A new studio in Mount Rainier is showcasing local artists and teaching the arts. Located at 3510 Rhode Island Ave., inside a renovated historic building, Station 3510 offers community workshops and classes on various arts. At one recent event, held in conjunction with New Brooklyn Farms and Diaspora Honey, kids aged 5 to 14 looked at real bees in a glass observation beehive, sampled honey and then made bee-inspired paintings. Another event slated for Sunday will feature paper weaving. Station 3510 also regularly features exhibitions where you can buy from local artists, including “How to Day D ..read more

A new full-service luxury salon and wellness spa has opened on Route 1, in the Woodridge neighborhood of D.C., just south of Mount Rainier. Located at 2308 Rhode Island Ave. NE, next to the Zeke’s Coffee roastery (which is opening its expanded cafe next month), Studio Chique offers hair care, including styling, coloring, and straightening; wellness services such as body sculpting and waxing; hydrotherapy and colonic irrigation; and more. They also have a Japanese head spa, where massage and serums are used to promote circulation, relieve stress, and improve scalp and hair health. And their wel ..read more

Manifest Bread in Riverdale Park is expanding its bakery and opening a new sit-down restaurant in a vacant space next door. Located at 6208 Rhode Island Ave., the popular organic bakery has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help pay for the costs of the build-out and buying a new oven. The new space will have room for around 30 seats and at 3,000 square feet, nearly triple its current size. In the new space, it will serve a slightly expanded menu of breads, pastries and sandwiches during the day, then at night it will turn into a bar and restaurant. Owners Rick and Tyes Cook told the Hyattsvi ..read more

A popular Mexican restaurant in the Berwyn neighborhood of College Park has expanded. Tacos a la Madre, which opened a sit-down restaurant on Berwyn Road in 2021 and is a favorite in the Hyattsville Wire reader poll, has added a second location in Beltsville. The new location is at 11623 Beltsville Dr., not far from Interstate 95 in the Calverton area. Chief Operating Officer Herson Romero told the Hyattsville Wire that they were impressed by the revitalization of the area and the potential for growth. “We were super excited to be given the opportunity to be a part of it,” he said. The interio ..read more

A Hyattsville resident has started a business offering job coaching. After 15 years in human resources departments, German Rochez decided to give job seekers the benefits of his experiences. Through Capitol Career Partner, Rochez offers clients’ help fixing up their resumes, writing cover letters and mastering the art of the job interview. If you get the job, he’ll also help you with negotiations over offer letters. Rochez said that he has learned a lot about what to do while working on the other side of a job application, literally reading thousands of resumes and cover letters. “I’ve noticed ..read more

A reminder of Route 1’s segregated past has been replaced by an inspirational symbol of racial reconciliation. Over the weekend, the towns of Brentwood, which was historically white, and North Brentwood, founded by Black Civil War veterans, unveiled a new sculpture to replace the Windom Road segregation barrier that long separated the two towns. Made of epoxy foam and steel, the sculpture shows two hands coming together to lift the original metal highway barrier, which is incorporated into the work of art. The design was proposed by Route 1 artist Nehemiah Dixon III, senior director of program ..read more

A new shop in Mount Rainier selling Oriental rugs is run by a former political science professor from Afghanistan. When he lived in Kabul, Jawid Jawid worked at a private university teaching Afghan political science, but he had to leave that job behind a few years ago when he fled with his family to the United States after the government collapsed. Once he settled in Virginia, he started working with an Oriental rug company, where he realized that his knowledge of handmade Afghan rugs could be put to use. After running his own shop in Alexandria, where he said the market became flooded with si ..read more

A small number of swimmers will be allowed to jump into the Anacostia River today. After being postponed due to water quality issues related to rainfall, the Anacostia Riverkeeper’s first-ever Splash! event will be held from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at the Kingman Island Dock near the National Arboretum. Swimming has been illegal in the river since 1971 due to pollution, but infrastructure improvements and other efforts have improved water quality enough that D.C. is allowing the sanctioned swim. The river passed water quality tests on Wednesday, and it hasn’t rained since then, so the event is going a ..read more

The towns of Brentwood and North Brentwood will replace an ugly symbol of segregation with art dedicated to racial reconciliation. On Saturday, the two towns — one founded by Black veterans of the Civil War, one historically white — will unveil a sculpture to replace the highway barrier that long separated them on Windom Road. “Growing up in North Brentwood, I know the offense schoolchildren and families have felt with having to cross this barricade to walk to school,” said North Brentwood Mayor Petrella Robinson, who is Black. “We honor the residents who fought against this blatant discrimina ..read more

A popular Mexican taqueria in Mount Rainier has opened a stall at Le Fantome food hall in Riverdale Park. With two locations at 3237 Rhode Island Ave. in Mount Rainier and the Brightwood neighborhood in D.C., J&J Mex-Taqueria added a third at the Riverdale Park food hall across from MOD Pizza at Riverdale Park Station earlier this month. The restaurant was started in 2015 by Jose “Papa” Tovar and Jose Tovar Ibarra, a father and son originally from San Luis Potosí in central Mexico. The extensive menu includes 12 types of tacos, including trendy birria tacos made with slow-cooked beef stew ..read more