Park Potomac

New gym and outdoor market to Potomac — plus Trader Joe’s, dance classes & donuts

May 12, 2016 By Store Reporter Leave a Comment

New gym for Park Potomac

Orangetheory Fitness, a group-training gym that opened in The Kentlands two years ago, will head to Park Potomac this summer with a new location across from MoCo’s Founding Farmers. The fast-expanding chain, which offers heart rate-monitored workouts with intervals of cardio and strength training, will provide new competition for the eight-year-old Life Time Athletic club just around the corner. Orangetheory is the latest addition to Park Potomac’s growing list of upcoming tenants, which now includes a revamped Addie’s, Gringos & Mariachis, and the Italian coffee house Filicori Zecchini. Click here for more in our April 28th edition.

Outdoor craft market pops up in Potomac

Also on the way to Park Potomac this summer: URBNmarket, a pop-up showcase for vintage and locally made goods that’s making its first move outside downtown Bethesda. Modeled after similar shows in Philadelphia and Atlanta, URBNmarket features one-of-a-kind jewelry and accessories, vintage and handmade clothing, beauty and pet products, gourmet foods, and home decor like these colorful table runners from Hen House Linens. “We’re really excited about this new location,” says co-founder Julie Greenstein, who created URBNmarket in 2014 with business partner Debbie Sonnenreich. Forty-plus vendors have signed on for the Park Potomac event; they’ll set up shop on the grassy area near Harris Teeter on Friday, June 3rd and Saturday, June 4th, accompanied by live music and a beer garden. A second show is slated for mid-July. For more info, click here.

New Trader Joe’s for Travilah?

Is Trader Joe’s heading to Darnestown Road? The Washington Business Journal says plans are in place for the grocery store to open at Travilah Square Shopping Center, where it would replace an existing Burger King and a small office building. This would be the second Rockville location for Trader Joe’s — hopefully with easier parking than the always-crowded lot at Federal Plaza on the Pike. When we spoke with Trader Joe’s this week, a spokesperson said the company wasn’t ready to disclose plans for Travilah just yet. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.

Dance company heading to Rockville Town Square

Opening next month at Rockville Town Square: A second home for Dawn Crafton Dance Connection, the Gaithersburg company that’s building out four new studios on Gibbs Street next to Bar Louie. Crafton, who’s been teaching dance since 1954, says she’s been eyeing downtown Rockville since her students started performing holiday shows there several years ago. The new space “has a real small-town community feel” that will allow parents to run errands while their kids are in class — something they never could do at her other space on Airpark Avenue, Crafton says. “It’s a big move for us, but there’s so much more for people to do here and I think it’s going to be fabulous.”

Share your favorites and win dinner at Sugo

For our next Store Reporter Favorites section, we’re asking our readers to tell us who has the best appetizers in town. From deviled eggs and roasted beets to fried calamari and tuna tartare, which restaurants do you recommend for the best light bites in greater Rockville and Potomac? Click here to comment on our Facebook page, or click here to email our editors directly. Everyone who weighs in will be entered to win a $60 gift card for one of our favorites: Sugo at Park Potomac.

Krispy Kreme deal is hot off the fryer

Krispy Kreme changed hands this week in a $1.35 billion deal that could turn the donut chain into a major player in the coffee market. The company’s new owner is JAB, a European firm that also controls Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee, Keurig Green Mountain and several other American coffee retailers. That means Krispy Kreme, which never was known for its coffee, will likely start serving one or all of those brands in the next 12 months. There’s also speculation that the new owners will finance a major expansion for Krispy Kreme — and that could spell trouble for Dunkin’ Donuts, which currently earns most of its profits from coffee sales.

Staples + Office Depot: The wedding’s off

Staples and Office Depot called off their merger this week after a successful protest by the Federal Trade Commission, which had warned that the deal would impair competition and lead to higher prices. Staples, the nation’s largest office supply chain, now has to pay Office Depot a $250 million “breakup fee.” Even so, analysts say it’s unclear whether Office Depot can survive over the long term.

Moby Dick to Potomac Village, Italian coffee to Park Potomac and a bounty of bankruptcies

April 28, 2016 By Store Reporter 1 Comment

Moby Dick heads to the Village

Moby Dick House of Kabob, the D.C.-area chain known for its flame-grilled meats, fresh-baked pita bread and Persian seasonings, is heading to Potomac Village. Look for a September opening at the Potomac Promenade shopping center, where the restaurant will move into the long-empty Toys Unique spot facing Falls Road. Space will be tight, so this location will likely focus on takeout business with a bit of room for inside seating. Moby Dick, founded in 1989, is now approaching 20 locations in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. To check out the menu, click here.

