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More shopping in the east: Dulles 28 Centre to hold open house
Shoppers in the eastern part of the county now have more options to choose from when it comes to browsing in stores.
Dulles 28 Centre is the newest outdoor shopping center in Loudoun. The weekend of June 20, an open house at the shopping center will showcase merchandise available from the more than 30 new retailers. The center is located just off the intersection of Route 28 and Waxpool Road. Wegmans Food Market anchors the site.
“Dulles 28 Centre offers something for everyone,” said Mark D. Lerner, of Lerner Enterprises, the center's development company.
Eastern Mountain Sports is one of the anchor stores in the 300-acre retail, hotel and golf development that will house 400,000 square feet of retail space. The store will host a weekend of events starting with hourly giveaways Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the opening of the store at 9:30 a.m. on June 20.
“We are branching out into a new territory,” said Eastern Mountain Sports store manager Antoinette Contreras, who said after doing a Google search, she could not find any other specialty outdoor retailer in the area.
Contreras said officials for Eastern Mountain Sports – which is based in Peterborough, N.H. -- chose the Dulles 28 Centre for their southernmost store because of close proximity to outdoor destinations such as the W&OD Trail, Great Falls, Algonkian Regional Park and the Potomac River.
“We want to get the customers out into the community,” Contreras said.
Store employees plan on doing that by letting customers try out kayaks and other sports equipment at Beaverdam Reservoir, just west of Belmont Ridge Road, through store clinics such as a mini kayak demo and climbing and kayak schools, as well as just testing the equipment prior to purchase.
Offering equipment is not the only thing Contreras plans for her staff of 25 to 27 employees.
“It's all about customer service and being part of the community,” Contreras said. “When people walk in, they are coming into our home, and we want to ask them, 'What adventure can we take you on today?'”
Contreras said that while the store has something for just about every outdoor enthusiast – climbing, skiing and camping equipment, outdoor wear, footwear, etc. -- she sees the demographics of the customer as a younger set.
“We appeal to the younger consumer, but I think that is because [the employees] are all involved in MySpace, Facebook, IM-ing,” she added. And the social networking is part of Eastern Mountain Sports' marketing.
Younger consumers who shop at Eastern Mountain Sports also can walk next door to another shop, specifically geared to girls ages 7 to 14, Justice – Just for Girls.
Justice, which is open, stocks a full line of clothing including tops, shorts, skirts, pants, jeans, sweaters, dresses, outerwear, swim wear, underwear, bras and sleepwear. Girls also can hold birthday parties at the store, with themes including fashion designer, rock star or Webkinz.
Other stores that are open or will open soon are AT&T, Avalon Salon and Spa, Bubbles Salon, Burger King, California Tortilla, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Chevy Chase Bank, Cold Stone Creamery, DSW, FedEx/Kinkos, Hair Cuttery, Leisure Fitness, Massage Envy, Moby Dick – House of Kabob, My Eye Doctor, Pei Wei, Petco, PNC Bank, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Right Start, Robeks, Target, Starbucks, Ulta Beauty, Verizon Wireless, Wegmans Food Market, Z-Pizza and an ABC store. More retail space is still available.
In the future, developer Lerner Enterprises plans to open a Dulles 28 Centre Auto Wash, as well as a Presidential Golf Club slated for 2010.
Along with the retail area, Dulles 28 Centre includes a 151-suite Marriott Residence Inn and the 70-acre Dulles 28 Centre Auto World, including Ferrari/Maserati, BMW, Nissan, Volvo and Carmax.
Contact the reporter at lwolstenholme@timespapers.com
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