BCBG Bethesda

Beefsteak opens, Apple Store update, Flora’s flies the coop

June 23, 2016 By Store Reporter Leave a Comment

Beefsteak ready to open at the mall

Beefsteak, the new veggie-centric restaurant from celeb chef José Andrés, is set to open next week in the Dining Terrace at Westfield Montgomery Mall. A fast-casual concept from the man who brought us Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel and Minibar, Beefsteak has rolled out five locations in its first 15 months as Andrés sets his sights on a national expansion. (Investors include actress/health guru Gwyneth Paltrow.) The menu isn’t entirely vegetarian — you can choose to top your meal with a poached egg or salt-cured salmon — but the focus here is on pairing veggies with grains, nuts, seeds and sauces. Click here to check out the menu for yourself.

Apple Store closing pushed back again

It’s been almost three months since we broke the news that the Apple Store at Westfield Montgomery Mall would be closing for a major expansion. But while the other predictions in our April 4th report have all come to pass (see story below), the start date for the Apple renovation has been pushed back from late April to early May to a new projection of “sometime this summer.” Apple will be taking over the adjoining storefronts once occupied by BCBG and Teavana, rolling the whole space into a massive new store that was supposed to be ready before the holidays. The longer it takes for construction to begin, the more challenging that timetable will become. Either way, Apple fans will likely find it worth the wait: Click here for a Bloomberg report on the company’s striking new store in San Francisco.

On the move: Sephora, Teavana & Kay Jewelers

While the Apple Store expansion is on hold until later this summer, construction is moving forward on three other stores in the Macy’s wing at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Sephora is moving into a larger space across the hall from its current location, which will remain open during construction. Teavana, which closed in April to make room for the Apple expansion, is building a new store of its own just down the aisle. And Kay Jewelers, as we predicted in our April 4th report, will be moving out of its corner spot to a new home next to Swarovski. All three stores should be open by early fall.

Flora’s flies the coop

Closing this summer after 12 years: Flora’s Feathered Nest, the artsy Potomac gift shop in a quaint two-story house at 12211 River Road. Flora’s fans appreciated the store for its creative displays and one-of-a-kind gifts, from herb gardens in the summer and holiday decor in the winter to giant clocks, nautical accessories and farm-themed artwork. “I loved my customers and made some great friends along this journey, but the square footage here is just too big to maintain,” says owner Marcia Copenhaver, who is contemplating whether to retire or reopen in a smaller space. “I simply need to take a break and reevaluate how much time and energy I want to devote to my passion.” In the meantime, three-year-old JT Interiors will have the Potomac Village gift-shopping market to itself.

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Why Blaze closed, World of Beer, Hardwood Artisans and Sport Authority

May 26, 2016 By Store Reporter 1 Comment

Why Blaze closed — and what happens now

This week Blaze Pizza fans were shocked by our May 23rd report that the restaurant had closed its doors at Westfield Montgomery Mall. But take heart: A Blaze rep tells us the California-based chain is looking to open elsewhere in this area. The decision to close at the mall was made “after lease negotiations proved unsuccessful, and with respect to a combination of other factors including alterations to mall entrance signage,” says Blaze spokesman Joshua Levitt. In the end, he says, “We felt moving this location was the best strategy to the long-term health of the brand.” Stay tuned to Store Reporter for the latest on what’s cooking at Blaze. In the meantime, superfans can visit the next-closest locations in Laurel, College Park and Baltimore.

Other mall departures

Cleo’s Oil Bar, which opened just a year ago at Westfield Montgomery Mall, made a quiet exit last month after sales didn’t pour in as expected. Cleo’s had featured a winery-inspired layout where visitors could belly up to the bar for samples, then sip them from a seating area near the Godiva store. “Just didn’t fly,” sighs co-owner Linda Cameron, who continues to operate her original store in Annapolis. Cleo’s isn’t the only business to depart the mall in the last few weeks. Others include BCBG and Teavana, whose spaces will be taken by the expanding Apple Store (click here for more), and the restaurants Jamaican Mi Crazy and Lobster ME, which both closed on Monday along with Blaze Pizza (click here for more).

World of Beer opens in Rockville

Opening on Memorial Day in downtown Rockville: World of Beer, with 4,200 square feet of indoor/outdoor seating on the ground floor of the new Upton apartment building on Maryland Avenue. This will be the third Maryland location for the Florida-based company, with a fourth to follow in downtown Bethesda later this year. General manager Patrick Costello says customers can expect “a lively, fun and casual atmosphere, with 50 rotating taps, a great selection of locally made beers, an old-fashioned cask engine, and an infusion tower for making beer flavored with fruits and herbs.” The tavern-style menu is focused on burgers, wings, flatbreads and giant Bavarian pretzels. To check it out for yourself, click here.

Hardwood Artisans exits Rockville

The changes keep coming at Federal Plaza on Rockville Pike, where Ruby Tuesday closed last week and Hardwood Artisans is on the way out after nearly two decades at the same location. Demand for custom furniture has diminished in the current economy, a spokesman tells us, and business at the Rockville store had been slow for several years. Maryland customers can visit Hardwood Artisans at its recently opened location on St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda, which showcases a new line of space-saving condo furniture (click here to check it out). The Rockville store will close at the end of June. Who’s moving in? Payless.

Sports Authority’s final exit

This week Sports Authority kicked off its nationwide going-out-of-business sale, which will continue through the end of August. Returns and exchanges can be made through June 25th, store gift cards will be honored through the 28th, and extended warranties on Sports Authority products will remain in effect via a third-party company. But if you were planning to redeem the points accrued from your Sports Authority Loyalty Program, you’re out of luck: They just expired.

Spring shakeup at the mall: Apple, Sephora & more

April 4, 2016 By Store Reporter 4 Comments

Mall moves

While many of us were spending spring break in the Big Apple, Westfield Montgomery Mall was busy planning a Big Apple of its own. Insiders tell us the mall’s Apple Store is about to undergo a huge expansion, setting off a major reshuffling of the Macy’s wing that involves Teavana, Sephora, BCBG and possibly Kay Jewelers. Neither Apple nor mall officials would confirm anything just yet, but we hear the spring shuffle is already a done deal — and we couldn’t wait until Thursday to tell you. Here’s a rundown of what’s ahead:

The Apple Store will take over the space currently occupied by its next-door neighbor, Teavana, as well as the storefront where BCBG just closed. If you have any Apple items that need attention, you’d better move quickly: We’re told that the store will be closed during the renovation, which could begin as soon as next week. The bigger and better Apple Store will make its debut this fall.
Teavana will close its doors as the Apple expansion begins, with plans to return in late summer with a new store just across the aisle. There’s plenty of available space in that section of the Macy’s wing, where Hollister recently closed and Abercrombie & Fitch moved downstairs. When Teavana does reopen, it will face a formidable new competitor: Canadian retailer David’s Tea is about to open just around the corner.
Sephora also is moving across the aisle to a larger space that’s expected to be ready by August. But Sephora fans can relax: Unlike its neighbors, we hear the glam makeup store will remain open at its current location until moving day arrives.
BCBG Max Azria has closed to make way for Apple’s expansion — and it appears the fashion retailer won’t be coming back.
Kay Jewelers, which occupies what will soon be a prime corner next to Sephora and Teavana, is tentatively scheduled to relocate this summer to the onetime Caché space next to Swarovski. No word yet on who might take over Kay’s corner… but we won’t be surprised if it’s a big name.

Pair these changes with last month’s news about the addition of a Lucky Strike Social bowling alley, and it looks like this will be quite a fall for our local mall.