Rock on the Pike
The new performance hall under construction at Pike & Rose has finally gotten a name — AMP — befitting its future as a local venue for live music. Strathmore Music Center is set to handle bookings for the space, which will include concert seating for 250. There will also be areas for private parties, with catering by a group of respected restaurateurs. Hence the clever tagline: “Audible. Edible.” Live jazz, rock and folk concerts are expected to start early next year.
Music and art at the Square
Even as we wait for AMP to ramp up, Rockville Town Square is working hard to keep us entertained. The Friday Night Live outdoor concert series kicks off this week from 6:30-9 p.m., with ’80s and ’90s music plus food, wine and beer from Rockville restaurants. Friday Night Live will continue every week through September; see the full schedule here. And this Saturday and Sunday only, 175 artists will fill downtown Rockville with their paintings, sculpture, glass, ceramics, jewelry and other works along with live music.
Raising the barre
Go Figure, one of the first barre fitness centers to open in our area, has rebranded itself with a new name — Barre Belle Fitness Studio — and some new moves to match. Barre workouts, which offer a mix of yoga, Pilates, postural alignment and ballet, have become increasingly popular here with the recent arrival of Pure Barre and other high-profile chains. Julie Wender, a Bethesda native who opened Go Figure at Park Potomac Place in 2011, says she decided to drop her licensing agreement when it got in the way of adding cardio workouts and other classes that Potomac clients were asking for. But barre will still be the club’s focus, Wender says. “People will walk out feeling taller and leaner – not like they got hit by a truck.”
New line at Leila
Leila Fine Gifts & Jewels in the Cabin John Shopping Center has introduced a new line of necklaces by Vanessa Gade, a California artisan whose kinetic, sculptural designs can be seen at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and other prestigious museum shops. In case you haven’t picked up a Mother’s Day gift yet, Gade’s bold designs (priced at $150 and up) are just one of the many handmade jewelry pieces — and other great gifts — that you’ll find at Leila. Leila is offering 20% off to Store Reporter readers; click here for our coupon. Use it for your mom, or use it for yourself. We won’t tell.
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