Store Reporter

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

Lord & Taylor White Flint Mall

Lord & Taylor at White Flint, goodbye Benjarong, new boutique for Potomac

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Lord & Taylor fall mannequins

 

Inside Lord & Taylor: It’s not what you think

This week we made a long-overdue visit to Lord & Taylor on Rockville Pike, the sole survivor of last year’s teardown of the White Flint Mall. Half expecting a sad scene with barren shelves, peeling paint and bored salespeople, we instead found a bustling store filled with customers and fully stocked with great-looking fall merchandise. Also: zero parking hassles. Shoppers told us they still love Lord & Taylor and don’t much care about the missing mall. Which is a good thing, since there’s no telling when the rest of that property will be redeveloped. White Flint’s owners, Lerner Enterprises and the Tower Cos., are still in the process of appealing last year’s U.S. District Court verdict that they owe Lord & Taylor $31 million in damages and lost profits.

 

 

JT Interiors Holiday Open House ad: https://www.facebook.com/jtinteriorspotomac/

 

 

 

benjarong-pad-thai

 

Goodbye Benjarong

This week we say goodbye to the Thai restaurant Benjarong, which closed its doors on Halloween after two decades at Wintergreen Plaza. The restaurant’s owners, who took over several years ago, left a note on the door thanking customers for their patronage. So what will become of the Benjarong space? Stay tuned to Store Reporter; we’ll have the answer in an upcoming issue.

 

 

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

 

 

 

sonoran-rose-goods

 

New boutique moves into Flora’s

Flora’s Feathered Nest didn’t stay empty for long. Sonoran Rose, a boutique offering clothing, accessories and home decor, opens next Thursday (Nov. 10th) inside the quaint little farmhouse at 12211 River Road. Owner Isabel Chiotti, a retail industry veteran, says she jumped at the chance to take over the space after Flora’s closed last summer. Her specialty: international goods with a “boho-chic” vibe. “We carry espadrilles from the south of France, gorgeous cards and writing papers from England, guest towels from South Africa, candles from northern Ireland, leather bags from Argentina,” says Chiotti, a Brazilian native who will run the boutique with her daughters. “Competition is fierce. We look for different.” The Sonoran Rose website is still a work in progress; click here for a peek at what the store will carry.

 

 

Fall Back to Bethesda: http://www.backtobethesda.com

 

 

 

aeropostale-store-closing-sale

 

Aéropostale store may not close after all

Aéropostale fans can take heart from this week’s news that the teen retailer is doing better than expected after its recent Chapter 11 filing. About 500 of Aéropostale’s 700 stores are making money, the company says, and those will likely remain open despite the “going-out-of-business” signs plastered across their windows. That’s good news for the Aéropostale store at Westfield Montgomery Mall, which is said to be one of the solid performers.

 

 

Email Store Reporter at publisher@storereporter.com

 

 

Fish Taco, As Kindred Spirits, Alex and Ani, White Flint and a Wildwood Kitchen Giveaway

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Fish Taco fish tacos

 

Fish Taco on the way to Wildwood

Fish Taco, the homey Mexican restaurant from the owners of Bethesda’s Food Wine & Co., is heading our way with a new location in the Shops at Wildwood. Like its sister restaurant on MacArthur Boulevard, the new Fish Taco will offer a gourmet twist on the usual Mexican fare of tacos, quesadillas, burritos and chopped salads. Doors are set to open this fall next to Chop’t, in the space that once housed the home furnishings store Pierre Doux.

 

 

As Kindred Spirits airplane clock

 

As Kindred Spirits opens — with 15% OFF

As Kindred Spirits, the popular gift shop at Congressional Plaza on Rockville Pike, will open a new location August 1 at Westfield Montgomery Mall — taking over the former Aveda space on the upper level near Godiva. “We started many years ago with a kiosk at that mall, so things have really come full circle for us,” says owner Wendy Rukmini Walker, who also has a store at Reagan National Airport. As Kindred Spirits specializes in home decor, jewelry and art-to-wear “from unique artists that could never be represented in a department store,” Walker says. “We use our profits to help with fair trade, women’s initiatives and other projects around the world.” Want to check it out for yourself? Store Reporter readers get 15% OFF from August 1-9. 

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Alex and Ani bangle bracelets

 

Alex and Ani heading to the mall

Heading to Westfield Montgomery Mall this fall: Alex and Ani, the white-hot jewelry chain known for its stackable bangle charm bracelets and its mission to “spread positive energy.” Made in the U.S. from recycled materials, with prices starting at $28, the eco-conscious line also includes fan jewelry for sports teams, the armed forces, various universities and the Disney parks. Alex & Ani will replace the mall’s Things Remembered store, which departed earlier this month.

