Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too has cleared out of its space on Level 1 at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The pop-up apparel store has completed yet another Christmas shopping season at the mall, and will very likely return once again this fall, and we'll know the holidays are imminent when it does. They had a nicer spot this time, occupying the former Tesla space, and some of Elon's custom fit-out design elements remain visible. What appears to be part of a stuffed display alpaca could be seen sticking out of a shipping box inside the empty store, but I've been assured that no alpacas were harmed in the making of this exit from the mall.

Urban Outfitters opens new concept store at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Urban Outfitters has opened its long-promised new concept store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. This is only the third location in America to get this store design, after Houston and Glendale. The new store concept features more floor space dedicated to the best-selling UO brands, including BDG denim, OFU (Out from Under) and Standard Cloth. New modular and responsive fixtures and displays allow the store to more quickly and easily respond to trends and seasons. The new concept was developed after extensive research into what store design elements, layout, and aesthetics would appeal to Gen Z shoppers, the brand's current target audience.

NIST AI center in Gaithersburg seeks input on securing AI agents

The era of AI is shifting from models that simply "chat" to agents that "act." As we move toward systems capable of planning, executing tasks, and interacting with the real world autonomously, a critical question emerges: How do we keep these agents secure? To answer this, the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) at NIST in Gaithersburg has issued a Request for Information (RFI). This is a call to action for the tech community to help shape the security standards for the next generation of AI.

Unlike traditional AI, agentic systems don't just provide information; they take actions. They can navigate software environments, manage files, or even interact with physical infrastructure. While this autonomy promises a massive leap in productivity, it also introduces a new "attack surface" that goes beyond traditional software vulnerabilities.

The RFI highlights that while agents share some common risks with standard software (like memory leaks or authentication bugs), they also face unique AI-driven threats:

Indirect Prompt Injection: Where an agent processes data from the web or an email that contains hidden instructions, tricking the agent into performing unauthorized actions.

Data Poisoning: Using insecure or manipulated models that have been "trained" to behave maliciously under specific conditions.

Alignment Risks: "Specification gaming," where a model achieves its goal in a way that is technically correct, but is at the same time harmful or dangerous to the computer network or software system it is working within.

NIST is looking for data and insights across several topics: 

Threat Landscape: How do agent-specific threats evolve over time?

Development Best Practices: How can we build security into the agent's "brain" from day one?

Cybersecurity Gaps: Where do current security protocols fall short when applied to autonomous agents?

Measurement & Monitoring: How do we quantify the "safety" of an agent before it's deployed?

Guardrails: What interventions can limit an agent’s access to sensitive environments?

The responses NIST receives from industry leaders, researchers, and developers will directly inform voluntary guidelines and best practices used by organizations worldwide. As these systems become integrated into national security and public safety infrastructure, establishing a baseline for "what good looks like" is essential. "The security challenges not only hinder adoption today but may also pose risks for public safety and national security as AI agent systems become more widely deployed," NIST/CAISI warned in a press release announcing the RFI this week.

If you are a developer, security researcher, or deployer of AI systems, NIST wants your case studies, actionable recommendations, and technical insights. The submission deadline is March 9, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. To submit any materials in response to this RFI, go to www.regulations.gov and search for docket no. NIST-2025-0035.

Xi’an Famous Foods to open first Maryland location in Rockville

Xi’an Famous Foods will open its first restaurant in Maryland at 12031 Rockville Pike at Montrose Crossing. The 1,718 square-foot western Chinese restaurant will be located next to RASA and Five Guys Burger and Fries. Xi’an Famous Foods was founded in 2005 as a 200 square foot basement stall in the Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing, N.Y. It claimed to have been the first restaurant to bring the little-known cuisine of Xi’an to the United States. Over the last twenty years, it has grown into 20 locations across the Big Apple, and was a favorite of the late Anthony Bourdain.

Signature dishes at Xi'an include:

Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles: This is the dish the company says made Anthony Bourdain a fan. Thinly-sliced lamb, spiced with cumin and chili powder, mixed with chewy hand-pulled biang-biang noodles and topped with soy-vinegar noodle sauce. Like many menu items, this is an original recipe from the founder's family.

Stewed Pork Burger: A house-made crispy flatbread, stuffed with diced stewed pork belly, simmered with soy sauce and signature spices until tender.

