{"id":233593,"date":"2026-08-28T07:19:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T11:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/?p=233593"},"modified":"2026-08-28T07:19:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T11:19:59","slug":"long-dark-house-bookstore-old-town-alexandria-va","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/long-dark-house-bookstore-old-town-alexandria-va\/","title":{"rendered":"<em>The Fairfax Girl <\/em> Exclusive: Inside Old Town Alexandria\u2019s New Horror + Sci-Fi Bookstore"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"custom_featured_image\" style=\"display:none;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-800x533.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-263x175.png 263w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/div><div id=\"custom_category\" style=\"display:none;\">news<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Old Town Alexandria is getting a new bookstore, but this one is trading the typical <a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/bards-alley-bookshop-vienna\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cozy-bookshop vibe<\/a> for something a little darker. Long Dark House is opening soon at 1510 King Street with shelves dedicated to horror + science fiction, spooky reads for younger bookworms, Southern Gothic candles, chocolates from Madame Coco, and a calendar of events for book lovers of all stripes. The shop is the creation of Alexandria resident Chanthal Harris, who is turning a lifelong love of literature into a gathering place for readers, writers, gamers, and the horror-curious. <em>The Fairfax Girl<\/em> got an exclusive first look at the shop and had the chance to chat with Chantal about what to expect from Long Dark House. <strong>Read on for more about Long Dark House opening soon in Old Town Alexandria.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-233599\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx.png\" alt=\"long dark house alx\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx.png 1000w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/long-dark-house-alx-263x175.png 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>About Chanthal&nbsp;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Owner Chanthal Harris is originally from North Carolina and has lived in Alexandria for the past five years.&nbsp; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI came for work originally, and I just fell in love with the area,\u201d Chantal said. \u201cI came on a temp visit, and I found myself keep getting drawn back here, and so I took down roots and decided that this was it for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Books have always been part of the bigger picture for Chanthal, even while growing her career and achieving other goals. \u201cI have always loved literature ever since I was very young, and when I think about all the things I would love to do in life, having a bookstore, or working in books, always was part of that,\u201d Chantal said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-233597\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/chanthal_long-dark-house.png\" alt=\"chanthal_long dark house\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/chanthal_long-dark-house.png 1080w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/chanthal_long-dark-house-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/chanthal_long-dark-house-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/chanthal_long-dark-house-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/chanthal_long-dark-house-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/chanthal_long-dark-house-585x585.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>She describes this point in her life as a \u201csecond season.\u201d \u201cWith this time of my life, I decided to pursue more of what I\u2019ve had passions in, especially in the past year,\u201d she said. That process continually brought her back to books. \u201cReally, all roads with that came back to literature, reading, writing, things like that,\u201d Chantal said. \u201cAnd so it kind of culminated in what I consider a love letter to genres that have been very impactful to me in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before Long Dark House came <a href=\"https:\/\/hemlockandhearth.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hemlock + Hearth<\/a>, Chantal\u2019s Southern Gothic-inspired fragrance brand.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLiterature is my first love. Fragrance is my second,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I really started to explore more of my creative side, I dipped my toe in with a passion of mine, which is indie perfumery and storytelling through fragrance.\u201d Hemlock + Hearth started in early 2025. \u201cThe brand is a Southern Gothic brand, tied back to literature,\u201d Chantal said. \u201cI\u2019ve created a really fun community. I think without it, I wouldn\u2019t be able to have this bookstore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZTGt7bH--j\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZTGt7bH--j\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by @hemlockandhearth<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She credits that first venture with helping her build the confidence to take an even bigger creative leap. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s laid the groundwork for me feeling brave enough to do this, and to try this, and to fully kind of pursue my creative [side],\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Long Dark House&nbsp;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Chanthal was looking for a space for the store, she was open to landing anywhere in the DC area. \u201cI was looking for a space for the store and was open to where I would end up, but this space [in Alexandria] opened up, and it was perfect,\u201d she said. The space at 1510 King Street was formerly home to The Thirteenth Floor tattoo studio. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through pop-ups and other events with Hemlock + Hearth, Chanthal got to know other local entrepreneurs and learn more about the community. One in particular was Meshelle Armstrong, the owner of several Alexandria businesses, including <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theparlour-bar.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Parlour<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where Chanthal had participated in several pop-up markets and events.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><em>See more:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/arielle-shoshanna-mosaic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This Alexandria Boutique is a Destination for Perfume Lovers Nationwide<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI reached out to Meshelle Armstrong, who owns The Parlor, as well as The Hummingbird and Madame Coco, and I just love the vibes,\u201d Chantal said. \u201cI thought it would be a lot of fun to collaborate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI was very grateful that she was so on board with the idea, embraced me fully, and since then, we\u2019ve had a lot of fun,\u201d Chanthal said. Meshelle\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.madamecocoemporium.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Madame Coco chocolate shop<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is co-located inside Long Dark House, with an ultra-spooky selection of thematic treats.