Lululemon Store to Open Friday in Old Town Alexandria

Lululemon Athletica, a retailer selling yoga-inspired athletic gear, opens its new store in Old Town Alexandria on Friday, at 700 King St. It sits on the corner of a busy intersection, at King and Washington streets, where Cosi was previously located.

Store hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily except for Sundays, when it will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Old Town store will be the third Northern Virginia location for Lululemon; the other locations are in Clarendon and Tyson’s Corner.

The store will offer athletic gear for women and men. A quick perusal of the Lululemon Web site show pants for women, in sizes 2 to 12, with prices ranging from $82 to $108.

The store will offer a free yoga class on Sunday; here’s the scoop from their Facebook page:

We’re excited to open our doors to our beautiful new store on August 8th and to celebrate the practice of yoga with you on Sunday August 10th before we open for business. Join us for our *1st* in-store yoga class, taught by our fabulous and funny Ambassador Olivia Sheldon!! Class begins at 9:30am. Please arrive early to reserve a spot; space is limited. Bring your own mat and your sense of humor :) Check out Olivia’s schedule here: www.positiveenergyyoga.com

Lululemon works with athletic/yoga instructors in their communities, calling them ambassadors; they describe ambassadors as “unique individuals in our communities who embody the lululemon lifestyle and live our culture,” the store’s Web site notes. Store employees are called “educators.”

There are several yoga studios in Old Town, including Pure Prana, Radiance Yoga, Mind the Mat, Dahn Yoga and 532Yoga. The company was founded in 1998 by Dennis “Chip” Wilson in Vancouver and went public in 2007.

PHOTO: Lululemon, in collaboration with SwatchRoom, recently invited nine local artists to its location in Old Town to create unique artwork; photo from Lululemon, via Facebook