Since April 16, a banner has hung over the old John Edwards Hair Design sign at the corner of Church and Center streets. It reads "Future Home of Bards Alley Bookshop." The salon cut hair in that building for 55 years. It closed in mid-January when owner John Kurcina retired, and Bards Alley owner Jennifer Morrow bought the building for $1.5 million in early February, FFXnow reported.
That handoff is a small version of what happened up and down Church Street this year. Businesses where you came in for a service and left have closed. In their place came a mahjong club, a Yemeni restaurant that serves platters for two, an espresso bar and a bookstore planning a room set aside for book clubs. The Church Street Holiday Stroll falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving, and it will be the first one with this lineup.
What closed, and what replaced it
Between January and October 2026, five Church Street addresses got new occupants or new plans.
| Address | Before | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 101 Church St. NW, Unit D | Space above Sushi Yoshi | The Bamboo Room, a mahjong social club |
| 111 Church St. NW | Vacant after Le Bistro closed | Sheeba, a Yemeni restaurant |
| 145 Church St. NW | Not publicly identified | Kin Espresso Bar |
| 108 Church St. NE | Diamond Spa, there since 2007 | MOSS Building & Design headquarters |
| 103 Church St. NE | John Edwards Hair Design, 55 years | Future home of Bards Alley Bookshop |
Two businesses that had been on the street for a long time account for 74 combined years in their buildings. The spa occupied its building from 2007 until it closed earlier this year, and the salon was there for 55 years.
Three new places built for staying
The Bamboo Room, upstairs at 101
Jennifer Groves had taught mahjong locally for about a year when she announced plans to open The Bamboo Room above Sushi Yoshi, according to FFXnow. She teaches the American version of the game. She told the outlet that players of other styles are welcome too, and that the intro session on terminology and tiles alone runs two and a half hours. She described the club as a place to meet people. "I love watching the connections at the table," Groves told FFXnow.
The club's pricing page sets a two-hour open play session at $22 for nonmembers, or $10 for members after their included sessions are used up. Classes are priced as follows:
- American Mahjong 101: $75
- Mahjong 102: $60
- Guided play: $35 for nonmembers
The club's calendar lists dated sessions for open play, lessons and leagues, and you sign up for sessions in advance. It doesn't post general walk-in hours.
Sheeba, in the old Le Bistro space at 111
Sheeba is a family-owned Yemeni chain based in Michigan, and the Vienna restaurant is its first franchise outside that state. Nadir Naimi held a friends-and-family dinner there on Aug. 21 and opened to the public the next day, FFXnow reported. His family has run restaurants in the area before, including Alf Layah in Chantilly and Babalu in Tysons. Naimi is 26, and this is the first venture of his own. On opening weekend he told the outlet, "The utmost priority is the customer experience."
The menu is set up for sharing. It lists fahsah at $24, lamb haneeth, mandi, and a platter for two at $65. The chain's website still lists only its Michigan locations, so call the restaurant to confirm hours before you go.
Kin Espresso Bar, at 145
Kin soft-opened on July 6. Patch reported that manager Nicole Badraa described it as family-owned with Yuna Tsatsralt. FFXnow called it an espresso and matcha bar, and the menu bears that out. A carrot-cake matcha costs $7.50, a Kyoto latte $6.25 and a Japanese cream soda $6.50. The menu also has affogato and drinks without coffee.
Kin's site lists these hours:
- Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sunday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fifty more people on the street during the day
MOSS Building & Design is the one new tenant that isn't a gathering place, and it still adds to the street. The home remodeling firm is moving its headquarters from 4125 Lafayette Center Drive in Chantilly into the former Diamond Spa at 108 Church St. NE. FFXnow reported that the move would bring about 50 employees. A day spa had a steady flow of appointments. A 50-person office means 50 more people working a short walk from Kin, which opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays. Vienna Ledger reported that the firm had scheduled its ribbon cutting for the evening of Oct. 22.
The bookstore bought its building
Bards Alley opened in 2017 and has leased its storefront at 110 Church St. NW ever since. Morrow decided it was time for a permanent home. She bought the 1,686-square-foot building at 103 Church St. NE, which dates to about 1900 and sits two minutes' walk from the current shop. She explained the choice to FFXnow:
"My primary goal was to remain on historic Church Street, which is a hub for restaurants and small local retail shops. It's a walkable and bike friendly area and easily accessible from the W&OD trail."
The new building also fixes a long-standing problem for the store. Author talks and book clubs have always been held on the sales floor. At 103 Church, the store plans a dedicated room for meetings and events, private customer parking, a receiving room and office space.
On Oct. 15, the Town of Vienna's Board of Architectural Review took up the store's sign and exterior applications. The staff report lists the proposed work:
- Removing the shutters and replacing the windows and doors
- New exterior lighting and a second egress door
- A deck and ramp, with new pavers
- An owl weathervane on top
A meeting summary from Citizen Portal reported that the board approved the projecting sign and the exterior changes, with conditions. The store's own move page puts the moving date around early 2027 and says it will post updates. Until then, the shop is still open at 110 Church St. NW.
How to spend November 30 on the new Church Street
The Town lists the Church Street Holiday Stroll for Monday, Nov. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., centered on the Freeman Store and Museum. It's free, and the Town says Church Street businesses will be open. This year, that list includes a mahjong club upstairs at 101, Yemeni platters at 111 and matcha at 145. Here is how the evening runs:
- 6 p.m. The stroll begins with Santa, live holiday music from local groups, firepits for roasting marshmallows, and a tree lighting led by Mayor Linda Colbert.
- Early in the evening. Pick up a gingerbread ornament at one of the decorating stations along the street.
- By 7:10 p.m. Turn in your finished ornament for judging at the Explore Vienna VA tent across from the Freeman Store. Prize packs of gift cards to local businesses go to artists of all ages in several categories.
- 7:30 p.m. Winners are announced.
- Anytime. Visit the historic stops: the Freeman Store and Museum, the Little Library, the Caboose, the Train Station, the Knights of Columbus building that was formerly First Baptist Church, and Vienna Presbyterian's Old Chapel. Then take a photo at the gingerbread house arch at the end of Church Street near Lawyers Road.
For questions about the stroll, call Historic Vienna, Inc. at 703-938-5187.
If the stroll is too crowded for a proper Santa visit, Historic Vienna, Inc. is hosting two more at the Freeman Store on Sunday, Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 13, from noon to 2 p.m. Both are free, and no reservation is needed. The line forms outside at the side porch. On either Sunday, Kin is open until 5 p.m., so you can get coffee before or after.
If you'd like to talk through what's planned for the blocks around downtown Vienna, Tom Angel is happy to share what he's been following. Let's Connect.