Italian coffee’s brewing at Park Potomac

Filicori Zecchini, an Italian coffee chain known for its rich espressos and cappuccinos, is the latest tenant to join the lineup at bustling Park Potomac. The century-old coffee company is just now making inroads in the U.S., with several locations in New York and a recent opening in Towson, MD. Filicori also sells tea, cocoa and its own line of chocolates — which you’ll get to sample with your drink order. The coffee shop is now under construction across from Sugo and MoCo’s Founding Farmers, where its neighbors will include a revamped Addie’s (click here for details in last week’s issue) and Gringos & Mariachis (click here for more in our September report). Stay tuned to Store Reporter for more Park Potomac announcements in the coming weeks.

Serenity says namaste to the Village

Leaving Potomac Village at the end of May: Serenity Fitness Boutique, the workout wear retailer that opened just a year ago on Falls Road next to the Sprinkles ice cream parlor. The hidden-away location inside Village Yoga simply didn’t provide enough walk-in traffic to support the business, says Serenity owner Nicole Lipka, who will continue to sell at local trunk shows and is looking for a new storefront in Olney. For operating hours and details on Serenity’s moving sale, call (301) 792-7820.

Gift inspiration at JT Interiors

If you’re shopping for Mother’s Day and graduation gifts, you’ll find plenty of inspiration this month at JT Interiors in Potomac Village. The store has options in every price range, from natural beeswax candles and Swarovski-embellished note cards to Nest fragrances and soft “foutas” (sarongs that double as Turkish towels or baby blankets). JT Interiors, which relocated from The Kentlands in 2013, offers design and renovation services, furniture, home accessories and gifts for all occasions. Visit JT Interiors at 9906 River Road; click here for a virtual tour sneak-peek; or check out the store’s Facebook page here. For hours and other details, call (301) 299-0485.

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Is Sports Authority all played out?

It looks like we’ve reached the end of the line for Sports Authority, which filed Chapter 11 last month but now appears to be heading toward liquidation. At a hearing this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the company’s attorneys said the initial plan to close just 140 locations was no longer feasible and creditors were pressing for a sale. This news comes on the heels of last week’s bankruptcy filing for Vestis Retail Group, parent to Eastern Mountain Sports, Sport Chalet and Bob’s Stores — not to mention last year’s bankruptcies of City Sports and the locally owned Hudson Trail Outfitters. An auction for Sports Authority’s assets is scheduled for May 16th; it’s unclear whether the existing stores will remain open between now and then. So who will benefit from all these bankruptcies? Looks like Dick’s Sporting Goods is poised to snap up some prime big-box real estate.

Another teen retailer close to bankruptcy

Next up on the ever-growing list of troubled teen retailers: Aéropostale, whose shares were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange last week with bankruptcy said to be imminent. Like PacSun, which filed Chapter 11 just a few weeks ago, and American Apparel, which filed last fall, Aeropostale has a store at Westfield Montgomery Mall that will likely remain open while its finances get sorted out. Also struggling these days is the once-mighty Abercrombie & Fitch chain, which recently closed its Abercrombie Kids store at Montgomery Mall along with sister store Hollister. Last year the mall also lost Wet Seal, another teen retailer that didn’t survive the 2014 holiday season. For a look at the some places where our local kids and teens like to shop, click here for our March 10th Kids & Teens Issue.

Sears closing more stores

Last week Sears Holding Corp. announced the closing of 78 more stores — including 68 Kmart locations and 10 Sears stores. In case you were wondering: Nope, the Sears store at Westfield Montgomery Mall store is not on that list.

Addie’s comeback, Apple update, new Irish restaurants and another retail bankruptcy

April 21, 2016 By Store Reporter 1 Comment

Addie’s heading to Park Potomac

Addie’s, the beloved Rockville restaurant that closed its doors three years ago, is making plans for a comeback. Owners Jeff and Barbara Black have signed a lease for 4,000 square feet at Park Potomac, where they’ll try to recreate the old Addie’s magic with indoor/outdoor seating and some of their original menu items. The Blacks, who own a half-dozen restaurants including BlackSalt, Black’s Bar & Kitchen and Black Market Bistro, have said they closed Addie’s primarily because the little yellow building was in such disrepair. That issue also caused delays for their successor, D.C. caterer Helen Wasserman, who spent two years on renovations before opening Helen’s Bar & Grill just last week. For more on Helen’s, click here for our April 7th edition.

