Leila Fine Gifts & Jewels, one of the last locally owned gift shops in the Rockville/Potomac area, is closing its doors after five years at Cabin John Shopping Center. “The retail environment is challenging everywhere these days,” says owner Deb Shalom, who is still moving forward with the new jewelry subscription business that we wrote about last month. “Even the most established stores are having a hard time. For someone like me with far fewer resources, it’s tough to make things work.” This has been the worst year in recent memory for local gift shops: As Kindred Spirits closed its last remaining location in March, Ten Thousand Villages exited Rockville and Bethesda soon afterwards, and Appalachian Spring will shutter its Georgetown store this weekend.
