Gap Factory coming soon to Rockville

Gap Factory is coming this summer to Rockville. The store will be located at 1667 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. That's the space recently vacated by Land's End, next to Hallmark. The interior has been gutted and construction on the interior fit-out appears to be getting underway.

Is Gap Factory yet another liquidation outlet? No, and I did not know this. Gap Factory does not sell anything sold at regular Gap stores. Instead, the products are designed with less-expensive materials at lower prices by Gap designers. Now, most of us would probably say, "Isn't that what Old Navy is?" The selling point seems to be that if you are fond of the styling of Gap clothes and find their designers' tastes to reliably match yours, Gap Factory is an additional line of their creations you can snag for less.

Assault at condo complex in Rockville

Montgomery County police were called to a condominium complex in Rockville early Tuesday afternoon, February 17, 2026, after someone reported having been assaulted there. The 2nd-degree assault was reported in the 15300 block of Diamond Cove Terrace at 1:33 PM Tuesday. It took place in the parking lot of the complex. It is in the Shady Grove area, just south of Downtown Crown.

Update on Shiki Fusion at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

New signage for Shiki Fusion has been installed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. An updated construction wall displays items from the menu of the Japanese-Thai fusion restaurant, and a spring 2026 opening date. Behind the wall, construction on the dining area appears nearly complete. See below for a sneak peek. Finally, there will be no misunderstanding that Shiki Fusion is located on Level 3 of the mall with the AMC Montgomery 16 cineplex. Massive Trumpian gold letters and a directional arrow have been attached to a panel high above the Dining Terrace food court below to hammer this home.

Clarksburg Banana Republic employee accused of videotaping women in dressing rooms

An employee of the Banana Republic Factory Store at the Clarksburg Premium Outlets mall has been arrested after several women reported seeing a cell phone video recording them in the dressing rooms of the store. Police say Fabio Delrio, 19, of Clarksburg was identified as the suspect after officers reviewed surveillance camera footage from the store, and discovered images of women in dressing rooms on his phone. Delrio also took pictures of women as they shopped in the store, police allege. They report that he is no longer employed at the store at this time.

Delrio has been charged with four counts of peeping Tom, four counts of visual surveillance with prurient intent in a private area, and other related charges. He is free on $5000 bond.

The known peeping Tom incidents were recorded in the store's dressing rooms between May and August of 2025. Detectives believe there may be additional victims. They are asking anyone who shopped at the Banana Republic Factory Store between May 2025 and August 2025 and may have been a victim of Fabio Delrio to call the 4th District Investigative Section at (240) 773-5530, or to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477.

Assault at bus stop in Rockville

Whoever said it doesn't hurt to take the bus? Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a bus stop in the vicinity of the Rockville Metro station on the afternoon of February 13, 2026. The assault was reported at a bus stop in the 200 block of Rockville Pike at 2:25 PM, making this a broad daylight attack.

Fork & Kitchen opens in Rockville

Fork & Kitchen has opened at 150 Gibbs Street at The Square at Rockville. The American restaurant has garnered the most attention for its weekend brunch, and specifically the incredibly fluffy pancakes shown in its promotional pictures. Yes, the actual pancakes are pretty close to those in the photos. That brunch menu also includes Sinful Eggs, Garlic Parm Wings, a lobster taco, seafood grits, a mocha martini, and a Black Angus Sunday Burger. The biggest challenge for Fork & Kitchen may be its location on Gibbs Street, which has been closed to automobile traffic for about five years. But the restaurant features a light, clean, and airy interior design, and you can never have too many brunch options in the Town Center area.

Francesca's closing at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Francesca's is closing at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. A closing sale is now underway at the boutique. It's one of the rare business closures we can't blame the Montgomery County Council for, as the chain is closing all of its stores nationwide. It's been something of a slow-motion car wreck for Francesca's, which filed for bankruptcy over five years ago. Westfield has a number of tenants coming in that would be considered a clear step up from Francesca's, so the pain is going to be borne by the employees and loyal customers as opposed to the mall itself.