Store Reporter

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

Congressional Plaza

Dawson’s returns, bye bye bike stores, vintage market for Potomac and a music school for Cabin John

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The ride is over for Performance Bicycle

Sad news for local cyclists: The Performance Bicycle retail chain is riding off into the sunset. The company is in Chapter 11 and plans to close all stores this month — including the popular Rockville location at Congressional Plaza. Looking to score some deals? You’d better roll quickly; closing sale are going on now.

Eyeland/Luxoptics
The Grilled Oyster

Vintage vibes on River Road

New place to shop on River Road: The Potomac French Market is open Thursdays through Sundays in the weathered barn that once was home to Flora’s Feathered Nest. With a similar mix of new and vintage gifts, home decor, antique furniture and upcycled goods, the store will please those who have missed Flora’s since it closed in 2016. “We were huge fans,” says co-owner Teri Troxell, who notes that she and partner Rene Redfield Shaw were also inspired by vintage markets in Paris and New Orleans as well as Chartreuse & Co. in Frederick. The pair took over the space from the Sonoran Rose boutique, which moved out last summer. (More on that in our July 19th edition.) You’ll find the Potomac French Market at 12211 River Road. Hours vary, so it’s best to call ahead: 301-807-9945.

Wintergreen Plaza
Wink Eyecare Boutique

Dawson's is back

Dawson’s Market, closed since late October, makes a triumphant return this weekend with a new owner and a new commitment to serving as a “one-stop shop” for Rockville Town Square. Longtime manager Bart Yablonsky has purchased the store from its out-of-town owners and is making changes that he says the community has asked for. “We’re expanding the product mix with more national brands that people will recognize and more convenience items like flashlights and batteries,” he says. “We’ll have freshly sliced meats and cheeses at the deli, and a new selection of conventional produce along with the organics.” Yablonsky says the wider range of products will allow for lower prices on some items — but he promises the store will continue to specialize in local and organic foods.

Realtor Lisa Nasar of Long & Foster
The Game Gym

Music school moves to Cabin John

The International School of Music, offering voice and instrument classes for kids and teens, is leaving its longtime location near Bethesda’s Home Depot for a new home at Cabin John Village. Classes will begin Jan. 2nd on the second floor of the mini-mall, where students can learn to play everything from piano, guitar and violin to drums, ukulele and harp. The school also trains ensembles that perform at local venues as well as the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Click here for more.

Breakthrough Test Prep
OneTest

Gifts for the kitchen

As much as we love writing about restaurants, at this time of year we’re spending lots of time in the kitchen with friends and family. So once again, we’re partnering with our favorite cooking stores to bring you some gift inspiration. Up this week: three great picks from Sur La Table.

  • Chilewich Lace Table Runner: These lace textiles from designer Sandy Chilewich add metallic sparkle to any table, but they’re actually made of high-tech plastics. That means they’re easy to wipe clean and can be used indoors or out. Available in gold or silver for $115; click here for more.
  • Moscow Mule Mugs: For the friend who loves a good cocktail, these copper mugs come in a hammered or plain finish for $19.95 apiece. Click here for more.
  • Dual-Action Potato Masher: This clever tool works as both a masher and a ricer, coming in handy for egg salad and guacamole as well as potatoes. $19.95, click here for more.

For more gift picks from Sur La Table, visit the Pike & Rose store or shop online at surlatable.com.

Explore Kensington
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Labor Day opening for Cabin John restaurants, Nike store closes at Pike & Rose, Cava’s surprise buy

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Restaurants ready to open at Cabin John

The upcoming Labor Day weekend will be a busy one at Cabin John Village, with the arrival of Le Pain Quotidien and possibly Shake Shack as well. Tables and chairs already have been set up outside Le Pain, which is scheduled to open for business on Monday, Sept. 3. Construction is almost complete at the neighboring Shake Shack, which will make its debut the same day if all goes smoothly. The two restaurants will join Cava, which opened earlier this month, and the upcoming Sisters Thai, which is expected to arrive this fall. What’s next for Cabin John? A major expansion. Click here for more.

Wintergreen Plaza
Realtor Lisa Nasar of Long & Foster
Nike Store

Nike runs out of Pike & Rose

Surprise closing this week at Pike & Rose: The Nike Factory Store is exiting after just two years in the prominent corner spot facing Old Georgetown Road. This is the second sporting goods store to close at that location; original tenant City Sports lasted only a year before its parent company filed Chapter 11 in 2015. At the Nike store, staffers tell us that sales were slow the first year but business picked up in 2018 as Pike & Rose added more tenants and attracted more visitors. Apparently, though, the upward trend wasn’t promising enough for Nike. A company spokesperson declined to discuss Pike & Rose, but said there are no plans to close other nearby Nike stores in D.C., Georgetown and Clarksburg.

North Bethesda Fit Body Boot Camp
Eyeland/Luxoptics
Cava

Cava’s surprise buy

D.C.’s Cava Group surprised the restaurant industry last week when it announced plans to acquire Texas-based Zoë’s Kitchen for $300 million. Cava, founded a dozen years ago by three longtime friends from the Rockville/Bethesda area, has 66 locations nationwide compared with 260 for Zoë’s Kitchen. But Cava is on a rapid expansion path with significant backing from venture capital firms, while Zoë’s has seen its sales decline in recent years. Still unclear: Whether the two restaurants, which serve similar fast-casual Mediterranean menus, will retain separate identities or merge into one big Cava chain after the acquisition.