New closing date for the Apple Store: May 7th

The Apple Store at Westfield Montgomery Mall has pushed back its closing by a week, setting May 7th as the new date for the start of its expansion in the Macy’s wing. Apple is taking over the space formerly occupied by BCBG and Teavana, with a reopening planned for this fall. The neighboring Sephora store also is expanding this summer, but in Sephora’s case the current store will remain open while the new one’s under construction across the hall. For more on these and other changes to the Macy’s wing, click here for our April 4th special edition.

Two Irish openings

It’s a month too late for St. Patrick’s Day, but two new Irish restaurants have opened their doors in the Rockville/Potomac area. Lahinch, from the owners of the Irish Inn at Glen Echo, offers a menu of Irish and American dishes in the former Benny’s space at Cabin John Shopping Center. And over at Rockville Town Square, Finnegan’s Wake Irish Pub has opened for business at the Gibbs Street space formerly occupied by Carbon Peruvian Chicken.

Another sports store files Chapter 11

In the wake of last month’s Chapter 11 filing for Sports Authority, this week we noted the bankruptcy of Delaware-based Vestis Retail Group, parent to Eastern Mountain Sports, Sport Chalet and Bob’s Stores. None of those chains had a presence in Montgomery County (although Eastern Mountain does have a store in Virginia), but this latest bankruptcy suggests that the shakeout of big-box sporting goods stores isn’t over yet. In our area we’ve also seen the demise of City Sports (which lasted just a year at Pike & Rose before the whole chain filed Chapter 11) and local retailer Hudson Trail Outfitters, which closed all of its stores last fall.

City Sports out at Pike & Rose, Fish Taco and fitness at Wildwood, new jeweler at Park Potomac

October 8, 2015 By Store Reporter 2 Comments

City Sports throws in the towel at Pike & Rose

The year-old Pike & Rose development in North Bethesda has suffered its first casualty: City Sports, one of the first tenants to open there last November, says it will close up shop by the end of this month. The decision follows last week’s Chapter 11 filing for the Boston-based chain, which is also closing its Silver Spring store and possibly other D.C.-area locations. This is the second sporting goods retailer to go belly-up on Rockville Pike this fall; Hudson Trail Outfitters called it quits last month and is currently liquidating its store at Montrose Crossing. But it’s a whole different story for the Pike’s thriving REI store, which recently signed a lease for 36,000 square feet in Phase II of Pike & Rose. This week we heard some speculation that REI might take over the much-smaller City Sports space instead of waiting until 2017 for its new store to open. But Federal Realty, the developer of Pike & Rose, says that’s not going to happen. “We’re confident we will replace City Sports with a great retailer or restaurant that will be additive to the Pike & Rose neighborhood,” a company spokesman tells us.

Fish Taco swims toward a winter opening

If you’re one of those Fish Taco fans who can’t wait for the gourmet Mexican restaurant to open at Wildwood Shopping Center, we’re sorry to tell you that the wait will be a couple of months longer than expected. “Nobody wants to open sooner than I do, but now I think we’re looking at the middle of January,” says owner Francis Namin, who opened the original Fish Taco on MacArthur Boulevard and also owns Food Wine & Co. in Bethesda. Namin signed the Wildwood lease this summer and had hoped to open by fall, but plumbing and electrical issues got in the way. Still, he promises the new restaurant will be worth the wait: modern decor, seating for up to 80 people, a streamlined takeout counter, and a “lighter, brighter and happier” look than the one on MacArthur Boulevard.

New gym heading to Wildwood

Also on the way to Wildwood Shopping Center this winter is Solidcore, the D.C. fitness chain known for its high-intensity workouts on Pilates-based Megaformer machines. Founded two years ago in Adams Morgan, Solidcore promises a personalized, boutique atmosphere with 50-minute classes that are designed to exhaust every muscle. The Wildwood location, set to open after Thanksgiving, will have 14 machines that must be reserved and paid for online before you arrive. At peak times, those slots can fill up quickly. “Our typical clients are hard-working, hard-driving individuals who like to be challenged,” says Solidcore vice president Erika Elko. “Many are athletes and former athletes who have been very successful in their lives and careers.” At Solidcore’s price point, they’d have to be successful: The gym charges upwards of $35 for a single class, with one-year unlimited memberships going for nearly $3,500.

Still time for a gift from On Cloud 9

It’s not too late to enter our giveaway for a super-soft Butter jacket from On Cloud 9 at Potomac Woods Plaza, 1085 Seven Locks Road. The winner will get to choose from an array of cute styles like these, available in sizes 4 to 16. On Cloud 9 caters to fashionistas of any age — babies, girls, teens and women — with the latest looks from Vintage Havana, So Nikki, Malibu Sugar, Wildfox, T2 Love and many more. Update: Jill Mendelson Rodriguez won this giveaway; keep reading Store Reporter to see what we’re giving away next.

