When I met with Leslie Combemale on Wednesday morning, she was cheerful and energetic even though she had been working all through the night. But if your job was to see an early release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the middle of the night, and then write a film review before coming to the art gallery that you…

GUEST POST by Reston Resident Katie Vizenor I hate shopping. I try to avoid stores as much as possible. But, I love buying things and receiving interesting gifts. My solution to this problem has been to try subscription boxes. I’ve tried food, clothing, snack, smoothie, beauty and makeup supplies, crafts, men’s gifts, educational products, and…

Internet shopping might be the best thing to happen to gift-giving since Santa Claus, and it’s even easy to support local talent online. To help with your holiday shopping, we’ve assembled this list of books released in 2015 by Reston-area authors. So pull up your cozy blanket and glass of wine, check those gifts off your list, and make some local writers…

When people think of shopping for holiday decorations in Reston, they probably think of Target and Home Depot, and perhaps other chain stores like Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma. But if you would rather have decorations that don’t look just like your friends’, or you’d like to support local businesses and independent artists, look beyond the chains. There are lots…

I’ve often been curious about the chocolate shop at Lake Anne Plaza. It’s always great to see a locally-owned business succeeding in Reston, but this one is particularly intriguing to me, because it’s such a charming little neighborhood store. And let’s be honest: anything involving chocolate is going to catch my attention. Probably yours, too. I’ve bought several…

[This article is from 2014. For this year’s schedule, refer to our article about the 2016 Reston Christkindlmarkt.] December is finally upon us! With it come the lights, decorations and festive merriment of the holidays. At Modern Reston, one of our most favorite holiday events is the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) Christkindlmarkt here in Reston. This year it…

Halloween is over and the big slide into the holidays has begun. Chances are you will be a guest in someone’s home or need some original gift ideas for under the tree. Right here in Reston, residents are toiling away making products the old-fashioned way—small batch items infused with their passion for the process. The Soap…

Now that the days are getting chillier, it’s the perfect time to discuss some of the softest and coziest winter accessories I’ve encountered. Meet Jerilyn Paladino, a regular vendor at the Reston Market on Saturdays at Lake Anne Plaza. She operates a company called The Alpaca Girl, which specializes in stylish, handmade garments made of alpaca wool…