• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Store Reporter

Retail & Restaurant news for Rockville, Potomac & North Bethesda. We know it all. And we like to share.

  • Home
  • Store Reporter Guide
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Contact

April 10, 2014 By Store Reporter

Bankrupt Brookstone, Hamburger Hamlet, denim debut

 

 

Brookstone Massage Chair

 

Brookstone’s bankruptcy

Brookstone filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, but it looks like the Westfield Montgomery Mall store is safe for now. Plans call for the chain to be acquired by the parent company of Spencer’s gift shops and Spirit Halloween stores. Brookstone’s sales have slipped in recent years as shoppers declined to open their wallets for $4,500 massage chairs and $70 talking remote meat thermometers – the same problem that ultimately killed Sharper Image. Brookstone says it doesn’t plan to close any stores at the moment, but its future growth will be at airports rather than malls.

 

 

Hamburger Hamlet burger

What’s happening at the Hamlet

Three months after the closing of Hamburger Hamlet off Democracy Boulevard and Old Georgetown Road, we hear that two national restaurant chains are looking seriously at the massive space. The Hamlet, a staple at Georgetown Square Shopping Center for nearly 40 years, was a go-to restaurant for locals in the 1970s and ’80s. But its popularity had declined by 2012, when its California-based parent company declared bankruptcy. Another California company, Du-par’s, briefly took over and tried to turn the Hamlet into a 24-hour diner. But that didn’t go well either, and the restaurant closed its doors last December. Stay tuned to find out who’s moving in.

 

 

Mommy & Me with Buzz Lightyear, Congressional Plaza

Mommy & Me times two

Congressional Plaza in Rockville kicks off its spring Mommy & Me (& Daddy Too!) events this week. There will be live performances, craft projects, giveaways, balloon twisting and kids-eat-free promotions throughout the shopping center. And this year the monthly program has been expanded to downtown Rockville, where it will be held at the Town Square through October and inside the library during the colder months. Congressional’s program, which starts today (4/10). Rockville’s program starts next Tuesday, April 15th.

 

 

LiquidBLUE Denim Boutique, Rockville Town Square
Designer denim — and $25 off

LiquidBLUE Denim Boutique, the high-end denim shop we wrote about in our March 13 issue, is putting the finishing touches on its new store at Rockville Town Square. The shop will carry lines like Hudson, Citizens for Humanity, AG, Current/Elliott and True Religion. The official opening is April 19, but you might be able to stop in a few days earlier. And here’s some incentive: LiquidBLUE is offering $25 off to Store Reporter readers. Our coupon is good through May 2014.

SPONSORED CONTENT

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Burgers, Clothing and Accessories, Congressional Plaza, Gift Shops, Rockville Town Square, Westfield Montgomery mall

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our FREE weekly emails.

 

 

 







Click to advertise.

Categories

Check Out Our Store Reporter Guide


Dining & Delivery

DINING
& DELIVERY


Local Shopping

LOCAL
SHOPPING


Local Services

LOCAL
SERVICES


Fitness, Fun & More

FITNESS, FUN & MORE

Recent Issues

  • New taqueria for Rockville, Quincy’s debuts in Potomac, Walking Company walks away
  • Trading Addie’s for oysters at Park Potomac; closings for Abercrombie and Not Your Average Joe’s
  • Goodbye to Lord & Taylor and three Rockville stores — plus our latest guide to winter takeout
  • Gameworks to the mall, Wildwood restaurant reopens, Mexican food for Rockville
  • Indoor dining is out, new Potomac sports bar is in — plus holiday meals & gift ideas
  • Restaurant restrictions rolling back in, closings at Park Potomac — plus holiday meals, Korean hot dogs & Chick-fil-A
  • More closings at the mall, new salon for men, start the bidding for holiday auctions
  • Black Friday shopping, Call Your Mother Deli, new stores & two surprise comebacks
  • Goodbye Wine Harvest, hello to three new restaurants
  • County cracks down on dining crowds, Fish Taco returns, two more stores go dark
  • Latest on Lord & Taylor, county faces new COVID dining restrictions, Pet Valu goes belly-up
  • Three more restaurants out at the mall, new stores on the way
  • Cabin John update: Who’s moving in, who’s moving out & what’s up with Sisters Thai
  • Athleta to Rockville, Potomac salon closes, two more restaurants that won’t be back
  • Three new openings for Wildwood, closings for H&M and Regal Cinemas
  • Hello Lego, two new sweet spots, Rose’s Luxury delivered to your door
  • Office Depot out, Amazon grocery in, Pike & Rose dog park drags its tail
  • Balducci’s bankruptcy, Lego Store ready to launch, cashing in your jewelry
  • Goodbye Breadsmith, hello Attman’s and cookies to your door
  • Home Depot Design Center, mall dining update and the future of Flower Child
  • New restaurant from the Cava/Julii team, half-smokes for Rockville and the end of Lord & Taylor
  • Under the big top at Park Potomac, dine-in and diamonds at the mall, shakeups on the salon scene
  • Wegmans update, more mall closings & another departure at Rockville Town Square
  • Goodbye Lord & Taylor and Toy Castle, hello new Barnes & Noble
  • Thirteen local restaurants that won’t be back, sneak peek of the Amazon store, Peruvian chicken debuts, CPK files bankruptcy

Footer

Advertise | Terms | Privacy | Subscribe | Contact

Copyright © 2019 Store Reporter