksburg area, including four for more than $1 million, according to the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors’ weekly sales list. Check back weekly for the new list.
- The Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors last week voted to require special-use permits for data centers in the county.
- The Stafford Planning Commission last week voted to defer discussion on the mixed-use development called the Market at Austin Ridge, which would be on more than 25 acres at the corner of Courthouse Road and the future Austin Ridge Drive extended.
- The Fredericksburg area’s population continues to grow, especially in Caroline County, which is the fourth-fastest-growing county in Virginia, according to figures released last week by the George Washington Regional Commission.
- A site plan has been submitted to the City of Fredericksburg for construction of phase one of the Jeremiah Community, the Micah Ecumenical Ministries housing project on the west side of Wicklow Drive at the end of Bakersfield Lane. The site plan calls for 80 institutional housing units and a 7,752-square-foot community center.
- Johnson Realty Advisors reports the following commercial leases being signed in February:
- Canes Baseball Inc., 1,800-square-foot office lease at 512 Lafayette Blvd. (Suite A) in Fredericksburg (former Johnson Realty Advisors space)
- CMR, 50,000-square-foot industrial lease at 16300 International St. in the Doswell area
- Salt Bible Church, 5,000-square-foot retail lease at 411 Chatham Heights Road in Stafford
- Applied Defense Concepts, 2,100-square-foot industrial lease at 4006 Leonard Drive (B-6) in Spotsylvania
- Brads Autoglass LLC, 1,435-square-foot industrial lease at 4949 Commerce Drive (#F3) in Spotsylvania
- Capital Pressure Supply, 3,272-square-foot flex lease at 10817 Courthouse Road in Spotsylvania
- Johnson Realty Advisors reports the following commercial sales in February:
- Landon Davis purchased the 1,600-square-foot office building at 301 Lafayette Blvd. in Fredericksburg from Wilson Real Estate Inc. for $675,000
- Dixon Street Holdings LLC purchased the 2,100-square-foot flex warehouse at 624 Wolfe St. in Fredericksburg from 4Carps LLC for $300,000
- Dr. Robert Sikora purchased the 2,400-square-foot medical-office condo at 2535 Cowan Blvd. in Fredericksburg from KJSM Properties LLC for $875,000
Biz Beat Roundup runs every Wednesday and includes a roundup of business news from around the Fredericksburg region. Send submissions to: bill.freehling@fredericksburgfreepress.com
