Brown’s Hardware Location To Become ‘Wonder’ Site
Wonder, a combination dine-in food court with 44 seats and restaurant home delivery service, will be filling the now boarded-up spaces in the 100 block of W. Broad St., site of the former Brown’s Hardware, with an opening scheduled for April 2, according to the City of Falls Church’s Economic Development Office.
The operation, with multiple locations around the D.C. area already, will offer what it calls “lightning fast food delivery, takeout and dine-in from iconic restaurants, all in one location.”
“Delivery, takeout, and dine-in from some of the best chefs and restaurants in the country. Order from multiple restaurants at once, brought to your door in a single delivery. Pizza, Mexican, Burgers, Italian, Indian, Greek, and more, all in one place. Order online or on the Wonder app, open daily for lunch and dinner,” the new business promises.
F.C. Business Licence Forms Mailed Out This Week
The 2026 Falls Church City Business License Renewal Forms should be delivered to all City businesses in the next week or so, according to F.C. Commissioner of the Revenue Tom Clinton. “They are currently at our printer located in Lynchburg and are delayed by the
Storm,” he said.
The 2026 Business License Renewal Form (the counter version without business’s data) is always available on the City’s website. Forms can also be sent by e-mail. The deadline to renew all business licenses is by March 2, 2026, or postmarked by that date, to avoid
a 10 percent late payment penalty.
All paid 2025 business license holders are in good standing until March 1, 2026, due to the annual two month grace period for January and February.
Business licenses can be paid online at: www.fallschurchva.gov/pay by entering a business license number (this never changes), and a bill number (this changes every year), that the Commissioner’s office generates, and it is sent out, after receiving a business’ gross receipts figure from 2025 first. There is a 2.95 percent credit card fee paid to the Treasurer’s vendor, or it can be paid for free by using an e-check.
2026 Business License Renewal Form and a check can be dropped in the US Mail, in the yellow City Hall 24/7 Drop Box located next to the West Wing Door entrance, or in person at the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office, Suite 202W of the West Wing of City Hall, located at 300 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046.
The office is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. Call (703) 248-5450, or e-mail commissioner@fallschurchva.gov with questions.
Affordable Medicine Act Advances in Richmond
The Affordable Medicine Act, which aims to lower prescription drug costs and improve health care affordability in Virginia, advanced out of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Monday evening.
Its central feature is the creation of a Prescription Drug Affordability Board with authority to set upper payment limits on high-cost medications. The bill builds on state policies and the federal Inflation Reduction Act.
“The board would be an independent body of health and medical experts appointed by the governor, the House and the Senate. It would use proven database strategies already working in other states and at the federal level to lower prescription drug prices,” said Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, the bill’s sponsor.
To streamline implementation, board members must be appointed by Oct. 1, 2026, and the board would initially adopt payment caps tied to Medicare-negotiated prices for 25 drugs. 10 would take effect beginning in 2027, with 15 additional drugs following in 2028.
Bob & Edith’s Location in N. Arlington Closes
The Bob and Edith’s Diner location on Langston Blvd. in North Arlington has closed for good, the business has confirmed.
The local diner chain, ranked the No. 2 best breakfast spot in the county in an ARLnow Reader’s Choice poll, announced Monday that its location at 5050 Langston Blvd had permanently closed.
The restaurant opened in Summer 2020 as one of eight Bob and Edith’s locations in Northern Virginia, including other spots still operating in Crystal City and on Columbia Pike.
Bob and Edith’s started in 1969 with the purchase and re-branding of a local restaurant called Gary’s Donut Dinette. The chain offers a large range of breakfast, lunch and dinner options, including six signature omelettes and 20 different sandwiches and burgers.
Dulles Airport Sets New Passenger Count Record
Ongoing growth in international travel helped propel Dulles International Airport to a record-setting year in 2025, say officials with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. They will not have confirmed final passenger counts until late February, but the authority’s president and CEO, Jack Potter, said the expectation is for a 6 percent increase from the record year in 2024.
The 2024 passenger count at Dulles was 27,254,087, up 8.4 percent from 2023 and the highest since its opening in 1962. The airport benefits from United Airlines expanding service, as well as by the arrival of new domestic and international carriers.
Amazon Terminating All ‘Fresh’ and “Go’ Grocery Stores
Amazon is throwing in the towel on Amazon Fresh, announcing Tuesday that it will close all locations. The last day of operation for Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores is Feb. 1, with the exception of its California locations.
Amazon plans to renovate and reopen “various” sites as Whole Foods Markets, but details are not yet finalized. In total, the company operates 57 Amazon Fresh stores and 15 Amazon Go stores, which will also close after Feb. 1.
