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Mary Farber

New businesses in Potomac Village, new direction for Coach, Tara Thai nears opening

January 21, 2016 By Store Reporter Leave a Comment

 

 

 

Fiber Arts Studio interior

 

Potomac Village shopping center goes family-friendly

Potomac Promenade, the Giant-anchored shopping center in Potomac Village, is finally bringing some new tenants to its long-dormant mini-mall. This week saw the openings of Kicks Karate and FiberArt Studio, joining the recently opened Kumon learning center as the mini-mall transforms into a family-friendly place where parents can drop off their kids while they pick up the groceries. “This used to be the mall that nobody goes to, but that’s changing now,” says fiber artist Anja Caldwell, who relocated her studio from Glen Echo Park. Caldwell will be teaching “everything grandma used to know,” from knitting and crocheting to sewing and felting. “This will be a happy place where we make hats, dolls, pillows, hair clips and jewelry,” she says. “I don’t allow glue or glitter. Everyone who leaves here will at least be able to sew on a button.” For more on Caldwell and her crafty plans for the Village, click here.

 


 

Old Coach store at Westfield Montgomery Mall

 

New direction for Coach

The Coach store at Westfield Montgomery Mall will reopen next month with a new look that reflects the company’s push to move beyond handbags into the world of “lifestyle brands.” Coach, which has struggled to regain its former caché with people who love purses, is renovating some 150 stores to showcase its expanding range of clothing and accessories for men and women. The new store will likely devote more space to footwear, reflecting the company’s recent acquisition of shoe manufacturer Stuart Weitzman. And you can expect fewer discounts, as Coach critics have complained for years that excessive markdowns were cheapening the brand.

 


 

Fitness Together ad: www.fitnesstogether.com

 

 


 

ArcLight snacks

 

Who won our ArcLight tickets?

Congratulations to Store Reporter reader Rashmi Kalla of Potomac, who won last week’s giveaway for tickets to the ArcLight Cinema at Westfield Montgomery Mall. We’ll be handing out more ArcLight tickets in the weeks to come. Want to enter our next drawing? Just forward an issue of Store Reporter to your friends, then click here to tell us their names. For every one of your friends who subscribes, we’ll enter you AND them to win the next pair of ArcLight tickets. If you’d rather enter via our Facebook page, click here to find out how. Update: We’ve named the winners for this contest, but stay tuned to Store Reporter for more great giveaways.

 


 

Tara Thai logoNew Tara Thai to open next month

Tara Thai is putting the final touches on its new Bethesda restaurant, scheduled to open late next month in the former Legal Sea Foods space at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The 85-seat eatery, styled to resemble a Thai beach resort, will replace another Tara Thai that closed last spring in downtown Bethesda. This will be the 10th location for the popular chain, with five restaurants in Maryland and five in Virginia.

 


 

Sculpt Studio with Mary Farber lungingTry a free class at Sculpt Studio

Are your New Year’s fitness resolutions starting to falter? Sculpt Studio, celebrating its second anniversary in downtown Bethesda, is offering one free class for all new clients through Jan. 31. And just for Store Reporter readers: Sign up for a package of classes and get a free 30-minute private session with Sculpt owner Mary Farber. (Use promo code STOREJAN.) Sculpt is a friendly, brightly lit studio featuring Pilates-based Megaformer machines that work your core and every major muscle group. 4500 Auburn Avenue in the Woodmont Triangle, with easy parking nearby. To book a class, call 240-600-0730 or click here.

Sponsored Content

 


 

Snow and red shovel

 

Grab some coffee and cuddle up with your iPad

Snowstorms are a great time to catch up with the last few issues of Store Reporter. Did you see our recent stories about the drugstore shake-up in Potomac Village, the empty Giant on Wootton Parkway and the future of Benny’s at Cabin John? Did you know that Roti closed on Westlake Boulevard and the White Flint Mall has officially been reduced to rubble? While you’re waiting out the blizzard — assuming you’ve still got power — grab some coffee and scroll through our website.

 


 

Filed Under: Current Issue Tagged With: Anja Caldwell, ArcLight Cinema Bethesda, ArcLight Cinema Westfield Montgomery Mall, Coach Bethesda, Coach Westfield Montgomery Mall, FiberArt Studio Potomac, Fitness Together, Kicks Karate Potomac, Kumon Potomac, Mary Farber, Potomac Promenade, Potomac Village, Stuart Weitzman Bethesda, Tara Thai Bethesda, Tara Thai Westfield Montgomery Mall

Benny’s update, new local bakery, Cava, coupons and a free workout

December 16, 2015 By Store Reporter Leave a Comment

 

 

 

Benny's lighted sign_opt

 

Irish restaurant hopes to open by St. Patrick’s Day

Lahinch, the new restaurant moving into the Benny’s Bar & Grill space at Cabin John Shopping Center, will not be opening next month as originally planned. Owners Barry Nolan and Chris Hughes say they’re still finalizing their lease, with tentative plans to take over the space on New Year’s Day and open around the end of February. Lahinch, named after a famous golf course in Ireland, will offer a mix of locally sourced American-style dishes and traditional Irish entrées like lamb stew, fish-‘n-chips and corned beef with cabbage. Hughes knows his way around an Irish menu: He opened the Irish Inn at Glen Echo 12 years ago, and before that he ran the Four Provinces pubs in D.C. and Falls Church.

