Robeks Rockville Archives - Store Reporter

Vineyard Vines, Johnston & Murphy open at the mall, while J. Crew takes a summer break

It’s a busy time in the Nordstrom wing at Westfield Montgomery Mall, where two new stores opened for business last weekend and a third closed its doors for the summer. The big news for many is the Maryland debut of Vineyard Vines, whose breezy, clean-cut clothes have earned a huge following among preppies from Massachusetts to Palm Beach. The brand has become a staple at college campuses as well as our local high schools, where the pink whale logo is as popular with today’s teens as Izod crocodiles and Polo ponies were with their parents. Not to be outdone by its snazzy new neighbor, the mall’s nearby J. Crew store closed its doors last week for a major remodeling that should be done by early August. The other new addition in the Nordstrom wing is the classic shoe store Johnston & Murphy, which built its reputation in men’s footwear but now offers a range of clothing and accessories for both sexes. In other mall news: A huge Peet’s Coffee station with plenty of comfy seating is about to open in the Sears wing, while the women’s clothing store J. Jill is relocating to the former Fossil space near Macy’s.

Win dinner for two at River Falls Tavern in Potomac Village

This week we have a fabulous giveaway from the River Falls Tavern in Potomac Village, which is offering dinner on the house for one lucky pair of Store Reporter readers. RW Restaurant Group, which purchased the Tavern last spring, has introduced a sophisticated new menu under the direction of famed chef Robert Wiedmaier. Top picks include the Braised Boneless Beef Short Rib, served with creamy garlic polenta and glazed young carrots, and the Peppercorn and Coriander Seared Rare Tuna (shown here), served with roasted beets, emerald kale and farro salad. For more on what’s happening at the River Falls Tavern, click here for our May 28th edition. Want to win dinner for two (up to $65) and try the new dishes for yourself? Click here to email us (subject line: Tavern) or click here to enter via Facebook. Update: Store Reporter reader Nicole Kustner won this giveaway. Stay tuned to Store Reporter for more great contests.

Amazon same-day shipping

This week brought some welcome news for Amazon Prime shoppers in greater Rockville and Potomac: The company just launched same-day delivery service in the greater D.C. area, including area codes 20850, 20854, 20817 and many others nearby. You can now order by noon for guaranteed delivery by 9 p.m., or by midnight for delivery the next day — as long as you spend at least $35 and choose items marked with the Prime Free One-Day logo. The list of qualified items is not exactly comprehensive, but we spied plenty of things (batteries, printer cartridges, kids’ birthday presents, etc.) that could easily spare us from a last-minute shopping trip. Same-day shipping is free for Prime members, but it’s also open to other Amazon customers for a $9.98 delivery fee. And here’s some more good news: Amazon says it will soon start offering free shipping for everyone on inexpensive items that weigh less than eight ounces.

Irish pub on the way to Rockville Town Square

An Irish pub is joining the restaurant lineup at Rockville Town Square, where three new eateries are now scheduled to open in the next few months. Finnegan’s Wake Irish Pub, the first venture from local husband-and-wife team Terry and Vanessa Laurin, will start renovations this month at the Gibbs Street space that formerly housed Carbon Peruvian Chicken & Grille. Rockville Town Square, which lost nearly a dozen tenants in the past 12 months, is now looking to entice diners with locally owned ethnic restaurants like the recently opened Ev & Maddy’s (European-style bistro) and Peter Chang (traditional Chinese). Also on the way are Miso Cafe (Korean/fusion) and Samovar (food from Tajikistan). Those two, along with Finnegan’s Wake, should be open by fall.

Congrats to the winners of our Robeks gift cards

Congratulations to Store Reporter readers Christy Taylor, Ron Gravitz, Margie Ritter, Rhoda Ganz and Amy Pelletier, who won our gift cards for the Robeks smoothie store at Congressional Plaza on Rockville Pike. Stay tuned to Store Reporter for more great giveaways, and like us on Facebook (click here) to make sure you don’t miss a beat.

