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MANASSAS, VA — The federal government shutdown is forcing Taste of NoVA to make plans for a new location this coming weekend.

The event was meant to happen at the National Museum of the U.S. Army in Fort Belvoir, but that facility is closed during the government shutdown. Instead, it will happen at the NOVA LIVE campus, 9665 Discovery Blvd., Manassas, VA. NOVA LIVE, formerly known as Farm Brew Live, is home to The Black Sheep Restaurant, 2 Silos Brewing, Brentsville Hall and more restaurants plus an outdoor live music space.

"We’re grateful to Villagio Hospitality Group and Prince William County for their extraordinary support in helping us make this happen so quickly," said Sang Yang, CEO of Northern Virginia Magazine, via a Northern Virginia Magazine story.

Taste of NoVA is still scheduled to happen over the weekend of Oct. 11 and 12. Federal government workers can use promo code GOV20 to get 20 percent off of general admission tickets with a valid government ID at TasteOfNoVA.com.Please see the full details in our story and feel free to pull from there for any story updates.

Taste of NoVA, hosted by Northern Virginia Magazine, is a returning food and drink festival with representation from around the region. Attendees will get unlimited tastings from top restaurants, breweries, wineries and distilleries. This year. Saturday features a Signature Sips & Bites event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday is the main event, the Grand Tasting with at least 50 restaurants from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Early admission attendees can get into both days an hour early at 12 p.m.

New this year are live cooking demonstrations with several chefs, including Chef Matt Hill of Ruthie’s All-Day and chef Bertrand Chemel of 2941 Restaurant. Another new feature for 2025 is a speaker series with expert sommeliers, brewmasters, distillers and mixologists who will share insights into their beverages.

At the event, Northern Virginia Magazine will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Chef Patrick O'Connell of Michelin-starred The Inn at Little Washington. O’Connell will join NBC4’s Eun Yang for a conversation about his acclaimed restaurant.

The developer shared plans for traffic configuration changes with the new Wawa along Route 28.

MANASSAS, VA — A new Wawa convenience store and gas station were approved Tuesday by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors on the Route 28 corridor in the Yorkshire neighborhood. The board approved rezoning and a special use permit to allow the store.

The convenience store will be located at 8314 Maplewood Drive to the east of Route 28. It will join fellow Pennsylvania-founded Sheetz in the Yorkshire neighborhood. There are several Wawa locations in the Manassas area but none yet in Yorkshire.

Wawa has not shared an anticipated opening date for the new location. Wawa is a gas station and convenience store with made-to-order food, coffee and more offerings.

The public hearing had one public speaker discuss the store's impact on traffic flow. Enson Guerra, who lives near the planned Wawa, expressed concerns about traffic conditions at Route 28 intersections with Maplewood Drive and Leland Road, particularly in the morning. Guerra said cars block the intersection when drivers on Maplewood Drive and Leland Road have a green light to turn onto Route 28.

"A lot of times they block the entire green light cycle so individuals who are trying to commute during the morning off of Maplewood and Leland Road are stuck on those roads because the drivers ignore the 'do not block intersection' signs," said Guerra. "So with this Wawa being developed there on that corner, this is only going to increase traffic from cars merging out of the gas station and further blocking it up and causing issues."

Guerra supports the Wawa use but asked if the county could put a red light camera at the intersection to address cars blocking the intersection.

Jessica Pfeiffer, representing Wawa's preferred developer Frontier Companies, said left turns to Route 28 will be eliminated from that side of Maplewood Drive. A right turn lane from Route 28 and left turn lane from Maplewood Drive will be added to enter the Wawa. Pfeiffer said signal timing adjustments sought by surrounding residents will also be added when the transportation improvements occur. The transportation improvements are expected to begin construction in late 2027 and be completed in late 2028 or early 2029.

The City of Manassas has received a development proposal involving the former Olde Towne Inn property and another city-owned site.

MANASSAS, VA — A new development has been proposed for several downtown Manassas sites.

The proposal from MLG Construction Management Services LLC involves the former Olde Towne Inn property (9403 Main Street), the Manassas Ice and Fuel Company (MIFCO) property (next to City Hall along Center Street) and City Hall parking lot. According to the city, the development would bring a four-story boutique hotel with dining, retail and meeting space, five-story multifamily residential building, and parking deck with more than 500 public spaces to replace existing City Hall and Blue Lot spots and provide public parking.

The development would come under a public-private partnership.

"This transformative project is envisioned as a catalyst for downtown revitalization and will stand as a new civic and economic landmark for the City of Manassas," an upcoming development presentation to the city reads.

In January, City Council approved an agreement to buy the Manassas Ice and Fuel Company downtown property and acquired the Olde Towne Inn site. The Olde Towne Inn site, demolished in 2023, has an interim public parking use. The current MIFCO site involves an abandoned gas station and outdated warehouse and storage buildings.

The developer must follow Virginia and Manassas Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act guidelines because it involves a city-owned parking garage at City Hall. The city says it would contribute most of the funds for the parking garage proposal.