 

 

Wildwood Kitchen grilled vegetable marinara

 

Win a $75 dinner at Wildwood Kitchen

This month we’re giving away dinner for two at Wildwood Kitchen, in the Shops at Wildwood off Democracy Boulevard and Old Georgetown Road. Top picks from the menu include Amish Chicken with scallion potato cake and glazed carrots; Heirloom Tomato Salad with basil pasta and burrata; and the summer special shown here: Grilled Vegetable Marinara over pappardelle pasta. Update: Store Reporter reader Sharri Freedman won our $75 gift card for Wildwood Kitchen. To see what contests we have going on currently, click here.

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White Flint Mall with bulldozer

 

The wrecking ball arrives at White Flint

The wrecking ball finally arrived at White Flint Mall this month as demolition began on the parking garage behind the long-empty property. Plans call for White Flint to be reimagined as an open-air complex of retail, restaurants, apartments and offices. Most of the mall’s tenants have been gone for a year or more, with only Lord & Taylor still in business. Details of the new White Flint are still under wraps… but count on Store Reporter to do some digging this fall.

 

 

NYAJ Bethesda

 

First look at Not Your Average Joe’s

Last week we got a chance to check out Not Your Average Joe’s, newly open in the former Hamburger Hamlet space at Georgetown Square Shopping Center. The dishes we sampled were most definitely above average — especially the Chicken Piccata, Ahi Tuna Wontons, Mango Shrimp Summer Rolls and Gluten-Free Carrot Cake. (Not to mention the fresh-baked focaccia bread that’s delicious enough to ruin your appetite.) Next up for the Boston-based chain: Reston and Silver Spring. “The D.C. market is similar to our own area in food preferences,” says executive chef Jeff Tenner. “We think the corridor from Boston down to D.C. is going to be our sweet spot.”

 

 

 

Bonobos and Cold Stone Creamery to the mall; Goodbye P.F. Chang’s, hello Roy Rogers

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Bonobos chinosNew place for men at the mall

Bonobos, the online men’s clothing company known for its well-fitting pants, will soon have a physical store at Westfield Montgomery Mall — but you won’t be able to buy anything there. Bonobos stores, known as “Guideshops,” don’t stock much merchandise or handle any real-time sales transactions. Instead, they function as showrooms where men can make an appointment to be fitted, figure out what they like, and then follow up with an online order. It’s all part of a trend for online retailers (including Warby Parker, Athleta, Piperlime and even Amazon) to open physical spaces in major cities where customers can try before they buy. Montgomery Mall’s Bonobos store, which will be the third for the D.C. area, will open in a couple of months — right across from the guy-magnet Tesla showroom. Click here to check out the Bonobos website.

 

 

Screen Shot 2015-01-12 at 11.04.37 AMCold Stone Creamery headed to the mall — plus opening updates

We hear that Cold Stone Creamery will soon be joining the food lineup at Westfield Montgomery Mall, opening early next year. Arriving sooner — probably around New Year’s — will be Chipotle and CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar (click here to read more about CRAVE). In non-food news, the Kiehl’s skin-care store opens tomorrow (Dec. 19) at 11 a.m. with “mystery gift cards” for the first 50 customers.

 

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What’s cooking at Potomac Grocer

Potomac Grocer, 10107 River Road in Potomac Village, is taking holiday orders for beef tenderloins, turkeys, party platters and more. For a look at what’s cooking for the holidays, click here to see a short video. To place an order, call 301-299-4200.

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PF Chang'sGoodbye P.F. Chang’s

Here’s some news that shouldn’t surprise anyone: P.F. Chang’s at the White Flint Mall will close its doors in January, leaving only Lord & Taylor still in business while the rest of the property is slated for demolition. Although there had been talk of a relocation for P.F. Chang’s, management now says the restaurant will come back to White Flint after the mall is rebuilt as an open-air shopping/dining complex. There’s still no word on the timing of that project, which has been held up by lawsuits from Lord & Taylor and the now-closed Dave & Buster’s.

 

Screen Shot 2014-12-16 at 10.04.13 PMHello Roy Rogers

Roy Rogers rode back to Rockville this week for the first time in more than 25 years, opening Monday on the Pike across from Marlo Furniture. It’s a welcome return for many locals who have fond memories of the singing cowboy, the western-themed menu and the signature “Fixin’s Bar.” The Rockville restaurant is number 50 for a company that went from 600 locations to near-extinction before its current journey along the comeback trail. Click here to read more in our Nov. 13 edition.

 

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Holiday Giveaway at Cabin John

Cabin John Shopping Center and Mall is offering an extra incentive for shoppers this month. Spend $25 or more at any merchant (except CVS or Giant) and get a cute LED light-up mug and a pack of Ghirardelli hot cocoa mix. Some of the cocoa packs also include a $50 gift certificate to one of Cabin John’s merchants. And be sure to register for the grand prize: a $50 gift certificate to every merchant at Cabin John (a $2,750 value). 

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JSSA poker tournament ad

 

 

Elf on the Shelf

 

We’re off for the holidays

Store Reporter is taking a break for the holidays. But like the Elf on the Shelf, we’ll still be watching (and posting on Facebook). Click here to like us.