Business & Tech
Alexandria Warehouse To Become Southern Grocery and Kitchen
A historic warehouse on the waterfront will be converted into a southern grocery and kitchen called The Mill.
ALEXANDRIA, VA—The first details for the historic warehouse on the Old Town Alexandria waterfront have been revealed. The warehouse at 10 Duke Street will become a southern kitchen and market called The Mill.
Murray Bonitt of Bonitt Builders is purchasing the warehouse from EYA, LLC, the developer behind Robinson Landing. The Mill will be part of the mixed-use Robinson Landing in addition to the upscale restaurant, café, and pier dining concepts run by Alexandria Restaurant Partners. Bonitt is known for repurposing the warehouse that is now Virtue Feed and Grain as well as The Majestic.
"I want to make this the place in Old Town where residents can spill into two or three nights a week, see their neighbors, and enjoy great food in a great space," said Bonitt in a statement.
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According to the plans, the 6,400-square-foot warehouse will have a grocery market and casual dining restaurant and two floors. The market will offer coffee, pastries, prepared foods, beer and wine. Bonitt plans to survey residents of Old Town's southeast quadrant on what products the market will offer.
The restaurant concept is being developed, but it will likely focus on "edgy southern comfort food." Bonitt has gotten leads from Rick Jerue, the chief of staff for the Charleston, South Carolina mayor and founder of the Charleston Food and Wine Festival. He says Jerue has connected him with potential chefs and operators who have shown interest in coming to Alexandria.
Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The first floor will have a tavern-like feel, while the second floor will have an open kitchen with seating, communal tables, a bar, balcony and outdoor seating. The second floor will be designed for private events.
The Mill will pay homage to the history of the warehouse, one of the last remaining ones on the Alexandria waterfront. The warehouse used to be a coopers shop to make wooden barrels for the Alexandria Flour Company. Around 1864, it became a mess house and commissary for the Union Army during the Civil War.
Plans have been submitted to the city, and a hearing will happen in July. The estimated opening date for The Mill is October 2020.
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