 


 

Lavande Patisseria macarons_opt-2

 

Rockville bakery is fresh out of the oven

Just a few weeks after its opening in downtown Rockville, Lavande Patisserie on North Washington Street is already earning kudos from our readers. The tiny bakery is aiming to be “that neighborhood place where you can always pop in for hand-crafted baked goods and the best coffee you’ve ever had,” says co-owner Andrew Liang, who left an IT career to start the business with mom Julie Yi. Lavande specializes in custom cakes, seasonal breads, sandwiches and desserts; coffees are nitro-brewed and can be infused with the bakery’s signature lavender flavor. Most ingredients are either locally sourced or imported from Europe, like the croissants made from French flour and Valrhona chocolate batons. You can find Lavande at 275 North Washington Street, a few blocks north of Rockville Town Square, in a newly opened shopping center whose other tenants include Kung Fu Tea and Quickway Hibachi. Click here to check out the bakery’s Facebook page.

 


 

http://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/christmastogo/

 


Sculpt Studio rectangle_opt-2Free Megaformer classes at Sculpt Studio

If you’re thinking about changing up your workout for the new year, Sculpt Studio in downtown Bethesda is offering one free class for new clients between now and Dec. 31. Sculpt is a brightly lit, friendly studio owned by Bethesda local Mary Farber, a longtime Pilates teacher whom some may remember from Life Time Athletic in Rockville. Her studio follows the Lagree Fitness Method, a 50-minute core workout using Pilates-based Megaformer machines that involve every major muscle group. Sculpt Studio is located in the Bethesda Triangle at 4900 Auburn Ave., with easy parking nearby. To book a class, call (240) 600-0730 or click here.

Sponsored Content

 


 

Cava Olney bar_opt

 

Cava opens in Olney

Cava Mezze, the restaurant chain that got its start on Traville Gateway Drive almost a decade ago, opens its fifth location today (12/17) in Olney at 3122 Olney Sandy Spring Road. The new place features a 20-seat bar with a focus on D.C.-area breweries and quirky cocktails like the Rabbit Hole, made with fresh juiced carrots, apple, ginger and bourbon. The restaurant also will highlight some exclusive menu items from chef/owner Dimitri Moshovitis, including a pork souvlaki entrée with orange herb gremolata. Cava Mezze is the big sister to the quick-serve and fast-expanding Cava Grill chain, as well as Sugo at Park Potomac and Brusco in Baltimore. For more on Cava Mezze, click here.

 


 

Groovy Gravy ad 1200 wide

 

 


 

River Falls Tavern_opt-2

 

Last chance to redeem our holiday coupons

This is the last week to take advantage of the deals and discounts in our holiday gift issue. Inside you’ll find special pricing on local restaurants like River Falls Tavern and Wildwood Kitchen; local stores like The Bottle Shop, On Cloud 9, Leila Jewels and Ibhana Boutique; jewelry from Valerie Nahmani Designs; teen decor from Dormify; original artwork and more. The discounts are good through Dec. 24. Click here to check them out.

 


 

The Galvan

 

New Safeway opens on the Pike

The Galvan at Twinbrook project took a step forward last week with the opening of its first tenant, a 62,000-square-foot Safeway store along Rockville Pike near the Twinbrook Metro station. Other businesses scheduled to open soon include Smashburger, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Dunkin’ Donuts, a Pie 360 pizza restaurant and Floyd’s 99 Barbershop. And the Ethan Allen Design Center, which once stood at that spot, will be moving back after two years at a temporary location elsewhere on the Pike.

 


 

Filed Under: Current Issue Tagged With: Barry Nolan, Benny's Bar & Grill, Cabin John Shopping Center, Cava Mezze Olney, Chris Hughes, Dormify, Galvan at Twinbrook, Groovy Gravy, Ibhana Boutique, Irish Inn, Lahinch, Lavande Patisserie, Leila Jewels, Mary Farber, Michael Mullan, On Cloud 9, River Falls Tavern, Sculpt Studio, The Bottle Shop, Valerie Nahmani Designs, Wildwood Kitchen

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Recent Issues

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