Posted by Store Reporter on May 24, 2018 in Current Issue
New eats at the mall
Lots of new food on the way to Westfield Montgomery Mall, where several restaurants and a trendy new dessert place are set to open in the next few months. In the Dining Terrace, the Spice 6 Indian eatery is shooting for a late-June opening while newcomer EG Ramen is taking over the former Boardwalk space. Upstairs, across from the ArcLight Cinema, Viva Steakhouse & Asian Fusion should be open by early fall. Owner Calvin Yang tells us the restaurant will have a pan-Asian menu (Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese) plus several Japanese hibachi tables, an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet, and a full bar that overlooks the Dining Terrace. And another Asian food craze, Thai rolled ice cream, is on the way to the Sears wing in the spot just vacated by Menchie’s.
What’s new, what’s coming to the mall
What else is happening at Westfield Montgomery Mall? Furniture Place has opened in the former Victoria’s Secret/Pink space near Nordstrom. The Dormify showroom is now open as well (click here for more in our May 10th edition). And Zumiez, featuring skateboards and skater-inspired fashions, will be moving into the former VIP space.
Karma opens at Park Potomac
Karma by Erwin Gomez, the newest venture from the D.C.-based celebrity makeup artist, made its debut this week at Park Potomac. Located across from Addie’s in the ground floor of The Perry, Karma offers hair, makeup and nail services, lash and brow styling and an array of skin treatments — plus the chance to schedule a session with Gomez himself. For more on Karma, click here.
Did you miss these stories?
- Cabin John Q&A: What do the new owners have planned? Click here.
- True Food Kitchen spinoff heading to Wildwood and Travilah. Click here.
- The Beach opens at Pike & Rose. Click here.
- Seven Seas Chinese restaurant to close. Click here.
- Wegmans in Rockville: your questions answered. Click here.
- Pike & Rose will get an Asian food hall: Click here.
- Corned Beef King opens on the Pike. Click here.
- Aldi will open a no-frills grocery store in Rockville. Click here.
Store Reporter Services Guide
- For the Home: Electrical work, flooring, locksmiths, moving & more. Click here.
- Parties & Specialty Gifts: Party swag, monograms, custom art & more. Click here.
- Professional Services: Dentists, orthodontists & therapists you can trust. Click here.
- Pet Services: Only the best for your pet. Click here.
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Posted by Store Reporter on May 17, 2018 in Current Issue
Cabin John Q&A
The new owners of Cabin John Village held a public meeting at Churchill High School this week to talk about their plans for redevelopment. After presenting renderings for the first phase of a potentially decade-long project, reps from Edens and EYA answered questions about what the next three years will bring. Here are the most important takeaways.
What’s going to happen with parking? This was the number one question of the evening, with many expressing concern that the center’s new restaurants — not to mention pop-up tenants like the new plant nursery — will attract more traffic while taking away places to park. Developers say the existing parking areas will be largely reconfigured, with a net loss of about 115 spaces from the current total of 1,030. They may eventually add some kind of parking garage, but that won’t happen in the next few years.
How will the strip center be renovated? Plans call for an improved roofline, wider sidewalks, more outdoor dining areas and a new pedestrian walkway between CVS and Giant. A section of the strip mall will be removed to create that walkway, improving pedestrian traffic flow and allowing easier access between the front and back of the center.
What about the mini-mall? It will remain standing with a mix of mostly local tenants. National chains are more likely to move into the strip center.
What’s happening with the four new restaurants? Shake Shack, Le Pain Quotidien, CAVA and Sisters Thai are all scheduled to open in late fall. Developers promise that the view from the corner of Seven Locks and Tuckerman will eventually become an attractive “front door” to Cabin John.
What’s the plan for housing? Local home builder EYA (Park Potomac, Grosvenor Heights et al.) will construct 48 multi-story townhouses in the area behind Lahinch Tavern and Grill. Pricing has not been determined, but an EYA rep says the homes would likely cost between $900,000 and $1.2 million in today’s dollars.
What about green space? The pedestrian-friendly plan includes multiple grassy and tree-lined areas, walkable paths between the buildings, plenty of outdoor seating and a large courtyard for community events.
When can I view these plans? They should be posted online this summer. We’ll let you know when a link is available.
True Food Kitchen spinoff heading this way
Coming soon to Wildwood Shopping Center in Bethesda and Travilah Square Shopping Center in Rockville: Flower Child, a new restaurant chain from the founders of True Food Kitchen. The menu is quite similar to True Food’s, focusing on healthy but flavorful dishes that cater to specialty diets like sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and paleo. At Wildwood, Flower Child will be taking the space that was recently vacated by the Red Door Spa & Salon (more on that in our March 15th issue.) At Travilah Square, it will be part of a new wave of tenants lured by the upcoming Trader Joe’s grocery store (more on that in our Feb. 22nd issue). Opening dates for Flower Child are TBD, but you can check out the menu here.
