One of the first tenants of the Shops at Avenir Place has moved out.

Spice 6, a fast-casual Indian restaurant, closed its doors last Wednesday (August 21) after serving customers near the Dunn Loring Metro station for nearly a decade.

Signs were posted on the doors saying the location was “closed today,” but when FFXnow stopped by yesterday (Monday), an employee was seen loading boxes from the suite at 2674 I Avenir Place into a Cybertruck. The location has also been removed from the company’s website.

A drop in traffic in the area in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Spice 6 to close that location, a spokesperson told FFXnow. A branch in the Westfield Montgomery mall in Bethesda was also doomed by Covid; its initially temporary closure became permanent in the fall of 2020.

The restaurant is still located in Chinatown, DC, and in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Spice 6 originally opened in Hyattsville in the spring of 2012, at a time when the Chipotle approach of serving custom-made meals in a cafeteria-like line was still relatively new. In May 2015, the company expanded to Avenir Place when construction was completed on the Modera Avenir Place Apartments and 65,000 square feet of retail space.

Opened in May 2016 and managed by Harris Teeter, the mixed-use project still has several original tenants, including Starbucks, District Taco, Jersey Mike’s and Orangetheory Fitness.

The Spice 6 closure may not be the only closure at the store, however. Roosters Men’s Grooming Center is no longer listed on a retail site map of the complex. An employee denied there were plans to close, but the 1,200-square-foot barbershop space next to Séchoir Beauty Bar is listed as “available.”

KLNB, the property’s retail broker, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Lease agreement for Vietnamese restaurant signed

Upcoming additions to the Shops at Avenir Place include Japomen, the first standalone location of a Japanese restaurant currently found in the Rockville, Woodbridge and Sterling food halls. After previously hoping to open in May, owner James Park says the team is now “aiming for early September,” but the timing will depend on how an upcoming health inspection turns out.

According to KLNB’s site plan, Japomen will be located next to a second location of Pho Viet Flare, a Vietnamese restaurant that currently serves pho, rice dishes and vermicelli at the Van Dorn Station Shopping Center in Alexandria.

Owner Minh Cong confirmed to FFXnow that he has signed a lease for the Avenir Place space, allowing him to fulfill a long-held dream and expand the pho restaurant his family has operated in Alexandria since 2003.

Scheduled to open in December, the new Viet Corner restaurant will serve traditional dishes like pho and banh mi, boba tea and Vietnamese coffee, with an emphasis on fresh, locally grown ingredients, Cong says. He hopes to create a family-friendly atmosphere with menu options for kids and maybe even special offerings for pet owners.

“Vienna is always one of my favorite locations because it is known for its vibrant community, affluent population and family-friendly atmosphere, which can be ideal for a new restaurant venture,” said Cong. “In addition, the area has a strong local food culture with residents who value diverse dining options, making it a promising location for a Vietnamese noodle soup, sandwich and boba tea.”