BUSINESS ACTIVITY
Husband-and-wife team Ada and Sean Steinway plan to soon open a tapas and cocktail bar at 312 William St. in Fredericksburg called Tierra Cocktail Bar. The Steinways have a food truck called Martina’s Cantina, and they said the food at Tierra will be Latin-inspired. It will feature indoor-outdoor dining using the property’s William Street frontage, courtyard and carriage house (Black Lace Boudoir will remain in the building). Sean Steinway recently ran for the House of Delegates, losing to incumbent Joshua Cole.- Stockyards Restaurant & Bar at 407-409 William St. in downtown Fredericksburg is planning to open the week of February 9. The owner is Darell Hertenstein, whose Hertenstein Investment Group has done several developments in King George and Westmoreland counties. The 10,000-square-foot business will feature a bar and restaurant, a mechanical bull, dancing and live music.
- Spaces Design Studio has moved from William Street to 631 Prince Edward St. in downtown Fredericksburg.
- New businesses planned in Fredericksburg include Black Horse Tattoo Studio at 3451 Fall Hill Ave., Central Virginia Wellness Institute at 2358 Plank Road and Sage Healing & Guidance at 915 Lafayette Blvd. (Suite C), according to last week’s FXBG Snap Shot newsletter.
- Stafford County’s Board of Supervisors last week approved incentive grants of $250,000 each to LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden, restaurant chains that want to come to the planned Courthouse West development south of Courthouse Road across from the Embrey Mill Town Center. The grants would give each eatery a 35 percent meals tax reimbursement for three years, up to $250,000.
- The business formerly called Cosmic Clawcade at the Spotsylvania Towne Centre is now called Planet Novak (one of the owner’s name is Clint Novak). Novak said he was notified of a trademark dispute regarding the word “Clawcade” shortly after opening, so he and his business partner decided to change the name rather than getting tied up in a legal battle. The business was recently featured in Biz Beat Clips.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
- The Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce has moved its planned 5th-annual Intern Expo to Feb. 17 at the Fredericksburg Convention Center.
- The guest on this week’s edition of the Biz Beat Banter podcast is Orofino restaurant owner Danilo Orofino, who discusses his journey from Sicily to Fredericksburg and the stops along the way.
- Smugglers Cafe, a half-pound cookie and coffee shop in downtown Fredericksburg going for a Disney-esque feel, is the subject of this week’s Biz Beat Clips video.
- Mary Washington Healthcare’s Regional Cancer Center Radiation Oncology has been awarded a three-year re-accreditation following a recent review by the American College of Radiology.
- Kevin Marshall has been named Spotsylvania County’s director of economic development. The former Board of Supervisors member had been serving as business development manager.
REAL ESTATE REVIEW
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The Counting House in Falmouth
Stafford County is working on a public-private effort with Van Zandt Restorations and Harkins Investments to rehabilitate the historic Counting House at 103 Gordon St. in Falmouth. The county recently transferred ownership of the house to the partnership in exchange for a commitment from the group to fix up the property within three years. That followed a Request for Proposal process in which interested parties were able to submit applications to rent or own the property, which was built around 1840 and needs significant renovations. The partnership is eyeing a bakery for the space called Falmouth Bottom Bakery and is hoping to find someone who is interested during the planning and construction process, said Van Zandt Restorations President and CEO Jon Van Zandt. Kevin Harkins, who is part of the partnership, is CEO of Harkcon Inc., which recently opened a headquarters office at 104 W. Cambridge St. in Falmouth. Stafford issued a news release about the effort that stated: “The Falmouth Redevelopment Area, which includes the Counting House, calls for strengthening Historic Falmouth as a destination where history is experienced through walkable streets, preserved architecture and interpretive storytelling that connects visitors to Stafford’s rich history.”
- There were 70 homes sold last week in the Fredericksburg area, including one for seven figures in Spotsylvania, according to FAAR’s weekly sales list. Check back weekly for the new list.
- King George County supervisors expressed support last week for the 300-acre Green Energy Ventures data center project off State Route 3 despite some resident concerns.
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