Food & fun at Pike & Rose
This is a busy month at Pike & Rose, where the long-delayed sandwich shop Taylor Gourmet finally opened its doors and The Baked Bear dessert shop arrives this weekend. (Click here for details in our April 19th issue). Also arriving on Memorial Day weekend: The Beach, a simulated shoreline near L.L. Bean complete with real sand and umbrellas, faux cabanas and seaside cocktails. The Beach is a seasonal installation that will be around all summer. Click here for more renderings on our Facebook page.
Did you miss these stories?
- Dormify and Untuckit to open at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Click here.
- Corner Market opens at Woodley Gardens. Click here.
- MOM’s Organic Market update for Upper Rock. Click here.
- Cabin John mini-mall gets a new bakery. Click here.
- Seven Seas Chinese restaurant to close. Click here.
- Wegmans in Rockville: your questions answered. Click here.
- Pike & Rose will get an Asian food hall: Click here.
- Corned Beef King opens on the Pike. Click here.
- ArcLight Cinema will get a new neighbor. Click here.
- Store Reporter’s Local Services Guide offers recommendations you can trust. Click here.
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Posted by Store Reporter on May 10, 2018 in Current Issue
This one’s for the guys
Coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall: Untuckit, the New York-based retailer whose shirts are meant to be worn… well, you know. The company is best known for its $80-ish men’s button-downs and polos, with hems that are intended to fall mid-fly and showcase Untuckit’s triangle logo. Plans call for 100 Untuckit stores by 2022, with expanded clothing lines for women and kids. At Westfield Montgomery, the retailer is moving into the former Solstice space near Macy’s. Meanwhile, another new menswear store opened at the mall this week: Fascino, specializing in Italian fashions, has taken over the Hoamgar space near Nordstrom.
Dorm destination
Online retailer Dormify is opening a summertime pop-up shop at Westfield Montgomery Mall. This is a first for the six-year-old company, which was founded by a Churchill High School grad in search of more glamorous dorm decor. It’s one of three new brick-and-mortar locations (the others are in Chicago and New York) that will give shoppers a chance to check out all those plush duvets and furry throw pillows in person. The best part for parents: No schlepping heavy bags through the mall. Once you decide what to buy, the store will place your order online and ship directly to your home or campus. Dormify is set to open May 15th in the Nordstrom wing, where it will remain until late August.
New Rockville grocery store opens next week
Corner Market and Pharmacy, a new venture from the owners of Chevy Chase Supermarket, opens May 16th at the Woodley Gardens Shopping Center in Rockville. “We’re going to be a real neighborhood grocer with excellent customer service and employees who actually care,” says co-owner Kevin Kirsch. Not to mention top-notch baked goods: Kirsch tells us the store will carry freshly made bread, rolls, churros and cakes from the Canela Bakery in Gaithersburg. (Did you know that Wegmans and Aldi are also coming to Rockville? Click here and here for details on where and when.)
Upper Rock update
Firehouse Subs has opened its first Rockville location at the Upper Rock development on Shady Grove Road, across from Home Depot and Nordstrom Rack. CAVA and CVS have been open there for several months, but many Store Reporter readers have asked us about the slow progress at MOM’s Organic Market. Not to worry: MOM’s owners tell us that construction is finally moving forward and the store should open early this summer. This will be the first freestanding location for MOM’s, with a bakery and a vegetarian organic eatery on the premises.
Need some help with a house project?
Our new Store Reporter Local Services Guide has recommendations for everything from flooring to locksmiths to home inspectors, movers, organizing specialists and vintage furniture. The advertisers on this list have been crowd-sourced and vetted by our editors, your neighbors and Store Reporter readers. In other words: These are names you can trust. Click here to take a look.
Did you miss these stories?
- Cabin John mini-mall gets a new bakery. Click here.
- Seven Seas Chinese restaurant to close. Click here.
- B/Bop/Q is out at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Click here.
- Wegmans in Rockville: your questions answered. Click here.
- Pike & Rose will get an Asian food hall: Click here.
- Corned Beef King opens on the Pike. Click here.
- ArcLight Cinema will get a new neighbor. Click here.
- Aldi will open a no-frills grocery store in Rockville. Click here.
read more
Posted by Store Reporter on May 3, 2018 in Gift Ideas
So long Seven Seas
Seven Seas, one of Rockville’s oldest Chinese restaurants, will close its doors at the end of this month. The 31-year-old eatery, on the back side of Federal Plaza near Panera, was a takeout favorite known for its fresh seafood dishes and lobster platters. Management tells us the restaurant’s lease was up and there are no plans to relocate.
Sweet start at Cabin John
The big story in Potomac this week is the debut of Sweetly Anchored, the new bakery and coffee shop inside the Cabin John mini-mall. Doors open on Monday morning (May 7th) with scones, croissants, muffins and quiche along with coffee and espresso drinks. Every afternoon the cases will be filled with cupcakes, cookies, brownies and tarts for eat-in or takeout. Owner Lindsay Miniaci, who is known for her specialty cakes, says new baked goods will be added in the weeks to come. The bakery will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Click here for more photos on the Store Reporter Facebook page.
Bye B/Bop/Q
Korean fusion eatery B/Bop/Q closed its doors last weekend after less than three years at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Owned by a Rockville-based food service company that had planned to turn B/Bop/Q into a chain, the restaurant had a loyal fan base but had trouble drawing crowds so far from the main Dining Terrace. Another nearby restaurant that opened around the same time, Shanghai Bao Kitchen, had similar issues and closed its doors last winter.
