What’s next for Cabin John Village, first look at Aldi, virtual reality at the mall

Here’s your retail & restaurant scoop for the week of Nov. 1, 2018:

If you’ve been wondering what Cabin John Village is going to look like once all the construction is over, here’s a peek into the future. D.C.-based developer Edens, which bought the property two years ago, shared this rendering along with several others that you can find on our Facebook page. Reconstruction of the facades, new lighting and other upgrades will continue all winter, followed by a parking lot renovation next spring. (More details on what’s changing can be found in our Oct. 11th edition). In the meantime, Edens reps tell us they’re on the lookout for new tenants including professional offices, service businesses and yoga/Pilates studios, plus fresh stores and restaurants that are new to the local market. The next phase of Cabin John’s development — timeline still to be determined — will include housing, new retail buildings and a pedestrian cut-through to the back lot. More on that in our May 17th edition.

Aldi opened its doors this week at the Congressional North shopping center on Rockville Pike, a few doors down from Petco and Bed Bath & Beyond. Having heard mixed reviews about the no-frills German grocery chain, we were eager to check the place out. What we liked: Easy parking, wide aisles, good selection of regular and organic produce, great values on grocery staples (mostly Aldi’s own brands) without the pressure to buy in Costco-sized quantities. What we didn’t like: Some of the fruit looked tired, you have to bag everything yourself, and you won’t find many familiar brand names. What really shocked us: Paying less than $30 for a heaping bag of groceries. We’ll be back.

Just opened across from the Apple store at Westfield Montgomery mall: Virtual Insanity, a virtual reality arcade where you can “experience” everything from walking the plank to kickboxing to painting in 3D. Ten minutes costs $10, or you can book a booth for longer sessions and take turns watching your friends make virtual fools of themselves. “Watching someone else do it is almost as entertaining as doing it yourself,” says co-owner Austin Berk. What else is happening at the mall? Lots of big news in last week’s issue; stay tuned next week for an update on the restaurant scene.