Gamers and geeks are worth big bucks

Video game retailer GameStop has announced plans to buy Geeknet, the Fairfax company that runs the popular ThinkGeek website, in a $140 million deal that’s expected to close this summer. ThinkGeek specializes in goofy and nerdtastic merchandise from Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Marvel and other franchises that appeal to adults and kids alike. (Theoretically, at least, these are the same people who like to shop in GameStop’s stores — and will be thrilled to check out that Captain America Stealth Shield Watch in person.) Apparently geek chic is worth a lot these days: GameStop expects this acquisition to boost its sales by $100 million per year.

Latest on The Tavern at River Falls

Three months after purchasing The Tavern at River Falls on River Road, RW Restaurant Group has begun to put its mark on the Potomac Village institution. “We’ve gotten rid of some dishes that weren’t selling, and put our own spin on the dishes we kept,” says Tavern co-owner Frank Shull, who operates 11 D.C.-area restaurants in a partnership headed by famed chef Robert Wiedmaier. The changes started with the bar, where Shull says customers will find “better beer, better wine, better cocktails.” The menu is getting shorter but higher in quality, Shull says, with new dishes including swordfish, grilled calamari and stuffed baked oysters with crabmeat. Coming soon: nightly drink specials (margaritas, mojitos and blood-orange crushes) and an extensive brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays. Even the restaurant’s name is being streamlined, from The Tavern at River Falls to the shorter River Falls Tavern. Under the RW umbrella, the Tavern is now a sister to such popular Wiedmaier restaurants as Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, Wildwood Kitchen and Mussel Bar & Grille.

BBQ at Hank Dietle’s

Hank Dietle’s Tavern, the Rockville Pike dive bar that celebrates its centennial next year, is serving up a new dinnertime menu from the Curley’s Q barbecue truck. “We’ll be in the kitchen at Dietle’s Tuesdays through Sundays from 5 to 8 p.m. to start,” says Curley’s owner David Cornblatt, whose specialties include St. Louis-style ribs, smoked brisket, and pulled chicken and pork sandwiches. Cornblatt, a Potomac native who hung out at Hank Dietle’s in high school, has been trying to take over the kitchen since last fall. “Typical permitting issues” were the cause of the delay, he says. “We’ve got the food truck and catering down to a science, but there are a lot of nuances in running a kitchen. We’ll probably have a grand opening in June when we’ve got everything just right.” Cornblatt will have some company on the Pike this summer with the opening of Helen’s Bar & Grill, now under construction in the former Addie’s space right next door to Hank Dietle’s. Click here to read more about Helen’s in our May 7 issue.

Win a Robeks gift card

This week we’re giving away gift cards for the Robeks smoothie store at Congressional Plaza on Rockville Pike. The store is showcasing a new line of “fitness smoothies” made from maple water — a seasonal product that’s only available through June 15, while the maple trees are still producing spring sap. Can’t make it in by then? Don’t worry, the gift cards won’t expire. Update: The winners of this giveaway were Christy Taylor, Ron Gravitz, Margie Ritter, Rhoda Ganz and Amy Pelletier. Stay tuned to Store Reporter for more great giveaways.

Fossil exits the mall

The Fossil store at Westfield Montgomery Mall closed its doors over Memorial Day weekend, a casualty of the company’s decision to move out of the clothing business and return to its core products: handbags, wallets and watches. “The Montgomery Mall store was huge because it sold so much clothing, and you just don’t need all that space if you’re only selling accessories,” an insider tells us. If you’re fan of Fossil’s retro vibe, the next-closest Fossil store is at Tysons Corner.

Hitting the sweet spot

Look for some new “healthy” snack bars on the shelves of local stores this summer from candy companies trying to steal market share from brands like Kind and Clif. At an industry trade show last week, Hershey debuted a line of snack bars under its high-end Brookside brand (with see-through packaging to show off the fruit and nut pieces), while Mars showed its own line of Goodnessknows Snack Squares (with bite-sized sections for portion control). All the bars incorporate fruit, nuts, oats, seeds and dark chocolate, with serving sizes below 200 calories and no artificial flavors. Whether they’re really “healthy” is debatable, but they’re clearly designed to get the attention of shoppers who typically skip the candy aisle. Major marketing campaigns are on the way.

Vineyard Vines opens, Irish pub on the way, Amazon same-day shipping and a River Falls Tavern giveaway

Vineyard Vines, Johnston & Murphy open at the mall, while J. Crew takes a summer break