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Potomac jeweler is back with a new store

Potomac jeweler George Kaufmann, formerly with the now-closed Robert Bernard Jewelers at Potomac Woods Plaza, opened a new store at Park Potomac last week with son Corey as his partner. Kaufmann has been in the jewelry business for most of his life, learning the trade from his own father at a Kaufmann store in D.C. that dated back to the 1940s. The new Kaufmann Jewelers, 12500 Park Potomac Avenue across from Sugo and MoCo’s Founding Farmers, will offer repair service and custom work on gold, diamonds, gemstones and watches.

Bankruptcy filing for American Apparel

American Apparel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week, a move that had been expected for months as the troubled company fought with its ousted founder and saw its sales continue to slide. The retailer plans to close some of its 227 stores, but there’s no word yet on the fate of the one at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The past 12 months have been tough for teen retailers, with Wet Seal, Delia’s and Deb Shops going out of business while once-popular chains like Abercrombie & Fitch face an uphill battle to win back their fickle customer base.

Gringos & Mariachis, World of Beer, Life Time Athletic and a Potomac Grocer giveaway

September 24, 2015 By Store Reporter 1 Comment

Mexican favorite on the way to Park Potomac

Gringos & Mariachis, a new Mexican concept from the owners of Olazzo, will open a second location at Park Potomac next summer across from Sugo and MoCo’s Founding Farmers. Gringos, which opened on Cordell Avenue just 18 months ago, has established an enthusiastic following for its tacos, nachos, guacamole and fresh margaritas. The new restaurant will be a bit larger than the one in Bethesda, with seating for 100 inside and 50 outside. “The menus will be similar to each other, but we’ll switch things up here and there,” says co-owner Roberto Pietrobono, who runs the Bethesda restaurant with brother Riccardo and business partner Marc Miranian. Gringos is the first restaurant to publicly announce a deal for the next phase of Park Potomac. From what we hear, developers also have been talking to an ice cream shop, a pizzeria and a sushi restaurant.

Have a cold one in Rockville this winter

One of the most buzzed-about new restaurants heading to downtown Rockville this winter is World of Beer, part of the new Upton project scheduled to open early next year at Rockville Town Center. “We’re going to have 500 beers in the bottle and 50 on tap, plus a tavern fare menu, craft spirits, wine and a good selection of cider,” says owner Matt Earl, part of a franchise group that also operates World of Beer locations in Baltimore and Towson. “More and more people are drinking craft beer these days, and it’s been a dream of mine to have a business like this,” Earl says. The Upton, which occupies several adjoining buildings along Maryland Avenue, will incorporate hotel rooms, apartments and ground-floor retail and restaurants. Other tenants will include Panera, Supercuts and Old Line Bank.

Win a $100 gift card for Potomac Grocer

This week we’re giving away a $100 gift card for Potomac Grocer, 10107 River Road next to Walgreens in Potomac Village. That’s enough for some fresh fish plus a gourmet sampling of specialty dishes like crab cakes, chili-glazed salmon and chicken parmesan. And don’t forget to check out the store’s locally made treats: Oat My Goodness Granola, Dolci Gelato, Slender Seven Cookie Dough and many more. Click here to enter via our Facebook page, or click here to enter by email (subject line: Potomac Grocer). Update: Store Reporter reader Jodie Ozatalar won this giveaway. Check our Facebook page and keep reading Store Reporter to see what we’re giving away next.

New look for Life Time Athletic

Life Time Athletic in Rockville is getting a mini-makeover this week: $150,000 worth of improvements to its main workout area, locker rooms and child care center. The decision to renovate was reassuring for members who’ve been worried that Life Time might close its Rockville fitness facility after it opens a huge new one in Gaithersburg next fall. “That is absolutely not going to happen,” promises manager Ken Corbett, who has been with the Rockville club on and off since it opened in 2008. “I am staying here, and this club is remaining open.” Corbett says the renovations are part of continuing efforts to maintain the “high-end product” that local gym-goers are looking for. After all, a number of posh fitness centers have opened in this market since Life Time first arrived — and still others, including D.C.’s Solidcore, are on the way. We’ll have more on that in an upcoming issue.

Starbucks on your phone

This week marked the nationwide rollout of mobile ordering at Starbucks. The process is pretty simple: Open the Starbucks app on your phone; order your drink from the nearest store; pay for it via the app; then head to the pickup counter and grab your pumpkin spice latte. The app also lets you know which store is closest and estimates when your coffee will be ready — most likely in 10 minutes or less. “Most of our customers don’t know about this yet,” one Rockville barista told us. “Once they figure it out, they’re going to be very happy to skip the line.”