Second Chance Addiction Care
Fallsgrove Orthodontic Center
Noodles & Company

New look for Noodles & Company

Noodles & Company at Congressional Plaza is closed for renovations, with plans to reopen in mid-September. The Rockville location is one of just three Noodles and Company restaurants left in Montgomery County after last year’s closing of two Bethesda locations.

Bender JCC School fo Dance
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Aldi update, ins and outs at the mall, new Starbucks and the Supreme store

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Aldi on Rockville Pike

Aldi update

This week we checked on the progress of Rockville’s first Aldi store, now under construction in the former H.H. Gregg space next to Petco at Congressional North. You wouldn’t know it by the empty shell seen here, but the company tells us the store is still on track to open this fall as planned. This is one of six new Maryland stores for Aldi, a German grocer that sells high-quality private-label brands at rock-bottom prices. For more on Aldi’s unique business model, click here. For info on Rockville’s upcoming Wegmans store, click here. And for the latest on the new Trader Joe’s in Travilah, click here.

Wintergreen Plaza
Realtor Lisa Nasar of Long & Foster
Bath & Body Works at Westfield Montgomery Mall

Comings and goings at the mall

If you stopped by Westfield Montgomery mall this week and spotted the empty space where Bath & Body Works used to be, don’t panic: There’s a lot of reshuffling going on this summer. Bath & Body Works is getting a facelift and will be operating out of temporary quarters until the work is finished. The Pandora store and Old Navy are doing the same. Meanwhile, the past few weeks have seen the openings of Invisalign, K&I Salon and a Thai rolled ice cream kiosk. What closed? Pen Boutique, after a very long going-out-of-business sale. What’s next for Westfield Montgomery? A major expansion beginning in 2019. For more on that story, click here.

Norman's Farm Market
Girl Power 3
MVP Supreme at Westfield Montgomery

Making the scene at Supreme

While we’re talking about Westfield Montgomery mall, have you ever wondered what’s up with that MVP Supreme store in the Macy’s Home wing? As any teen can probably tell you, the store is a reseller of Supreme and other popular skatewear brands that produce high-priced goods ($78 T-shirts and $158 track jackets) in very, very small quantities. The scarcity means that most items get snatched up the moment they “drop,” and some Supreme stores have set up ticketing systems to handle the overload of shoppers on “drop days.” As for the lucky buyers, they’re less likely to wear their Supreme clothes than to resell them — at school or online — for a sizable profit. Want to see what the brand is all about? Click here.

Fallsgrove Orthodontic Center
Germantown Moving & Storage
Starbucks at Pike & Rose

New Starbucks for North Bethesda

The new Starbucks at Pike & Rose has finally opened its doors in the prime space between H&M and Sur La Table. This location replaces the older Starbucks just off Rockville Pike, which was more convenient for passing drivers but missed out on all that Pike & Rose foot traffic.

Post-holiday closings, farming at Pike & Rose and the return of Amici Miei

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Cabin John mini-mall

Who didn’t survive the holidays?

With the holidays behind us, we’re heading into the month when long-struggling stores and restaurants often close their doors. The newly renamed Cabin John Village already has seen two exits: Momo Taro Sushi Express and the dry cleaner Fashion Flair. Downtown Bethesda is sadly counting down the days for the closing of Barnes & Noble, soon to be replaced by a massive Anthropologie department store. One unexpected departure was that of L’Academie de Cuisine, the respected local cooking school whose alumni include Rose’s Luxury chef Aaron Silverman, TV personality Carla Hall, and Potomac’s own Once Upon a ChefJenn Segal. We’re expecting more closings in the next few weeks. If you’re still holding on to any holiday gift certificates, be sure to spend them ASAP.

Bethesda Central Farm Markets
Appalachian Spring

Downsizing for Appalachian Spring

Six months after the closing of its original location in Georgetown, Appalachian Spring is shuttering two more stores as its owners make plans to retire. “Shopping is not the recreational vehicle that it used to be,” says David Brooks, who started the gift store chain 50 years ago with his wife Polly. Today’s customers have less time to browse, Brooks says, and the Virginia store in particular took a hit when Reston Town Center started charging for parking. That store and the one at D.C.’s Union Station will close this month. The Rockville store at Congressional Plaza will remain in business under new ownership, as longtime manager Blair Marra takes the reins.

Wintergreen Plaza
Amici Miei in Potomac and Rockville

Amici Miei is back

Amici Miei, the Italian restaurant that exited Potomac Woods Plaza last November, reopens this week at its new home in downtown Rockville. The new space is smaller and renovations are still under way, says owner Roberto Deias, “but it’s nice and cozy, and the customers really love it.” The menu includes plenty of longtime favorites, along with some new Sardinian dishes. You’ll find Amici Miei at 6 North Washington Street, in the former home of Peruvian restaurant Sazon Inka.

Jenny Camps Personal Training ad: http://www.jocpersonaltraining.com
Up Top Acres

Rooftop garden for Pike & Rose

Coming this spring to Pike & Rose: A rooftop vegetable garden offering farm-share memberships for the North Bethesda area. Up Top Acres, which already operates a half-dozen rooftop farms around D.C., will be growing greens, herbs, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers and more atop one of the new Pike & Rose buildings. For more on what’s ahead for Pike & Rose — including an ice cream shop/bakery and a new concept from the founders of CAVA— read our Nov. 2 and Nov. 30 issues at www.storereporter.com.