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-233598\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/shelves_longdarkhouse.png\" alt=\"shelves_longdarkhouse\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/shelves_longdarkhouse.png 1080w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/shelves_longdarkhouse-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/shelves_longdarkhouse-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/shelves_longdarkhouse-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/shelves_longdarkhouse-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/shelves_longdarkhouse-585x585.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long Dark House will primarily focus on horror and science fiction, two genres Chantal feels have historically been underappreciated. \u201cI definitely took a big chance,\u201d she said.&nbsp; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The response so far has reassured her. \u201cI\u2019ve had such great conversations, and that\u2019s been the best part,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like I already have a community and the door\u2019s not even open yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What to Expect<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long Dark House will carry books for devoted horror and sci-fi fans, but Chantal wants the store to feel equally approachable for someone entering either genre for the first time. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019ll always have a section for readers who are new to sci-fi, new to horror,\u201d she said. \u201cWe will curate selections there where folks who are dipping their toe in, who are maybe a little curious. Books that are gateway reads into the genre.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The staff will also help guide readers based on their individual comfort levels. \u201cOur team is super knowledgeable in various areas across these two genres, and they\u2019re also eager to share suggestions for folks who are just exploring these genres,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There will be books for younger readers, too. \u201cEven though children\u2019s literature is not my expertise, I decided to include a section for youth because I feel like all of us have ownership in our community for our youth,\u201d Chantal said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Books played a major role in her own childhood, something she hopes to pass along. \u201cI know how important literature was for me growing up,\u201d she said. \u201cI would not be the person I am if I didn\u2019t essentially grow up in the library and have those opportunities before I had the privilege to travel and work and all this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She also thinks spooky books can provide an entry point for children who do not naturally gravitate toward reading. \u201cI would also love more kids reading spooky literature,\u201d Chantal said. \u201cI think reading can sometimes feel heavy for a lot of folks. I think if you get kids to be readers, it opens up your mind and your world to so many things,\u201d she added. \u201cEmpathy, learning other communities \u2014 and I think these stories, I\u2019m biased, but they\u2019re fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read more:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/cellar-seneca-great-falls-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Great Falls Locals Transform BRX American Bistro Into The Cellar on Seneca<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As excited as Chanthal is about the book selection, she\u2019s almost more excited about the programming that Long Dark House will offer.&nbsp; \u201cEvents will be a huge part of the store, \u201d Chantal said. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Book clubs will be part of the mix, ranging from traditional horror and science-fiction groups to more casual gatherings. \u201cBesides a wide variety of book clubs, with niche interests, of course, some of the obvious ones with horror and sci-fi, but then also some more low-pressure ones where the emphasis isn\u2019t on us all reading the same book,\u201d she said. \u201cEven if you aren\u2019t a heavy reader, people can just talk about books and literature and stories.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The store also plans to support writers. \u201cWe\u2019ll also have workshops, both free and paid, for aspiring and established writers,\u201d Chanthal said. Chanthal also wants to offer game nights, themed teas, craft events, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Halloween will naturally be a big day at the shop, other holidays will get their own Long Dark House spin. \u201cI love cheesy things, so I love holidays &#8211;&nbsp; all holidays. I celebrate them,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DaVjmbHPqUF\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DaVjmbHPqUF\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by @longdarkhouse<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, Chantal hopes Long Dark House adds one more distinct destination to Alexandria\u2019s already established literary community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEven if you\u2019re not a reader, people come to Alexandria; there are so many amazing bookstores here, [with] a variety of flavors,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope when people come and they visit, they really take advantage of all the amazing things that we have to offer, and others have to offer, because I think it\u2019s really representative of the community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And as the opening gets closer, she remains especially appreciative of the people who have already shown support.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThank you to everyone who\u2019s had it, shared a kind word, liked and followed along,\u201d Chantal said. \u201cIt\u2019s really special to see the community rally around something like this, and I\u2019m really excited.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/longdarkhouse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Long Dark House<\/a> is located at 1510 King Street in Old Town Alexandria. It will officially open on September 1st, 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">Follow @thefairfaxgirl on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thefairfaxgirl\/\"><span class=\"s2\">Instagram <\/span><\/a>+&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@thefairfaxgirl\"><span class=\"s2\">TikTok<\/span><\/a> for the latest Northern Virginia updates, and check out our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/events\/\"><span class=\"s2\">events calendar<\/span><\/a>, which has over 100+ events weekly to peruse. Sign up for our newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/thefairfaxgirl.myflodesk.com\/launch2025\"><span class=\"s3\">here<\/span><\/a><\/span><span class=\"s4\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"categories\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/thefairfaxgirl.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stories<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>newsOld Town Alexandria is getting a new bookstore, but this one is trading the typical cozy-bookshop vibe for something a little darker.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":362,"featured_media":233599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9872,8833,9479,7802,7997,9660,9754,8818,9593,9728,9294],"tags":[9770,9755,9675,9748,9845,9731,9735],"class_list":["post-233593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookish","category-culture","category-events-news","category-kid-friendly","category-lifestyle","category-news","category-old-town-alexandria","category-shopping","category-local-girl-rss-feed","category-virginia","category-women-owned","tag-nova","tag-old-town-alexandria","tag-shopping","tag-small-business","tag-tlg","tag-virginia","tag-women-owned"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - 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