"Their move into an iconic building in the heart of Church Street is an exciting investment in our community," Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert said this month, as FFXnow reported. She was talking about a remodeling company's new headquarters. The line also fits the whole block this fall.
The Vienna Farmers Market holds its last Saturday of the season this weekend, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to noon. After that, Vienna's weekends shift to Church Street, with Santa, a tree lighting and the Freeman Store. The calendar is close to what longtime residents expect. The people behind the doors on the block are less familiar. Over the past few years, and especially in 2026, the buildings and businesses that give Church Street its character have changed hands, and the new owners are now the ones running the old routines.
A 1922 Building Becomes a Weekday Workplace
The clearest example is 108 Church Street NE. Fairfax County property records date the two-story building to 1922, and FFXnow's reporting shows it has mostly held personal-services businesses. Diamond Spa was there from October 2007 until it closed quietly earlier this year, after the property sold to MOSS Building & Design for $1.68 million on Feb. 13.
MOSS scheduled its ribbon-cutting for Oct. 22, from 5 to 6 p.m. The building is now the firm's Architectural Design Center and headquarters, replacing a larger space in Chantilly's Lafayette Business Center. According to Town of Vienna Director of Economic Development Nicole Toulouse, the move brings about 50 employees to town. That puts a 25-year-old design-and-build firm with a full office's worth of weekday workers on a block known mostly for evenings and weekends. Those are 50 more people looking for coffee and lunch within walking distance of the Freeman Store.
The company's specialty is a fitting match for a historic block. MOSS concentrates on additions and on kitchen, basement and bathroom renovations, and it recently won a bronze award in Qualified Remodeler's 2026 Master Design Awards for a home addition in Great Falls.
Next Door, the Coffeehouse Has New Owners
Caffe Amouri at 107 Church Street NE opened in July 2010, and it is the business on the block that people most often name when describing Vienna. FFXnow's September profile described it as feeling "as embedded in the fabric of Vienna as the nearby Town Green and Freeman Store and Museum." The paper credited its open-mic nights, the annual Vienna Idol competition and a pay-it-forward program that let customers buy a drink for a future patron.
Founder Michael Amouri announced on Aug. 22 that he was handing ownership to three employees, including his daughter and roastmaster Nicki Amouri. He said he was confident they would "do an outstanding job maintaining standards of Quality, Community, Sustainability, and Knowledge." The town honored him widely in September, and the coffeehouse confirmed it will keep serving freshly roasted coffee and baked goods under its new owners.
So on the NE side of the block, two neighboring addresses have changed ownership this year. One kept its name and its role in town. The other got a new use while keeping a 104-year-old structure.
Across the Street, the Restaurants Came From Inside Vienna
The NW side of Church Street follows the same pattern, a little further along.
Evelyn Rose opened in June 2024 in the space that previously held Bazin's on Church. Owner Sam Schnoebelen and chef Nick Palermo are longtime friends who both spent years at Clarity, a few blocks away on Church Street, where Schnoebelen ran the front of the house and Palermo ran the kitchen. The Vienna Ledger reported in September that the restaurant has since earned three regional honors. The Washington Post named it one of the D.C. area's 20 best new restaurants in May 2025, Northern Virginia Magazine put it on its 50 Best Restaurants list in October 2025, and Resy added it to its D.C. Hit List in April 2026. The magazine lists entrees at $26 to $40.
The newest arrival is Sheeba, a Yemeni restaurant on Church Street NW that served its first public dinners on Aug. 21. FFXnow reported that it is the first franchise of a family-owned Michigan chain to open outside that state. It is run by 26-year-old owner Nadir Naimi with business partner Mohamed "Izzy" Alkibsi. Naimi's family previously owned Alf Layah in Chantilly and Babalu in Tysons, so this is a local restaurant family's next generation setting up on Church Street. In late August, Naimi said he hoped to move from dinner-only service to daily hours starting at 10 a.m.
The Block at a Glance
| Address | Who's there | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 107 Church St NE | Caffe Amouri | Open since July 2010; ownership passed to three employees in 2026 |
| 108 Church St NE | MOSS Building & Design | 1922 building sold Feb. 13, 2026; former Diamond Spa, now HQ for about 50 employees |
| Church St NW | Evelyn Rose | Opened June 2024 in the former Bazin's on Church space |
| Church St NW | Sheeba | Opened Aug. 21, 2026 |
| 131 Church St NE | Freeman Store and Museum | Run by Historic Vienna Inc.; open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., through December |
Several shops are also listed on the street in the Vienna Business Association directory, including Bards Alley Bookshop at 110 Church St NW, Cherry Lane Gifts & Home at 115 Church St NW, Cocoa Vienna at 120 Church St and Great Harvest Bread Co at 136 Church St. Together they make the block a short walk for holiday shopping.
How the New Owners Fit the Old Calendar
This is where the turnover matters to anyone planning a holiday weekend. The Town's flagship December event depends on these businesses. The Church Street Holiday Stroll runs Monday, Nov. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Freeman Store. It includes Santa, local holiday music, firepits and a tree lighting led by Mayor Colbert, and the Town's listing counts the open Church Street businesses as part of the event. For many residents, this year's stroll will be their first evening on the block since the coffeehouse changed hands, the spa became a design studio and Sheeba opened its doors.
The rest of the season, in order:
- Saturday, Oct. 31. Last Vienna Farmers Market of the season, 8 a.m. to noon.
- Saturday, Nov. 7. Bowman House Pottery Show & Sale, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 211 Center Street S.
- Monday, Nov. 30. Church Street Holiday Stroll, 6 to 8 p.m., Freeman Store and Museum, 131 Church Street NE.
- Saturday, Dec. 5. Donuts with Santa at Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry Street SE, with ticketed slots at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. The same day, Vienna Theatre Company performs "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" at the Community Center at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 6. Santa visits the Freeman Store, noon to 2 p.m., free and with no reservations needed.
- Friday, Dec. 11. Mayor and Council Holiday Reception, 4 to 6 p.m., Vienna Town Hall, 127 Center Street South, free.
- Sunday, Dec. 13. Santa's second visit to the Freeman Store, noon to 2 p.m.
The Santa Sundays work well with the block's businesses. The Freeman Store opens at noon, which lines up with an early lunch on Church Street NW or a coffee at 107 Church Street NE before the line forms. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and its regular season ends with December.
The Next Change Is the Intersection at the Block's Edge
Ownership is not the only thing changing on Church Street. FFXnow reported in September that the Town has commissioned engineering work to redesign the Church Street NW and Lawyers Road NW intersection. Design is expected in 2027 and construction in 2028. Weird Brothers Coffee opened at 106 Lawyers Road on Aug. 10, adding another daily stop near that corner. Holiday visits to the west end of the block will look much the same this year and next, and the street layout there is set to change after that.
The 1922 building has a new tenant, the 2010 coffeehouse has new owners, and two restaurants from local hospitality families fill spaces other businesses once held. For residents who enjoyed this summer's Town Green routines, the Nov. 30 Holiday Stroll is the first chance to see all of these changes on one evening.
If you're thinking about how Church Street's next few years, from the new MOSS headquarters to the 2028 intersection work, could affect your corner of town, Katrina Funkhouser follows these changes closely and is happy to talk through what they mean for your home. Explore more on Vienna, then Let's Connect.
