Store Reporter

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

Tiara Galleries & Gifts

Vineyard Vines, Johnston & Murphy to the mall — plus restaurant returns and RadioShack

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Vineyard Vines shirt

 

Vineyard Vines swings into town

Vineyard Vines, a favorite store for preppies from Massachusetts to Palm Beach, will make its Maryland debut this spring with a new location at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The company takes its name from Martha’s Vineyard, where it began in 1998 as a tie manufacturer before moving on to clothes and accessories for men, women and kids. The pink whale logo is now a staple at college campuses nationwide, not to mention many of our local high schools — where shirts like the one shown here have become ubiquitous. The new store will move in where Brighton Collectibles just moved out, on the first floor of the Nordstrom wing next to Tesla. If you’re not familiar with Vineyard Vines, click here to check it out.

 

Johnston & Murphy shoe

 

Shoes of the presidents

Also coming to the Nordstrom wing of Westfield Montgomery Mall this spring: Johnston & Murphy, the classic men’s footwear company that has made a pair of custom shoes for every president since Millard Fillmore. Clearly the historic brand is also popular with people who don’t live at the White House: Johnston & Murphy has a half-dozen stores in the D.C. area, including one at Reagan Airport. In addition to shoes, the company also makes luggage, leather goods and clothing for men and women. Click here to see the full line, or click here to see the Lincoln-inspired boots that Johnston & Murphy made for President Obama.

La Madeleine croissant

 

New restaurants opening at Pike & Rose

Two restaurants that were displaced by construction last year are about to reopen at the new Pike & Rose development in North Bethesda. Chipotle will return on Monday (Feb. 9), followed by La Madeleine on Feb. 19. Both had been tenants of the Mid-Pike Plaza shopp
ing center, which was torn down last winter. Stella Barra Pizzeria is also set to open at Pike & Rose next Thursday (Feb. 12).

 

Brighton cube beadSilver Moon makes its debut

Silver Moon Jewelry & Accessories, the new incarnation of Tiara Galleries & Gifts, opened this week at Congressional Plaza in Rockville. The scaled-down shop will carry some items from Brighton, which just closed its store at Westfield Montgomery Mall (see above). Other popular lines include Vera Bradley, Pandora and Endless. Click here to read more about Tiara’s transformation in our Jan. 8 edition.

 

RadioShack logo

 

Radio Shack update

After several weeks of clearance sales, the RadioShack store at Cabin John Shopping Center closed its doors on Monday as the company prepared for a likely bankruptcy filing. Several retailers are rumored to be interested in taking over empty RadioShack stores — including Sprint Corp. and Amazon, which is looking to open storefronts where customers can drop off and pick up their online orders. The RadioShack locations on Rockville Pike and at Westfield Montgomery Mall are still in business… for now.

 

Who closed over the holidays; new life for Tiara; Potomac Village grocery saga continues

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Store Closing sign

 

Going, going, gone

As we begin the new year, let’s bid adieu to some local stores and restaurants that didn’t survive the holidays. At Westfield Montgomery Mall, the Burton snowboarding shop and the Dumpling Dojo eatery both made sudden disappearances. Also gone are Naartjie Kids, whose parent company declared bankruptcy last fall, and Wet Seal, a struggling teen retailer that started dumping hundreds of its stores after Christmas. Over in Rockville, The Children’s Place at Congressional Plaza will close this month (though the Montgomery Mall location will remain). And today (1/8) is the last day of business for Robert Bernard Jewelers at Potomac Woods Plaza — but one of its partners expects to open a new store in the area. (Click here for more in our Dec. 4 edition.)

 

 

Tiara Galleries

 

Tiara’s transformation

Tiara Galleries & Gifts, a fixture at Congressional Plaza for the past two decades, is making big changes for 2015. Next month the store will get a new name (Silver Moon Jewelry & Accessories), a new location (the former Harry & David space a few doors down), and a new focus on jewelry and handbags. “We won’t be carrying any more crystal or porcelain,” says owner Irv Losman. “Those ‘older’ categories were my dominion — but the rest of my staff is more in tune with lines like Brighton, Spartina, Vera Bradley, Endless, Pandora, and Alex and Ani. We’ve decided to do a smaller, more streamlined store that appeals to women in a different way.”

 

Stella Barra Pizzeria

 

Two more restaurants at Pike & Rose

Opening in the next few weeks at Pike & Rose: Stella Barra Pizzeria, featuring artisanal pizzas, salads and sandwiches; and Summer House Santa Monica, offering California-influenced food with a beach house-style decor. Both concepts are from the Chicago-based restaurant empire Lettuce Entertain You, which also owns chains like Maggiano’s and Mon Ami Gabi. Click here to learn more.

 

Potomac Grocer crabcakes

 

Grocery staff shakeups in Potomac Village

With the re-opening of the Market at River Falls over the holidays, several key employees who had crossed the street to Potomac Grocer have now returned to their original jobs. Back at River Falls are chef Steven Fela and seafood specialist Michael “Junior” Turgott. Manager Max Devens says he’s staying with Potomac Grocer. He’ll be joined by newly hired chef David Rogers, a veteran of Balducci’s and the National Gallery of Art. Now that this musical chairs game seems to be over, we’re still wondering: Can Potomac Village really generate enough business to support a Giant, a Safeway and two high-end grocery stores? (For more background on the Village grocery store saga, click here.)