Amazon is making good on its word that it would partner with locally owned businesses when it was filling out the retail parts of its new HQ2 location by announcing several local businesses will be at its new location.
Back when it was announced that it would be building its new location in Arlington, Amazon announced that it was excited to be in the area and that they were looking forward to working with the community. After the project was approved, Amazon Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities John Schoettler said in an announcement:
“WE’D LIKE TO THANK OUR ARLINGTON NEIGHBORS AND THE COUNTY BOARD FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP AND FEEDBACK THROUGH THE YEARS-LONG PROCESS OF DESIGNING PENPLACE, A PROJECT WE BELIEVE WILL BENEFIT THE ENTIRE REGION. WITH THE COUNTY BOARD’S APPROVAL, WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AS WE TAKE THE NEXT STEPS ON THIS JOURNEY TO BUILD AN INTEGRATED, INNOVATIVE, AND SUSTAINABLE SECOND HEADQUARTERS IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA.”
So far, Amazon has kept to its word, and has announced that four new local retailers have signed leases for space at Metropolitan Park, the first phase of new HQ2 construction in Pentagon City.
- Good Company Doughnuts, whose original location is in Ballston and with another coming to Tysons, will occupy 2,000 square feet at Metropolitan Park when it opens sometime next year.
- Peruvian Brothers, which operates food trucks, restaurants and catering business, will open a 2,000-square-foot restaurant at Metropolitan Park next year.
BIG NEWS! Peruvian Brothers opening at Amazon HQ2
The Peruvian Brothers, Mario and Giuseppe Lanzone, are coming back to National Landing as the latest retail partner to Amazon's second headquarters (HQ2) in Arlington, Virginia.
https://t.co/7VBw92q0MO pic.twitter.com/XSAYV6w9tM— Peruvian Brothers (@perubrothers) July 19, 2022
- Facial spa Glo30, with locations in Shaw, The Wharf and Bethesda, will open a fourth location at Metropolitan Park. The membership-based spa will occupy 1,000 square feet.
- Celebree School, an early childhood education school with dozens of locations in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, has leased 13,000 square feet for a location.
Amazon stated in a blog post announcing the partnership that:
“As we continue to bring more small businesses to the area, we hope that HQ2 can be a destination for all the important areas of life, whether that be work, play, family time, or any of the moments in between”
These four businesses join previously-announced local businesses leasing space at Metropolitan Park, including online fitness platform HUSTLE’s first brick-and-mortar location, family-owned Conte’s Bike Shop, Vienna, Virginia-based Social Burger, Arlington juice shop South Block, pet care business District Dogs, and Lorton, Virginia-based specialty coffee roaster RAKO Coffee.
Met Park is currently under construction near the intersection of 15th Street South and South Eads Street in Pentagon City. The development includes a pair of 22-story HQ2 office buildings, plus ground-floor retail space and a public park. The project is still in it’s early stages, as the first phase of HQ2 opens in 2023. However, if Amazon keeps to it’s word and continues to partner with locally owned businesses, the boost will no doubt have a knock on effect on the local economy of Arlington and Virginia as a whole.