BUSINESS ACTIVITY
An orthopedic practice will open in the former home of the John F. Fick III Conference Center at 1301 Sam Perry Blvd. (second floor of the building known as the Carl D. Silver Health Center) near Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. Mary Washington Orthopedics in affiliation with FOA will open there in a little over a month. The facility will consolidate two Fredericksburg orthopedic office locations into one. The Mary Washington Orthopedics location at 3310 Fall Hill Ave. will move April 27, and the practice at 2800 Wellford St. will move May 4. The neighboring physical therapy offices are not moving at this time, according to Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC). MWHC is currently building a 38,700-square-foot facility next to the Snowden House across from the hospital that will have a conference center, educational space for graduate-medical students, offices and more. The two orthopedic offices being consolidated into one used to be two separate practices that later both came under the MWHC umbrella (hence the two current locations). MWHC does not have plans finalized for the first floor of the Carl D. Silver Health Center building (the space that formerly housed the now-closed Moss Free Clinic).- Fearless Gluten-Free Cafe at 610 Caroline St. in Downtown Fredericksburg will close March 28. Owner Tim Trask said on social media that he is “exploring new ways to continue the Fearless mission in a different business model.” The Caroline Street space is available for lease with Mitchell Properties.
- Pearlescent Candle Co. will open at 809 Caroline St. in Downtown Fredericksburg. The business is targeting opening in mid-to-late April.
- Empower & Sparkle Studios, a photography studio, is opening at 606 Caroline St. in Downtown Fredericksburg.
- Enhanced Veterans Solutions Inc., a technology-solutions company, will open at 2105 Plank Road in Fredericksburg.
- Blossom Nails & Spa has opened at 805 Lafayette Blvd. in Fredericksburg.
- First Heritage Mortgage has opened a new branch at 150 Riverside Parkway, Suite 115, in Stafford County.
- The Salvation Army will close its thrift store in Fredericksburg’s Eagle Village shopping center on March 30. Rappahannock Goodwill Industries plans to open a store in that space, according to property owner Broad Reach Retail Partners.
- Little Fish Swimming has opened a location in the New Post area off U.S. 17 in Spotsylvania County — its fourth in the region. A McDonald’s and Sheetz are under construction nearby at the New Post development.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
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HFFI recognized efforts to preserve the historic Goolrick’s sign.
Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Inc. at its annual awards presentation this past weekend recognized the following people, businesses and institutions for their historic preservation efforts:
- James Jarrell, David Morris and Jeh Hicks for careful restoration of the historic Goolrick’s pharmacy neon sign
- Jamie Scully for rehabilitation of the historic duplex at 240-242 Charles St.
- Jewels Jarrell Stover for the historic tax-credit rehabilitation of the circa-1821 dwelling at 507 Caroline St.
- Betty Westerlund and Naomi Hoehn of Town & Country Elite Realty for rehabilitation of the historic house at 1315 Charles St.
- Chris Whitman of Habilis Construction for his work to conserve, repair and restore the sandstone quoins of the Lewis Store
- Blanton Massey for preserving stories and places associated with the DeBaptiste family of free Blacks
- Hamilton Palmer for decades of support for historic preservation and rehabilitation of significant historic resources in downtown Fredericksburg
- University of Mary Washington (UMW) Professor Michael Spencer for his dedication to professional excellence in the field of Historic Preservation
- The Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia and the UMW Historic Preservation-Special Collections Library for the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of Mutual Assurance of Virginia policies
- Jack Scholl, owner of Hyperion Espresso in Fredericksburg, is the subject of this week’s edition of the Biz Beat Banter podcast.
- Stockyards, a new country-and-western-themed bar and restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg, is the subject of this week’s Biz Beat Clips video.
- The Fredericksburg Department of Economic Development & Tourism is inviting Fredericksburg businesses to participate in a business vitality survey through Thursday. The responses will help the department better understand opportunities and challenges facing the business community.
- Mary Washington Home Health has been named a Best Home Health agency for 2026 by U.S. News & World Report.
- Family law attorney Shawna Stevens has opened an office at 307 Lafayette Blvd., Suite 200, in Fredericksburg.
- Angela Tran has been hired as chief financial officer for The Community Foundation.
- The Fredericksburg Parks, Recreation & Events Department has been awarded a $20,000 grant from The Jack O’Neill Fund for a Green Community of The Community Foundation to support sustainability initiatives at Motts Run Reservoir Recreation Area.
- Area resident William “Billy” Beale retired this month as president and CEO of Richmond-based Blue Ridge Bankshares, according to a bank announcement. Beale was hired out of retirement in 2023 and spent almost three years at Blue Ridge.
- Locally based real estate firm Angstadt Properties announced this week that it has opened an office in downtown Nashville.
REAL ESTATE REVIEW
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This home on Rosni Way in Spotsylvania sold last week for $1.96 million. Click the link in the first bullet point of this section to see what other homes sold in the past week locally.
There were 85 homes sold in the past two weeks in the Fredericksburg area, including one for nearly $2 million, according to the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors’ (FAAR) weekly sales list. The list also reveals that the first townhouse sale closed at Fredericksburg’s Mary’s Landing development off Fall Hill Avenue for $499,990. Check back weekly for the new list.
- Downtown Fredericksburg is in the running for Garden & Gun Magazine’s annual bracket-style competition to determine the “Best Main Street in the South.” The competition highlights 16 Southern downtowns known for their charm, local businesses, dining and sense of community. Voting is open to the public and conducted through an online bracket, with winners advancing through rounds. “This is more than just a title, it’s a chance to showcase everything that makes Downtown Fredericksburg so special,” said Chris Allen, executive director of Fredericksburg Main Street. “From our small businesses and restaurants to our events and historic character, this
recognition reflects the heart of our community. Now we need our residents, visitors, and supporters to show up and vote.”
Community members can quickly cast their vote here every hour. - Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced the following recent lease transactions in the area:
- Dynamic Foot and Ankle Center, 9,500 square feet of office space at 10304 Spotsylvania County in Spotsylvania
- North America Lighting LLC, 3,300 square feet of industrial space at Longwood Two, 11001 Houser Drive, in Spotsylvania
- Bavaria Auto, 3,000 square feet of industrial space at Longwood Industrial, 230 Industrial Drive, in Spotsylvania (renewal)
- EH Home Health of the Mid Atlantic LLC, 2,713 square feet of office space at Lee’s Hill Commercial Office, 10703 Spotsylvania Avenue, in Spotsylvania
- Whitman, Requardt and Associates LLP, 2,574 square feet of office space at Central Park Corporate Center, 1320-1440 Central Park Blvd., in Fredericksburg
- Diamond Game Enterprises Inc., 2,000 square feet of industrial space at Airport Center, 3509 Shannon Park Drive, in Spotsylvania (renewal)
- Dr. Suzanne Richmond, 2,070 square feet of office space at Breezewood Office Park, 10719 Ballantraye Drive, in Spotsylvania
- GAAS, 2,000 square feet of industrial space at Quarles Warehouses, 101 Juliad Court, in Stafford (renewal)
- Central Virginia Surgi-Center LP expanded with an additional 1,500 square feet of office space at 1500 Dixon Street in Fredericksburg
- Pro Relief LLC, 1,440 square feet of office space at North Stafford Office Park, 239 Garrisonville Road, in Stafford
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
