Sammy T's, Duck Donuts: Fredericksburg Business In 2017

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — From the revival of a beloved downtown staple to the arrival of a certain Outer Banks confectionery chain, 2017 offered plenty of notable happenings in the Fredericksburg area business community. Chief among them were a welcome back for the briefly shuttered Sammy T's and a hearty hello to Duck Donuts. But there were far more than that.

The idX corporation, for example, completed a deal to move its operations from Columbia, Md., to Sposylvania. There was the ongoing conversion of Food Lion to Weiss Markets, Harry Connick Jr.'s hand-holding with the Tiny House Building Company and on and on. Here are some of the Fredericksburg business highlights for 2017, as reported by Patch:

Sammy T's Re-Opens In Downtown

Sammy T's restaurant, a fixture in downtown since 1981 until it closed in October 2016, re-opened in early 2017 under new ownership. Three married couples have kept the restaurant more or less as it is but also spruced it up and tweaked the menu by keeping much of the vegetarian fare but adding new options.

Duck Donuts Expands To Fredericksburg Area

What began as a sleepy but innovative fresh doughnut shop in the Outer Banks of North Carolina has expanded up and down the East Coast the past several years, and now a couple of Duck Donuts locations are coming to the Fredericksburg area.The Fredericksburg shop, expected to open later this month, will be at Eagle Village, 1223 Jefferson Davis Highway. The Stafford shop, expected to open next month, will be at Stafford Marketplace, 1475 Stafford Marketplace.

idX Corporation Bringing Jobs To Spotsylvania County

Around 150 new jobs are coming to Spotsylvania County over the next five years after a deal was finalized this week with idX Corporation to move its operations from Columbia, Md., to the county.
The company, which provides fixture manufacturing for retail markets, is investing $7.2 million in the plant, along with a $400,000 grant from Virginia.

Harry Connick Jr.'s Tiny House Built By Spotsylvania Company

Alicia and Kristopher Angstadt are the owners of Tiny House Building Company, which specializes in building, well, tiny houses. Last Friday night, they didn't stay in one of their creations. But Harry Connick Jr. did. In Manhatten, no less. While Alicia and Kristopher stayed at a hotel across the street, the crooner and host of the syndicated talk show "Harry" spent the night inside one of their tiny houses near the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

Weis Markets Takeover of Area Food Lions

The conversion of area Food Lion grocery stores to Weis Markets begins next Friday and will continue through the end of the month. Weis Markets announced in July it completed a deal to buy 13 Fredericksburg-area Food Lions, pending regulatory approval. Weis also bought Food Lions in Maryland and Delaware.

12 Businesses Patch Readers Want In Fredericksburg

Is there a certain kind of business that is missing in Fredericksburg? A type of restaurant you can't find in town? An activity you have to travel miles away for? Or is there another specialty store you could use?
Fairfax Patch recently asked our Facebook followers which businesses they want to see open in town. Lots of you had food in mind, with suggestions for both chain restaurants and regional eateries. Easily the most requested business, however, was Trader Joe's, the eclectic specialty foods stores.

'At Home' Grand Opening This Weekend In Fredericksburg

At Home, the popular Texas-based home décor chain store, will have a double grand opening of sorts this weekend when it ceremoniously swings opens its already-open doors at its new store in the Spotsylvania Crossing Shopping Center, 3655 Plank Road. A ribbon cutting is planned Friday and a grand opening celebration Saturday.

Wells Fargo Branch Closing In Downtown Fredericksburg

Still reeling from a fake bank account scandal, Wells Fargo announced this week it plans to close at least 400 bank branches through 2018, and among them will be the downtown branch at 614 Princess Anne Street. After the April closing, employees will be shifted to an expanded branch at Fredericksburg Shopping Center, 519 Jefferson Davis Highway.

'Record Store Day' Saturday In Fredericksburg

A lot of folks will tell you there's nothing quite like the rich and deep sound of vinyl records, and a lot of those same folks happen to own or work in still-standing record stores and are ready to celebrate "Record Store Day" Saturday. The Fredericksburg area has several record stores, including something of a hybrid that will be official participant in Record Store Day: Blue Shark Antiques & Collectibles, 904-908 Caroline Street. The family owned business has a wide variety of things but also buys and sell vinyl records.

Mary Washington Salaries 2016-17: Report

What's the pay at Mary Washington, a school with a considerably smaller enrollment than most public universities in the Commonwealth? The Richmond Times-Dispatchobtained state employees' names, job titles and salaries using Virginia's Freedom of Information statute, and the University of Mary Washington is included.

Photo: Skip Wood/Patch