Longtime Annandale shops, AnnSandra and Party Co., are expanding
With so many Annandale businesses closing in recent months (Bloom, Room Store, Sunset Grille, to name a few), it’s nice to see some retail expansion going on.
The Party Co., at 4421 John Marr Drive, is planning to relocate to the much larger space that used to house Super Pets in the same strip mall. AnnSandra , which specializes in fine china, crystal, and giftware, will take over the Party Co.’s old spot.
The new expanded Party Co. will be five times larger than the old store, says company President Richard Raport, whose family owns the Annandale shopping center where it is located. The Party Co., based in Manassas, has four stores in Virginia and Maryland.
Raport hopes the new store will open by Christmas. It will have “a ton more merchandise,” he says, including more balloons, balloon sculptures, table and chair rentals, snow cone and cotton candy machines for rent, a luau department, and a baby shower department.
The Party Co. has been on John Marr Drive for 22 years, while AnnSandra, founded by Sandra Ann Davidson, has been there for 32 years.
AnnSandra plans to knock out the wall separating it from the Party Co. and renovate both spaces, says General Manager Fred Carey. With more space, the retailer will be able to offer more cookware, baby items, gifts for men, food gifts, and more houseware items, he says.
The shop recently expanded its selection of Herend china, Le Creuset cookware, and everyday china, Carey says, noting that he and Davidson rely on customer input in determining what to stock. In fact, it was customers who convinced them to offer Vera Bradley bags and the Nora Fleming line of serving pieces.
Carey was hoping the new expanded AnnSandra would open by October, but it all depends on when the Party Co. can get a permit approved and complete work on its new store.
Super Pets moved to 5230A Port Royal Road in Springfield several months ago. [The company spells pets with an s on the end, although the sign on the Annandale store spelled it with a z.]
3 responses to “Longtime Annandale shops, AnnSandra and Party Co., are expanding”
Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply
YEAH!!!!!
Wonderful news!
very good news indeed. LOVE the party co 🙂