The Dandelion Patch Leaving Church Street for Tysons Corner

The Dandelion Patch, a small gift boutique known for its custom stationary and invitations, is closing the doors to its cozy location on Church Street in Vienna for the final time on Sept. 16.

However, the shop is not moving far.

The Dandelion Patch is simply relocating into its Tysons Corner location at 8455 Tyco Road, a location it has held since 2013 but had used primarily as office space in that time.

CEO and Vienna resident Heidi Kallett said it’s tough to part ways with the shop and the Vienna community, but noted it was the right move for her business and its loyal supporters.

“I’m a Vienna resident so obviously my heart is broken. I’m sad to leave our neighbors and the town. But I think our loyal fans will follow us to Tysons,” Kallett said. “It’s only a five-mile drive, maybe even less. Strategically, it’s definitely a better business move. It’s better for Dandelion Patch.”

Through the years, as the Dandelion Patch’s stationary and invitations business steadily grew, its gift sales began moving in the wrong direction. Kallett thought it would be best to turn the business’ focus primarily to its custom stationary, which meant closing a number of retail locations that served first and foremost as gift shops.

The Dandelion Patch has maintained its Georgetown location, and is opening the front-half of its Tysons location as a second location for customers in Northern Virginia to shop Dandelion Patch’s selection of stationary and invitations.

“We’re now turning the Tysons store into a more branded, suitable space for our luxury stationary consumer,” Kallett said of the move.

The CEO also noted the Tysons location’s proximity to the new Metrorail Silver Line stops in Tysons Corner and McLean, noting how that could expand the Dandelion Patch’s reach throughout Northern Virginia more than the Vienna location could.

The move to Tysons is accompanied by a massive clearance sale involving most of the Dandelion Patch’s remaining gift-shop items at the Vienna location. This week, all gift-shop items will be marked 25 percent off the original price. Beginning next week, any remaining items will be marked down by 50 percent from the original price, and the week after that the savings will rise to 75 percent.

“It’s literally an ‘everything has to go’ situation,” Kallett said.

The Dandelion Patch is open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. from Monday through Wednesday as well as Fridays and Saturdays. It is open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, and is closed on Fridays.