alexandriaecon

10/14/2026

Who runs the world? Alexandria's Women Entrepreneurs! 💪

It's Women's Small Business Month! 💼 This October, we're celebrating women entrepreneurs turning bold ideas into thriving businesses and making a BIG impact right here in ALX.

🙌 Looking to show your support?

Shop women-owned, spread the word, and discover your next favorite local spot. Every purchase, recommendation, and connection makes a difference!

And while you're out... 👀

📲 Make your dollars go even further with ALX Open Rewards 💸 Earn up to 5% cash back at participating shops and restaurants!

🔗Click the link to download ALX Open Rewards: https://bit.ly/4yIdJ2C

10/13/2026

📢 New Date Alert! See You on October 18 at ESCAC's 6th Annual Ethiopian Fall Festival!

AEDP's Strategic Partnership Manager, Senay Gebremedhin, will be there, so swing by the AEDP booth before 4 PM to say hello and learn about small business opportunities and resources available right here in Alexandria!

But the fun doesn't stop there...

🎶 Live music & cultural performances
🍽️ Local food vendors
🎨 Art & businesses
🎉 Family-friendly fun

Net proceeds support the Ethiopian Community Support and Advocacy Center's year-round youth development, educational support, cultural programming, and family services, which serve more than 3,000 people annually across the DMV.

Come for the culture, stay for the community 💚💛❤️

🔗 Click the link to grab a ticket! 👉 https://bit.ly/4jUsUB5

10/13/2026

A New Chapter for Affordable Housing Takes Shape in Old Town 🏗️

The $120 million redevelopment of the historic Samuel Madden Homes is taking shape, with construction officially topping out at 999 N. Henry Street, shares Alexandria Living Magazine.

Led by Fairstead in partnership with the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA), Harkins, and The Communities Group, the six-story, 295,000-square-foot development will deliver 207 affordable homes for households earning 30% to 80% of the area median income when it opens in 2027.

🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4zAmLyV)

The new Samuel Madden Homes has reached its full height.

10/08/2026

❓Did you know❓Nearly 11,000 Americans turn 65 EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

That's a stat Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins shared last night at the groundbreaking of Goodwin House Seminary Road in Alexandria's West End, along with another eye-opener: by 2060, one in four Americans is expected to be over 65.

As Mayor Gaskins put it, "I think it really underscores why a project like this is so important."

AEDP joined Goodwin Living, Mayor Alyia Gaskins, members of Alexandria City Council, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, future residents, and community partners to celebrate this exciting new chapter in Alexandria's West End! 🏗️

Goodwin Living President & CEO Rob Liebreich emceed the evening, kicking things off with a fitting description of the occasion: "Or maybe more appropriate to our ground awakening." 🌱

Let's dig into what's coming 🪏🪏🪏

💜 More than $360 million in new investment in Alexandria's West End

🏡 350 future residents, expanding housing options for older adults

💼 150 additional jobs

🎨 Spaces for art, pickleball, swimming, and more

And as Goodwin Living Board Chair Dr. C.C. Clark pointed out, there's another milestone worth celebrating! 💎 Goodwin House Alexandria turns 60 in 2027, marking its diamond anniversary. Six decades of investing in Alexandria, creating jobs, and supporting older adults, with a whole new chapter on the horizon.

But as Dr. Clark reminded everyone, "What matters is the people." 💜

🔗 Learn more about Goodwin Living: https://bit.ly/4rWZrsj

📸 Left to right: Rob Liebreich, President and CEO of Goodwin Living; Dr. Cyrillene “C.C.” Clark, Chair of the Goodwin Living Board of Trustees; Stephanie Landrum, President and CEO, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership; Alyia Gaskins, Mayor of Alexandria; Sandy Marks, Alexandria City Council; Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi, Alexandria City Council

AlexandriaVA.gov

10/08/2026

Meet the innovators accelerating ALX 🚀

We're back with another spotlight on the inaugural Accelerate ALX cohort! In partnership with FedTech, AEDP's first accelerator is helping 10 high-growth technology companies turn BIG ideas into even BIGGER opportunities right here in Alexandria.

🌐 NEXT UP: Atlas Geo Technologies LLC

🛰️ Meet David Brignoni, the Old Town-based founder, who's on a mission to support small towns and cities in decision-making and grant applications through user-friendly, advanced geospatial software.

How? By making advanced geospatial technology easier to use.

Atlas Geo Technologies offers AI-analytics tools for towns to easily monitor and analyze transportation, events, and emergency data for streamlined compliance analysis and improved grant application processes.

Through Accelerate ALX, Brignoni is tapping into mentorship, networking, and resources with one goal: launching at least four pilot projects by the end of the program!

🧠 Want to meet the minds behind the innovation?

Meet David and the rest of the cohort on December 9th at the Accelerate ALX Innovation Showcase, hosted at the Virginia Tech Institute for Advanced Computing.

🔗 Save your seat: https://bit.ly/4yuLG65

10/07/2026

More Room for Wonder 💜

Say hello to Wonderologie Counseling & Wellness, a Del Ray-based child and adolescent therapy practice that’s growing into a new, expanded space on Mount Vernon Avenue!