Liang Pi "Cold-Skin Noodles”: House-made steamed wheat flour noodles are chilled, then served with bean sprouts, cucumber, cilantro, and spongy cubes of seitan (wheat gluten).

Spicy & Sour Lamb Dumplings: Ground lamb wrapped in homemade dumpling dough and infused with spices for even more flavor. Served with their signature spicy and sour sauces. 

“In 2026, as a 20-year-old, still-family-owned business, supported by sales (with no investors or franchisees), we are excited to open our first company-owned Maryland location in Rockville,” Xi'an Famous Foods CEO Jason Wang said in a statement yesterday. “We hope to be open by mid-2026 to share our food based on beloved family recipes.” Accomplishing all of this without outside investors certainly raises expectations ahead of the opening here on Rockville Pike. We often see well-funded chains with big investors that end up shuttering quickly, because it was all hype generated by expensive social media campaigns, rather than word-of-mouth based on the quality and flavor of the food.

Photos by Jenny Huang

Kentlands Market Square seeks permission for larger signage from Gaithersburg

 Kentlands Market Square has filed an application with the City of Gaithersburg requesting an amendment to its August 2020 site plan approval for signage at the property. Kimco Realty, Inc., the property owner, is seeking permission to enlarge wall signs bearing the development name beyond the dimensions allowed under City code. If approved, the wall signage could increase beyond the existing zoning allowance of 13.5-square-feet to 40 SF. 

The Gaithersburg Planning Commission will review the request at its January 21, 2026 meeting at 7:30 PM. City planning staff are recommending approval of the amendment.

Lucky Strike closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

OOF! The hits just keep on coming for the already-moribund Montgomery County economy this morning. Lucky Strike has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, leaving a huge vacant space behind at the popular shopping, dining, and entertainment center. In a related move, Lucky Strike parent company Bowlero announced that its Westbard Square location at 5353 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda is being rebranded as "Lucky Strike Bethesda." The future of the Westbard location is not on solid ground, though, as its lease expires in 2027, and it will be up to Bowlero and landlord Regency Centers to agree on an extension or new lease on a site that previous Westbard developer Equity One had planned to erect a mixed-use building on.

One needs a cheat sheet to keep track of the numerous brand names the venerable Westbard bowling alley has operated under in its five decades in business. Strike Bethesda! Bowlmor! Bowlero! But for longtime residents, 5353 Westbard will always be Bowl America, where thousands cheer. And where thousands ate the best hot dog in Bethesda, and real men pumped quarters into real arcade games while wearing rented shoes several years past their recommended replacement date.

Interestingly, but predictably, Lucky Strike at Montgomery Mall is our second victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy and virulently anti-business policies of the County Council this morning. Lucky Strike is not closing other locations around the country, just Bethesda. Here in MoCo, it faced the same perfect storm that has sunk many a business vessel in recent years, including government-mandated high minimum wages, the highest tax and fee burden in the region, and the requirement to buy all of its alcoholic beverages from the County government liquor sales monopoly.

With the average income of the County trending downward, as the wealthy depart and are replaced by low-income residents who are the majority of the inflow population, there was also the obstacle that fewer and fewer were left who could afford a pricey night out at an upscale bowling alley. Even one that looked like it had taken possession of the den bookshelves of George Plimpton's 541 East 72nd Street duplex. But thanks to the County cartel gaining control of the Council in 2002, a rapidly-dwindling number of Montgomery County residents in 2026 could even tell you who George Plimpton was. 

Heckuva job, Brownie!

Kiehl's closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Kiehl's has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The windows of the skincare boutique are blacked out but cardboard packing boxes could be seen inside last evening. Westfield has removed the store from the Montgomery Mall website. Kiehl's was a tenant of the mall for just over eleven years, having opened its doors in December 2014.

The boutique appears to be the latest victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy, and the virulently anti-business policies of the County Council. Kiehl's is not closing stores elsewhere in the United States, and I've seen no reports of the company being in financial distress. In fact, Kiehl's just opened a new store in the more vibrant Washington, D.C., in a ravishing return to the elite Georgetown neighborhood. 

We're in real trouble, folks, especially when you look at the structural budget deficits of Montgomery County and Maryland. Hard to believe, but D.C.'s lower tax and fee burden is attracting many businesses and Montgomery County expats to the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, MoCo leaders continue to ensure Montgomery County has the highest overall tax and fee burden in the region. Heckuva job, Brownie!