"It's never about excess — just simple things done right, the essentials elevated with ease, and always hitting the right note." That line came from a note taped to the front door of an empty storefront at Bradlee Shopping Center last winter, as ALXnow reported in January. The note promised a new "local spot for everyday provisions," with sandwiches and a curated wine selection.
That shop is now Chord Bread & Bottle. This will be its first Thanksgiving. For anyone in Beverley Hills who runs holiday errands on King Street near North Quaker Lane, Bradlee once again has the full set: a prepared turkey at Fresh Market, the Safeway next door, and a bottle and a cheese board from the same unit that sold wine there for about twenty years.
Twenty Years, Then a Holiday Season Without a Wine Shop
The storefront at 3690-J King Street belonged to Unwined. In October 2024, ALXnow reported that the Bradlee shop would close at the end of that December. Unwined's Belle View shop and Revel stayed open under new leadership. Founder Vanessa Moore described the decision to ALXnow as difficult and part of "a thoughtful strategy to grow and thrive in new ways." The Zebra reported that the Bradlee location had been in business for 20 years, and Moore's statement thanked customers, staff and the community for two decades of support.
The space was still vacant in January 2026, when ALXnow described it as the former Unwined unit waiting on interior renovations. That means the 2025 holidays passed with no dedicated wine shop at Bradlee. The shop that finally filled the gap took longer to open than first planned. Owner Scott Shirley had aimed to open by the end of April. According to ALXnow's July report, the soft launch came on Sunday, July 19, with complimentary appetizers and wine tastings from 6 to 8 p.m., right after the World Cup final.
What a $150,000 Buildout Put Inside 3690-J
Unwined was a wine shop. Chord does more than sell wine, and the permit posted on the window last winter showed what changed. The estimated $150,000 of interior work included a pickup counter, a prep kitchen, a window counter, an updated bathroom and the removal of a wall. Seating tops out at 12 customers. It's a kitchen built mostly for takeout, with a few seats.
Here is what Chord Bread & Bottle offers now:
- A food menu of sandwiches, salads, soups, kids' items and sides
- Retail shelves with wine, local craft beer, charcuterie and specialty goods
- The CHORD Wine Club, a monthly subscription drawn from the retail selection, including California wines, Sancerre, eclectic reds and whites. You can sign up in the store.
- Catering with pre-order charcuterie boards and sandwich platters. The shop recommends ordering at least 48 hours ahead by calling (571) 800-6360 or emailing Scott.
- Online ordering through Toast, which takes scheduled orders for pickup at the shop
The owner may be a familiar name from the other end of town. Shirley opened Slaters Market at 1552 Potomac Greens Drive in Old Town North in 2020. He opened Union Sandwich Company at 101 N. Union Street in 2023. With Chord, a sandwich-and-provisions format that was concentrated near the waterfront now has a location on upper King Street.
Check the shop's current hours before you go, especially during holiday week.
The Anchor That Stayed Put
A wine shop alone doesn't make a holiday errand stop. The turkey matters more, and this spring the bigger tenant briefly looked uncertain. In May, FFXnow reported that Fresh Market would close its Vienna store on May 31 after deciding not to renew the lease. Soon after, a Fresh Market spokesperson told ALXnow that no changes were planned for the Alexandria store at 3680 King Street.
The Bradlee store matters more to the chain than its size suggests. ALXnow reported that the Alexandria and Vienna stores were the chain's only two in Northern Virginia. New locations are planned at West Falls in Falls Church and Midline at Reston Station, but neither had an opening timeline at the time. With Vienna closed, Bradlee is Fresh Market's remaining store in the area. It has been an anchor since 2014, when it replaced a Giant Food store that closed in 2013. The Safeway sits next door to the east.
Who Cooks the Turkey
Fresh Market's 2026 holiday meal sheet lists two packages built around a cooked bird.
| Traditional Turkey Meal | Essential Turkey Meal | |
|---|---|---|
| Serves | 8–10 | 4–6 |
| Main | Fully cooked turkey | Cooked turkey breast |
| Potatoes | Whipped Yukon Gold | Whipped potatoes |
| Stuffing | Herb stuffing | Stuffing |
| Vegetable | None listed | Green beans with butter sauce and crispy onions |
| Relish and gravy | Cranberry-walnut relish, turkey gravy | Cranberry-walnut relish, turkey gravy |
| Bread | 12 dinner rolls | None listed |
Fresh Market's Thanksgiving page takes online orders until November 24 at 2 p.m. Eastern, while supplies last. Pickup runs November 23 through 26. The smaller Essential meal includes a green vegetable but no rolls, and the larger Traditional meal includes rolls but no vegetable. A side from Chord's menu can fill either gap.
The Safeway at 3526 King Street runs its own Thanksgiving 2026 page with prepared turkey and ham, ready-to-eat sides and desserts available to preorder. That gives the same lot a second option for the main course if one store's slots fill up.
Working Backward From Thursday, November 26
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. Here are the dates that matter at Bradlee, starting with the latest:
- Thursday, November 26. Thanksgiving Day is the last day of Fresh Market's pickup window. Call the Alexandria store to confirm holiday hours before planning a same-day pickup.
- Tuesday, November 24, 2 p.m. This is the cutoff for Fresh Market's online Thanksgiving orders. Because supplies are limited, the cutoff may come sooner in practice.
- Monday, November 23. Fresh Market's pickup window opens. It's also the practical last day to order a Chord charcuterie board for Wednesday pickup, given the shop's 48-hour recommendation.
- Any day before then. Pick out the wine at Chord while the shelves are full, and ask about the wine club if you'll be hosting again in December.
If Fresh Market's Monday pickup suits your schedule, the turkey and the cheese board can come home on separate days, and the wine can come home any time.
If your household is thinking past this Thanksgiving to whether next year's will be hosted in the same house, The LizLuke Team tracks the Beverley Hills market block by block. Get Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll show you where your home stands this season.
