Lacrosse store to open in Roanoke this fall

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The owner of a lacrosse store set to open in Roanoke this fall wants to use his business to grow and support the sport in Southwest Virginia.

Paul Lawlor, 23, said his store, Voomx, will not only supply players with equipment and apparel, but will also provide support for coaches and youth teams and will even set up an adult league.

"We are so much more than a retail store," said Lawlor, who has played lacrosse since he was in elementary school.

The store is expected to open in October at Hunting Hills Station, a small strip of retail stores below Chick-fil-A on Franklin Road. The 1,300-square-foot store will carry well-known lacrosse brands such as Warrior, STX and Brine. Voomx will carry men's and women's equipment, with an emphasis on apparel. Lawlor wants to hire a local graphic designer to create designs , he said.

The store will also feature a 100-inch screen and projector that will play ESPN, and on Sundays, Redskins games.

Lawlor is funding the business himself, but he said he is forming a board to weigh in on the direction on the company. He said he is currently looking for more board members.

He is also relying on the community to tell him how he can help.

His goals are to help the sport grow where it doesn't already exist and strengthen it where it is being played, he said.

He talked of holding clinics to introduce new players to the sport, offering discounts for teams, giving guidance to coaches and connecting local players with coaches and players at the university level.

"We're not going to limit ourselves to what we can do in the community," he said.

Ultimately, he hopes to see the sport grow across the region and in turn, increase demand for equipment and apparel. If that happens, Voomx will expand, Lawlor said.

J.Crew expands clearance store

J.Crew's popular warehouse sales in Lynchburg, which drew shoppers from across the region, are no more.

The company is discontinuing the periodic sales in favor of an expanded clearance store, said Margot Fooshee, a spokeswoman for J.Crew.

The expanded store, on Millrace Drive, opened last month. A second clearance store on Northwynd Circle has closed.

The expanded store holds more merchandise than the Northwynd and old Millrace stores combined, Fooshee said.

It also has more fitting rooms and a bridal department, she said.

The company no longer needs to hold warehouse sales because the expanded store can hold much more merchandise, Fooshee said.

"We feel it gives customers a much better shopping experience, and customers appreciate the ability to try items on before purchasing," she said in an email.

Items in the store are hung by size, unlike the warehouse sales where clothing was set out in boxes and got tossed around. There were also no fitting rooms at the warehouse sales, and many customers tried clothes on over their clothes.

The last warehouse sale in Lynchburg was in June. J.Crew will continue to hold warehouse sales in Arden, N.C., which is outside Asheville.

Viet Subs opens in Roanoke

A native of Vietnam has opened a sub shop on Williamson Road featuring banh mi sandwiches.

Khoi Nguyen opened Viet Subs opened earlier this month. He serves banh mi, sandwiches that are named for a type of Vietnamese baguette. Viet Subs offers a choice of smoked pork with Vietnam pork, which is ground pork marinated in fish sauce and salt and pepper. The meats are then steamed and served with pork liver pate, pickled carrots and white radishes, cilantro, jalapenos and cucumbers. Honey glazed pork, barbecue pork and turkey are also meat options. Nguyen plans to add side items, such as egg rolls and doughnuts made with sesame flour.

Nguyen moved to the United States a year and a half ago when he married his wife, Tu Doan, who moved to the states when she was 8 years old, she said. The two met in Vietnam while Doan was there vacationing.

Nguyen and his family ran a sub shop in Vietnam before he moved.

He and Doan bought the building at 1403 Williamson Road in 2012 and gutted it to install new wiring and plumbing for the shop.

They financed the business using money from their savings, family and from catering events, Doan said.