Vape shop no longer coming to the Hayfield Center

Hayfield Center storefront

A vape shop had signed a lease for this vacant space at the Hayfield Center on Telegraph Road.

A vape shop opposed by some community members and Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay no longer plans to open in the Hayfield Center, McKay announced earlier this week.

The vice president of Beatty Management, the company that runs the Hayfield Center, sent a letter to McKay on Monday saying that Vapers Retreat and Beatty had jointly decided to go in a different direction.

“The Landlord of Hayfield Center and Vapers Retreat have mutually agreed not to move forward with the lease,” the letter said. “We thank you for your support and communication, as well as that of the community. We look forward to meeting with you and the community in the coming months to further discuss our vision for Hayfield Center.”

Vapers Retreat, which has another location in Chantilly, signed a lease to open up at 7590 Telegraph Road (see map) in the Hayfield Center. But McKay and many people in the communities surrounding the center opposed the shop opening there, based on its proximity to nearby Hayfield Secondary School and Hayfield Elementary School. 

McKay voiced his opposition to the shop earlier this month on his Facebook page, but noted that they county alone did not have the power to stop it from opening there. McKay then met with management on Feb. 12 to discuss the issue, as well as the overall state of the shopping center in the wake of the recent departure of Giant, the plaza’s anchor tenant.

On Monday McKay announced the news that Beatty and Vapers Retreat had changed plans, and emphasized that he would assist Beatty in finding a new tenant to fill the Giant’s spot.

I plan on continuing to work closely with the Hayfield Community and Beatty Management to find a new anchor tenant to fill the Giant space as well as the overall renovation of the shopping center,” McKay said in a Facebook post.

It’s unclear at this point what will replace Giant, but it may be difficult to find a comparable grocer due to the proximity of Wegmans and a number of other large grocers in Kingstowne. Beatty sent a letter to McKay earlier in the month saying that re-configuring the empty Giant space was one possibility they are studying.

We are working closely with KLNB, a large retail brokerage firm based in Tysons Corner, as well as a well-regarded local architectural firm with expertise in repurposing large retail vacancies,” the Beatty letter said. “We are exploring various concepts to enhance the customer experience. Although in the early stages of this process, we look forward to meeting with the community once we have meaningful progress on the design and leasing front to discuss.”