AEDP stopped by to celebrate the new space with a ribbon cutting ✂️ alongside Virginia State Senator Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman, Del Ray Business Association President Dr. Lauren Fisher, friends, family, and the Wonderologie team! Guests were even treated to something sweet: seasonal Pop-Tarts from local bakery Rolling Sloane’s ✨

And speaking of local connections, this one has an extra special AEDP tie...

Wonderologie founder Karin Purugganan is the mom of AEDP’s very own Philomena Fitzgerald, Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives & Innovation! Apparently, supporting Alexandria businesses runs in the family 😉

🧠 Individual therapy for children & adolescents
💬 Group sessions for a variety of ages
🌱 Evidence-based, personalized support for kids & families

📍 Wonderologie Counseling & Wellness: 3131 Mt. Vernon Ave., #5, Alexandria, VA 22305

🔗 Here’s to growing right where you’re planted! Tap our link in bio to learn more about Wonderologie: https://bit.ly/4hwnCdI

💡 Thinking about starting or growing your business in Alexandria? AEDP’s got you. Set up a one-on-one counseling session with a member of our team 👉 https://bit.ly/4AU8nTm

10/01/2026

Big year. Big impact. Even bigger things ahead for Alexandria 💪

Last night, we brought together Alexandria’s business community, partners, and City leaders for AEDP’s FY26 Annual Impact Event to celebrate a year that took ALX Forward from plan to action 🚀

With a theme of Forward, Together, we wanted to show how AEDP is already turning that vision into action. And rather than just tell you about the impact, we handed the mic to the people living it...

☕️ Brittani Maggio of Dream Chaser's Coffee Co. shared how Alexandria’s Food and Beverage Readiness Program, launched in partnership with MOVE Chamber, helped her business bounce back and find a community along the way.

“We were able to meet a community of people who were also on their own journey to start their own businesses, whether it was just an idea or they were already up and running.”

📱Alex Vans of Choros, an app geared to help men build lasting friendships through IRL small-group connections, shared the realities of building and scaling a startup. Through Accelerate ALX, launched in partnership with FedTech, he found support and community to help navigate what can sometimes be a lonely road.

“AEDP has been an incredible resource, especially with their support in connecting to local media. We needed to get new members on a hyper-local basis,” said Vans. “Who knew a story of an area man wanting to help dudes make friends actually worked out pretty well!”

🏗️ Amelia Chasse Alcivar of HRP Group gave us a look at what’s ahead for the former power plant site in Old Town North. “We really see this as a place that can knit back into the fabric of the City and provide a really neat opportunity for growth.”

👏👏👏 Thank you to Mayor Alyia Gaskins, our speakers, partners, businesses, city and state leaders, and everyone moving ALX forward. Together.

🔗 Explore the AEDP FY26 Annual Report: https://bit.ly/4rJZJCL

📸 Photos courtesy of: Laura Hatcher Photography

AlexandriaVA.gov

10/01/2026

📣 BIG news for Alexandria's innovation scene 📣

AEDP has been awarded a $200,000 grant from Virginia IPC through the Regional Innovation Fund to grow tech and innovation programming across the city 🚀

Here's what it means:

✨ A boost for Accelerate ALX, Alexandria's first accelerator for high-growth tech companies

✨ More innovation programming this year, including with the new National Innovation Quarter (National IQ)

✨ More connections between founders, investors, and partners to help local startups grow

🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/47vFHCG

📸 Photo credit: Sam Kittner

AlexandriaVA.gov

09/24/2026

🥁Drumroll for the first introduction of our Accelerate ALX Cohort...
Introducing Apex Sensor Labs LLC!💥

This Old Town-based start-up is developing ultra-low-power, high-privacy smart home devices and infrastructure. The goal is to solve the “Smart Home Dilemma” - the forced trade-off between user convenience and data privacy. 🏠

The husband-and-wife power couple – founder Joshua Smith and COO Alison Stace-Naughton are thrilled about the Accelerator program in Alexandria, and hope to expand their business relationships and gain founding guidance and mentorship.
They are most excited about charting their own course in this building process, and learning new things as they continue to grow. 💡
Go-to spot(s) in Alexandria: Bastille, Sister's Thai, Wholistic Hound Academy, Chewish Deli

As a member of the Accelerate ALX Cohort, the smart home company will receive support and accelerator services from FedTech and expand their capabilities as a tech start-up.

Click the link below to learn more about Accelerate ALX : 🔗AEDP and FedTech Announce the Inaugural Accelerate ALX Cohort - AEDP (https://bit.ly/4jnPn9v)

09/22/2026

✨We're celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! ✨

🌎 From September 15 to October 15, this year's theme is "Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together," to recognize the innovative trailblazers and changemakers across generations.

👞 Pictured: Wilfred Lopez, owner of Best Foot Forward, and his mom, Fermina Perez. Wilfred founded the small leather repair shop in 1985, growing it into a longtime destination for leather care and repair.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by supporting Hispanic- and Latino-owned businesses like Best Foot Forward right here in Alexandria! ➡️ Tap the link below to explore Visit Alexandria’s guide to more Latin-owned businesses to support:

🔗 https://bit.ly/46XL6T3