More at the mall
Last year marked the beginning of a $90 million transformation for Westfield Montgomery Mall, including the addition of several full-service restaurants, a posh new Dining Terrace, luxurious public seating areas and a 16-screen movie theater. But there’s much more to come in 2015, says mall manager Eric Howard. “The story in 2014 was the renovation,” he says. “The story this year will be about upgrading our tenant mix, getting the right retailers to come in.” Read on for an update on what’s coming — and a chance to tell mall management what else you’d like to see.
More new restaurants
This week marked the debut of the high-end restaurant CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar (shown here), joining the recently opened MET Bethesda and soon to be followed by Naples 45 Ristorante e Pizzeria. Today (1/15), Chipotle will open in the mall’s Dining Terrace. Coming soon: Cold Stone Creamery and Chloe’s NY Style Deli. We expect to see several more destination restaurants joining the lineup for 2015.
More luxury stores
We’re betting on the arrival of Tiffany & Co., whose presence at Montgomery Mall would help pave the way for a whole new group of similarly high-end retailers. Mall management will confirm only that a “luxury jeweler” is on the way, and Tiffany remains tight-lipped about its plans. But our Mall Crystal Ball has been pretty accurate so far: This is one of three predictions we made back on May 29 (you can read that issue here) — and two of them (Lululemon and the Microsoft Store) have since come true.
More coffee
Peet’s Coffee & Tea will open a kiosk this spring in the mall’s Sears wing, offering another alternative to those long lines at Starbucks. This will replace (and hopefully improve on) the old Caribou Coffee kiosk, which closed in 2013 after Caribou was sold to Peet’s. Expect some light food and a casual seating area, similar to the coffee shop just outside Nordstrom.
What else would you like to see?
The mall is actively courting new tenants for 2015, and manager Eric Howard wants to know what Store Reporter readers are looking for. “We don’t want to just fill space — we want to figure out who’s missing,” he says. “Who is that retailer we don’t have yet?” So here’s your chance to offer some feedback to Howard and his team: Are you hoping for a housewares store to replace Crate & Barrel? Do you have a favorite place at Tysons Corner that you’d like to see in Maryland? Is there something you miss from the former White Flint Mall? Tell us what you think by email (click here) or on our Facebook page (click here). We’ll tally up your suggestions and pass them on to mall management.
Cheesemaker event at Potomac Grocer
Potomac Grocer, 10107 River Road, will show off its new selection of artisan cheeses with a Cheesemaker Event from 4-6 p.m. next Wednesday (Jan. 21st). Andy Hatch, lead cheesemaker with Uplands Cheese in Wisconsin, will be sampling his award-winning Pleasant Ridge Reserve while the store cooks up some special dishes for cheese lovers. For details, call 301-299-4200.
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