On the 100 block of Church Street NW, three addresses that were quiet or changing hands a year ago are now open. At 145, Kin Espresso Bar serves specialty coffee and ceremonial matcha. At 111, Sheeba serves Yemeni and Mediterranean food in a space that used to be Le Bistro. At 101, upstairs above Sushi Yoshi, The Bamboo Room runs mahjong lessons and league nights. In between, at 110, Bards Alley Bookshop is still in the storefront it has leased for a decade, with author events on its calendar for late October.
All of this sits within a few hundred feet. Before this year, the block was mostly a daytime shopping stop. Now it has a reason to be busy early in the morning, at dinner and on weeknights. Bards Alley's planned move across Center Street has slipped into 2027, so this fall is the one season the new tenants and the bookshop's longtime storefront share the street.
Three Openings, One Block
Here is how the summer played out on Church Street NW, with the dates FFXnow and the businesses themselves reported.
| Address | Business | What it is | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 145 Church St NW | Kin Espresso Bar | Japanese-inspired coffeehouse with specialty coffee, ceremonial matcha and desserts | Soft launch Monday, July 6, 2026 |
| 111 Church St NW | Sheeba | Yemeni and Mediterranean restaurant in the former Le Bistro space | First customers Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 |
| 101 Church St NW, Unit D | The Bamboo Room | Mahjong studio with lessons, open play, leagues and retail | Targeted for August 2026, now running an October schedule |
Kin Espresso Bar came first. FFXnow reported its soft launch on the Monday before its July 7 story. The shop describes itself as a Japanese-inspired coffeehouse, with ceremonial matcha and desserts alongside the espresso menu.
Sheeba followed in August. In March, FFXnow reported that Le Bistro had closed at 111 Church Street NW and that Sheeba would take the space. The restaurant served its first customers on Friday, Aug. 21, according to FFXnow's opening coverage. It brings Yemeni cooking to a street better known for coffee, pasties and bread.
The Bamboo Room is the most unusual of the three. In June, FFXnow described it as a mahjong social club planned for 101 Church Street NW, Unit D, above Sushi Yoshi, aiming for an August opening with no exact date set. Patch's preview listed leagues, open play, guided sessions, beginner lessons and monthly social events. Today, The Bamboo Room's own site says its doors are open. Its October calendar includes lessons, guided play, open play and league sessions, and it also sells tiles, mats, racks and other mahjong accessories.
Each of the three serves a different part of the day. Kin covers the morning. Sheeba covers mealtimes. The Bamboo Room runs scheduled sessions that bring people back on a set night each week, which a shop or café alone doesn't do. The longtime businesses the Vienna Business Association lists nearby, including Caffè Amouri at 107 Church Street NE, Pure Pasty Co. at 128C Church St NW, Great Harvest Bread Co. at 136 Church Street and The Wine Outlets at 114 Church Street, now share the block with three new reasons to stop by.
The Bookshop at 110, and Its Move to 103
Bards Alley has been a fixture on this block since it opened in 2017. In February, owner Jennifer Morrow announced she had bought 103 Church Street NE for $1.5 million. The 1,686-square-foot building dates to 1900. For 55 years it was John Edwards Hair Design, which closed in mid-January when its owner retired. FFXnow's report put the new site a two-minute walk from the current store.
Morrow explained to FFXnow why she stayed on the street:
"My primary goal was to remain on historic Church Street, which is a hub for restaurants and small local retail shops. It's a walkable and bike friendly area and easily accessible from the W&OD trail."
The timeline has changed since February. Here is the sequence as published by FFXnow and on Bards Alley's move page:
- Feb. 5, 2026: Morrow buys 103 Church St. NE and takes possession.
- Feb. 11, 2026: The move is announced, with a tentative target of "next fall or winter."
- April 16, 2026: A banner reading "Future Home of Bards Alley Bookshop" goes up on the old salon sign.
- Aug. 7, 2026: The shop posts "a first look at the renovation process" on Instagram.