Comings & goings at the mall
This week we have a few more comings and goings to report at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The newest addition is Italian lingerie store Intimissimi, now open in the Nordstrom wing. Infinite Beauty, one of the mall’s longtime tenants, has added a second location offering facials and other spa services. Meanwhile, we say goodbye to Asian clothing chain Hoamgar after a five-year run. As we mentioned in our March 8 issue, this had been the first U.S. location for the high-end chain — but its merchandise failed to catch on.
Did you miss these stories?
- Wegmans in Rockville: Your questions answered. Click here.
- Pike & Rosewill get an Asian food hall: Click here.
- Corned Beef King opens on the Pike. Click here.
- Cabin John construction update. Click here.
- Nando’s opens at Pike & Rose. Click here.
- ArcLight Cinema will get a new neighbor. Click here.
- Cabin John signs a new fitness center. Click here.
- Aldi will open a no-frills grocery store in Rockville. Click here.
read more
Posted by Store Reporter on Apr 26, 2018 in Current Issue
Wegmans in Rockville: Your questions answered
Who knew a grocery store could create so much excitement? Our Facebook page and mailbag have been overflowing with messages since last Tuesday, when we happily delivered the news that Wegmans is finally coming to Rockville. Here are some answers to the questions we’ve been hearing all week.
Opening date? We don’t know yet, but it’s going to be awhile. The deal was just signed, and Wegmans tells us it’s too soon to establish a timeline for the project. The popular grocer is to be the anchor and primary draw for an expansive pedestrian-friendly development that’s planned for the Twinbrook Metro area. There are still a lot of hoops to jump through before construction can begin.
What about parking? Plans call for an underground parking lot that will serve Wegmans customers as well as the other surrounding businesses.
What will happen to the existing tenants at the corner of Halpine Road and Rockville Pike? Eventually, most of the businesses in and around that site will either have to close or relocate.
So what does this mean for Pizza CS? Our readers have been particularly concerned about the fate of the beloved pizzeria, known for its authentic Neapolitan-style pies. “We appreciate the community support,” says co-owner Ankur Rajpara. He and partner Jonathan Allen tell us their lease is good through 2020, but they’ve been scouting potential new locations in case they’re asked to make an early exit.
Can Rockville Pike really support this many grocery stores? The Pike already is home to Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Food Lion, Fresh Market and Trader Joe’s, among others. Not to mention that Aldi will soon be opening there as well. (Click here for more on that). Will local food shoppers actually be able to keep all these stores in business? This is one question to which even we don’t know the answer.
New food hall for Pike & Rose
In another case of how much is too much: This week Pike & Rose announced plans for The Block, a dining hall featuring 8,500 square feet of Asian street food that’s set to debut next year. Like its sister location in Annandale, The Block will have communal seating where everyone can order exactly what they want, from Taiwanese snocream to Hawaiian-style poké bowls. This is the third all-Asian food hall planned for the Rockville/North Bethesda area, following The Spot in downtown Rockville (click here for more) and Pike Kitchen on Edmonston Drive (click here for more). Food halls are trending all over the U.S., including themed ones like the new collection of Mike Isabella eateries at Tysons Galleria. But three Asian food halls within a short drive of each other? That’s going to be interesting.
Latest on the Corned Beef King
Next week marks the grand opening of a Corned Beef King restaurant that isn’t on wheels: The popular food truck has completed its buildout inside the Liberty gas station at Rockville Pike and Twinbrook Parkway. Owner Jon Rossler had been running a similar gas station restaurant in Olney for several years, but he closed it a few weeks ago when the rent got too high. He says he’s happy to have a brick-and-mortar location in Rockville, where many fans follow his food truck around and some have even been known to drive to Olney for a sandwich. Meanwhile, the former Corned Beef King truck that’s recently been seen outside Hank Dietle’s is now owned by a separate operator serving Latin food.
Check out our new Services Guide
This week we’re proud to debut our new Store Reporter Local Services Guide, a go-to list of recommendations for everything from home repairs to custom gifts to professional services to pet care. We’ve done our homework to vet the advertisers in this guide, asking friends and neighbors for referrals to make sure this is a list you can count on. We’ll be adding more categories in the weeks and months to come. Interested in being part of it? Click here to send us an email. Want to check out the guide right now? Click here.
Did you miss these stories?
- Wegmans on the way to Rockville. Click here.
- Cabin John construction update. Click here.
- Nando’s opens at Pike & Rose. Click here.
- Baked Bear ice cream shop to open next month. Click here.
- ArcLight Cinema will get a new neighbor. Click here.
- Cabin John signs a new fitness center. Click here.
- New farm market for Westfield Montgomery Mall. Click here.
- Aldi will open a no-frills grocery store in Rockville. Click here.
- Canopy by Hilton opens at Pike & Rose. Click here.
- Christian-themed clothing store opens at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Click here.
- Chevy Chase Supermarket plans a spinoff in Rockville: Click here.
read more