New spa on the way to North Bethesda, Potomac jeweler returns, and another Asian market for Rockville — plus a Leila Jewels discount

April 23, 2015 By Store Reporter 2 Comments

New spa on the way to North Bethesda

The Red Door Spa at Wildwood is about to get some serious competition: Woodhouse Day Spa, a Texas-based chain with more than three dozen locations nationwide, is on its way to the North Bethesda Market on Rockville Pike. The 6,000-square-foot spa will open this fall with a wide range of services from massages and mani/pedis to facials and “sleep treatments” (guided naps with aromatherapy and heated herbal compresses). The spa should mix well with some of the other health-oriented tenants at North Bethesda Market, including Whole Foods and Seasons 52.

Robert Bernard Jewelers partner to open new store

George Kaufmann, former co-owner of the Robert Bernard jewelry store at Potomac Woods Plaza, will soon be back in the jewelry biz. His new venture, Kaufmann Jewelers, is set to open in August on the ground floor of a condo building at Park Potomac — just around the corner from his former digs. Kaufmann, who closed Robert Bernard Jewelers last December after his business partner retired to California, says he wanted a fresh start as he brings son Corey into the business. “My own father, Herbert Kaufmann, had a store in D.C. from the 1940s on,” he says. “When I started doing business in Potomac in 2004, I still had customers coming in who had gotten their engagement rings and bar mitzvah rings from my father. He would have been very happy that I’m bringing back the name in this new business.”

Join us for some Pre-Mother’s Day shopping at Leila Jewels

Would you like some Mother’s Day gift inspiration — plus a chance to talk shop with the Store Reporter? Join us on Sunday, May 3rd from 2:00-4:00 p.m. for our Pre-Mother’s Day shopping event at Leila Fine Gifts & Jewels in the Cabin John Shopping Center. Say hello to the Store Reporter, enter a jewelry raffle, and take 15 percent off everything you buy — or 25 percent off a single item (like this gold vermeil “shaker” necklace with ruby crystals, $135). Use the discount for your mom, or buy something for yourself — we won’t tell.

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Asian market replaces Magruder’s in Rockville

New York Mart, an Asian grocery store based in Manhattan’s Chinatown, is scheduled to open this spring in the former Magruder’s space at College Plaza on Rockville Pike. We couldn’t find out much about New York Mart — their website is written entirely in Chinese, and no one answers the phones — but the flagship store gets mixed reviews on Yelp, and it could be tough to win over new customers in an area that already has several Asian markets. Magruder’s, a family-owned grocery chain with a long history in the D.C. area, closed its last remaining stores in 2013. There’s still one store with the Magruder’s name in Washington, but it has new owners and sells only beer and wine.

Congrats to the winners of our ArcLight Cinema ticket giveaway

Congratulations to Store Reporter readers Benjamin Alpert, David Chu and Andrea Savada, who won last week’s ticket giveaway to Beyond the Reach at the ArcLight Cinema at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Stay tuned for more great giveaways in upcoming issues of Store Reporter.

Park Potomac

New gym for Park Potomac

Outdoor craft market pops up in Potomac

New Trader Joe’s for Travilah?

Dance company heading to Rockville Town Square

Share your favorites and win dinner at Sugo

Krispy Kreme deal is hot off the fryer

Staples + Office Depot: The wedding’s off

Moby Dick heads to the Village

Italian coffee’s brewing at Park Potomac

Serenity says namaste to the Village

Gift inspiration at JT Interiors

Sponsored Content

Is Sports Authority all played out?

Another teen retailer close to bankruptcy

Sears closing more stores

Addie’s heading to Park Potomac

New closing date for the Apple Store: May 7th

Two Irish openings

Another sports store files Chapter 11

City Sports throws in the towel at Pike & Rose

Fish Taco swims toward a winter opening

New gym heading to Wildwood

Still time for a gift from On Cloud 9

Sponsored Content

Potomac jeweler is back with a new store

Have a cold one in Rockville this winter

Sponsored Conten

New look for Life Time Athletic

Starbucks on your phone

New spa on the way to North Bethesda

Robert Bernard Jewelers partner to open new store

Join us for some Pre-Mother’s Day shopping at Leila Jewels

Sponsored Content

Asian market replaces Magruder’s in Rockville

Congrats to the winners of our ArcLight Cinema ticket giveaway

Sponsored Content

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