- Sept. 7, 2026: The official engraved-brick fundraising campaign ends, though orders are still being taken.
- Now: The move page says the project is in the approvals stage, with an estimated move "around early 2027, to be updated."
So through this fall, the bookshop is still at 110 Church St NW. Its homepage lists events there on Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, 2026.
The move will change the street's layout. The new building sits at the corner of Church and Center, across Center Street from the block that just filled in. Morrow told FFXnow it will have private parking for customers and a dedicated room for book clubs and events. Until now, the shop has hosted those on the sales floor. Under the brick campaign, supporters' engraved bricks will line the walkway to the new entrance. Once the move happens, an established draw sits on the east side of Center Street, and the new tenants hold the west.
How the Fall Calendar Lands on This Street
Vienna's fall events have always been near Church Street. This year they land on a street with more open. These are the dates confirmed for 2026 by the Town of Vienna and Historic Vienna, Inc.
Saturday, Oct. 17. Halloween on the Green runs 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Vienna Town Green, 144 Maple Ave. E. It's free, with crafts, an animal show, games and prizes, food, and pumpkin decorating while supplies last. On the same day, Historic Vienna's 2026 calendar lists a 10th birthday party for the Used Book Cellar from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Unless noted otherwise, HVI events take place at the Freeman Store. One Saturday morning covers the Town Green event, two used-book stops and a coffee on Church Street NW.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. The Halloween Parade has been a Vienna tradition since 1946. It runs rain or shine on the Wednesday before Halloween, down Maple Avenue from Branch Road to Center Street. The 2026 theme is "Haunted History: 250 Years of America." The Town posts a route map and a list of road closures on the same page. The route ends at Center Street, the same cross street as Bards Alley's future corner, and Sheeba is a short walk from there.
Sunday, Nov. 1. HVI lists an open house at the Little Library Museum.
Monday, Nov. 30, 6 to 8 p.m. The Church Street Holiday Stroll is the street's biggest night of the year. The Town's listing includes Santa, holiday music from local groups, a tree lighting led by the mayor, firepits and marshmallows, gingerbread decorating and judging, a gingerbread-house photo arch, and open historic sites including the Freeman Store and Museum. Church Street businesses will be open too. It's the first Stroll with Kin Espresso Bar, Sheeba and The Bamboo Room all on the block, and the last one expected before Bards Alley moves.
On regular weekends between these dates, HVI lists the Freeman Store as open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Around the Corner on Maple Avenue
Church Street wasn't the only place with openings this year. Some of the Maple Avenue additions are an easy walk from the Church Street block:
- Bakeshop, 421 Maple Avenue East, opened June 20 with cupcakes, cakes, macarons and breakfast sandwiches.
- Whistler's Ice Cream Extraordinaire, 521 Maple Avenue West in Village Green, began serving French custard on June 5.
- Shipley Do-Nuts, 256 Maple Avenue East, opened in June with doughnuts and Texas-style kolaches.
- Mashahweez, 128 Maple Avenue West in Vienna Shopping Center, began its soft launch on Aug. 19, serving Iraqi shawarma and grill dishes in the former Maru Korean Cuisine and Sushi space.
- Weird Brothers Coffee, 106 Lawyers Road in Windover Square, opened Aug. 10.
There were closures too. FFXnow reported in September that ViVi Bubble Tea at 233 Maple Avenue East had its last day on Aug. 30, and that Crumbl Cookies closed its Vienna Marketplace store at 203 Maple Avenue East after six years. The Maple Avenue openings are spread over a mile or more, from Village Green to Windover Square. The Church Street openings are all on one block, which is why that block feels different this fall and Maple Avenue mostly doesn't.
The Bards Alley move page will show when the 103 Church St. NE timeline firms up. Until then, the Oct. 22 and Oct. 24 events at 110 Church St NW and the Nov. 30 Stroll are the dates to keep.
If you're thinking about what a walkable street like this means for your home's value, Gwak Homes offers a free home valuation and consultation, and Dan is glad to talk through how Vienna's in-town blocks are trading right now.
