Alexandria, VA – Business is booming at the Hollin Hall Village Shopping Center on Fort Hunt Road, and it’s about to get busier. Two local women-owned businesses—Athena Wellness and Physical Therapy and Fabled Ice Cream—will be moving into existing shop locations.
Athena Wellness and Physical Therapy
Athena Wellness founder and owner Dr. Sara Acheson and her associates have been treating patients from their home clinics for the past two years. While that worked as the business got established, the new Hollin Hall space will allow Athena to offer more to patients.
Since Dr. Stephanie Stahr joined the practice last year, two more providers have joined the Athena team. Dr. Patricia McMahon focuses on strength training for oncology patients. She also works with women experiencing brain fog during major life transitions, including oncology treatment, menopause, perimenopause, and motherhood.
Dr. Kate Hovde recently joined the practice as a physical therapist and licensed massage therapist. She also provides pelvic floor therapy and is pursuing lymphedema certification.
“We’re trying to add brain tasks into exercise because we know exercise can make a difference,” Acheson said. “We’re really looking at challenging the brain at the same time as you’re exercising through different cognitive tasks, so you’re getting the best of both worlds.”
Acheson said the new location will also allow Athena to build a community for women. “What we’re really excited about is creating one community for women. Right now, everything is kind of scattered, so we’re looking forward to being in one place where women can create a community.”
“We’re looking to create a community that’s different from traditional support groups,” Acheson said. “It’s more like, ‘We’re here exercising together. We’re all in the same boat, so we get it if you’re having a bad day or are running late.’”
Athena hopes to offer small-group exercise classes for women going through oncology treatment, pregnancy, new motherhood, menopause, and perimenopause—experiences that can sometimes feel isolating.
Acheson hopes to open this fall.
Fabled Ice Cream
For Fabled Ice Cream founder and owner Ally Kirkpatrick, opening a shop in Hollin Hall is a full-circle moment. She remembers visiting the shopping center as a child. “It’s almost surreal because I remember everything about Hollin Hall, and it really hasn’t changed that much,” she said.
Kirkpatrick also owns Old Town Books and Old Town Books Junior. She sees a natural connection between books and ice cream, reflected in Fabled’s flavors with literary-nuanced names like Cliff Hanger and Jane Eyre Grey. “I think books and ice cream go hand in hand,” Kirkpatrick said. “They’re both places I turn to for pleasure, escape, and enjoyment.”
For the Hollin Hall shop, Kirkpatrick is working with the same design team that made Old Town Books Junior such a whimsical, unique, and inviting space.
Preparing the Fabled storefront will take close to a year or more, but Kirkpatrick is already getting her ice cream out into the community. She bought an ice cream vendor freezer trike and has been pedaling Fabled Ice Cream to the Mount Vernon Farmers Market, where she’ll appear on select Wednesdays through the fall.
In November, Fabled will offer nine-inch ice cream pies, including butternut squash ice cream with a graham cracker crust. In December, Kirkpatrick is planning “12 Days of Ice Cream,” featuring seasonal flavors such as peppermint stick and hot cocoa. How’s that for a Fabled scoop?
The pop-up approach allows Kirkpatrick to continue developing the business before opening the permanent location—a strategy she also used with Old Town Books. “I’m just following what’s bringing me joy,” she said. “I think that’s what guides me, and it’s worked so far, so I’m going to keep doing it. Hopefully it works out at Hollin Hall, too.”
Hollin Hall Village Shopping Center
Located on Fort Hunt Road just a few miles south of Old Town, Hollin Hall Village Shopping Center offers convenient, one-stop shopping for everyday necessities as well as unique boutiques and small businesses. There is plenty of free parking for shoppers.