Under the guidelines, the city would formally accept the proposal and accept competing proposals for 45 days. City Council will consider acceptance of the proposal on Sept. 22, but this is not a final action approving the development. The public will be able to comment at rezoning hearings and City Council discussions.

The home furnishings store has deeply discounted its remaining inventory at a store in Northern VA as it prepares for closure.

MANASSAS, VA — Home furniture and decor retailer At Home will close more than 20 stores nationwide by the end of the month as part of its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company confirmed this week.

One Northern Virginia location is among 29 stores closing nationwide in September. Earlier this year, At Home boasted nine locations in the Commonwealth.

The site targeted to close by the end of September is at 8300 Sudley Road in Manassas.

According to court documents filed in June, 26 stores were on the path to shut their doors by Sept. 30, including two of its nine in Virginia. The other store to shut down then was at 19460 Compass Creek Pkwy., Leesburg; it is no longer on the current closings list.

In recent weeks, the company has been running going-out-of-business sales at the stores set to be shuttered.

Hilco, the firm overseeing the closures, has told customers to consult shopgenius.com to find the nearest closing store.

At Home has other locations in Virginia that will remain open, including stores in Dale City, Chantilly, and Fredericksburg, according to the company's website.

The company points to a "challenging commercial environment brought on by both broader economic and retail-specific market pressures" and macroeconomic issues like increased tariffs for placing significant pressure on their revenue and cost structure.

At Home now has 260 locations nationwide after reducing its footprint by six stores over the past year. Nationwide, the company employs nearly 7, 200 people. The expenses associated with brick-and-mortar locations, and other issues affecting the retail industry are now causing the remaining stores to be operating at sub-optimal performance levels.

Ownership of At Home will be transferred to a group of hedge funds and other firms based in New York City and San Francisco as part of June's bankruptcy filings. The lenders hold more than 95 percent of the company's debt.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with our lenders, which represents a critical and positive advancement of our work to best position At Home for the future,” said Brad Weston, Chief Executive Officer of At Home said of the restructuring plan.

The company joins Big Lots, Joann Fabrics, Kohl's, JCPenney, Macy's and Party City in the group of major retailers announcing closings just this year.

Patch staffers Miranda Ceja and Eddie Callahan contributed reporting.

Virginia Gateway is getting a boost in new retailers and restaurants that will join the recently opened Shotted café.

GAINESVILLE, VA — Shoppers in western Prince William County will soon find a boost in the retailer and restaurant options at one shopping center. Virginia Gateway shopping center owner Federal Realty announced six future businesses coming to Virginia Gateway, joining a recently opened café.

According to Federal Realty, Sephora, Warby Parker, Call Your Mother, South Block, Auntie Anne’s, and Cinnabon will open at Virginia Gateway by summer 2026.

Federal Realty Investment Trust says it has pursued a "remerchandising strategy" since acquiring Virginia Gateway in June 2024. One recently opened business is Shotted, a Saudi-inspired café serving coffee, desserts and soft service ice cream and offering indoor and outdoor seating. This is Shotted's largest location to date, as it operates out of kiosks at Tysons Corner Center, Tysons Galleria and Dulles Town Center.

"Since taking ownership last year, our focus has been to curate a dynamic mix of retail, dining, and services that amplify the property’s strengths and enrich the customer experience," said Deirdre Johnson, senior vice president of asset management at Federal Realty. "The addition of these exciting retailers highlights the strong demand for Virginia Gateway and reinforces its role as a leading destination in the region."

Here are more details about the future openings:

Beauty retailer Sephora will occupy a 5,379-square-foot store next to Hobby Lobby and Total Wine. Aside from Sephora inside Kohl's locations, the next closest location for western Prince William County residents has been in Fairfax.

Warby Parker, an eyewear brand with eye care services, will be located on The Promenade between MOD Pizza and South Block. The store offers prescription glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and eye care services. Warby Parker also has a new location at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge.

"Warby Parker is thrilled to expand in the Gainesville area as a one-stop shop for all eye care needs," said a Warby Parker spokesperson.

Call Your Mother, a locally-founded "Jew-ish" deli, will open in a 1,438-square-foot space along Atlas Walk. The bagel shop offers bagels, sandwiches, drinks, desserts and more deli items. The brand has been expanding in the D.C. area, and this will be the first Prince William County location.

"We are thrilled to be a part of Virginia Gateway’s vibrant energy," said Andrew Dana, co-owner and founder. “We look forward to serving the community and becoming a go-to destination for delicious food and memorable experiences.”

South Block, a local brand for açaí bowls, smoothies, and cold-pressed juices, will open a 1,215-square-foot location at Virginia Gateway’s Promenade between Warby Parker and Cava.

"We could not be more excited and grateful to join the Virginia Gateway community in Gainesville, Virginia," said Amir Mostafavi, CEO and Founder of South Block. "The DMV is where South Block got its start and where I grew up. As we continue to expand and bring South Block to new communities across the country, Virginia will always be home for my family."

Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon will share a 1,203-square-foot space next to Nothing Bundt Cakes along Atlas Walk. Auntie Anne's serves hand-rolled pretzels, while Cinnabon specialized in cinnamon rolls, fresh-brewed coffee and frozen beverages.