Spirit Halloween haunting Congressional Plaza in Rockville

Spirit Halloween is returning to Rockville for 2025, and wisely, once again on Rockville Pike. Their store will have more visibility this year compared to last, as it will be at 1683 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. That's the former Buy Buy Baby space. According to the Spirit Halloween website, the store has not opened yet, although merchandise is visible inside; "Opens September" is the current message as of this writing.

Charlie Kirk vigil to be held in Rockville on September 20

A vigil will be held for Charlie Kirk in Montgomery County this coming Saturday, September 20, 2025. The event will be held in Rockville at the Courthouse Square park, located at the corner of E. Jefferson Street and W. Montgomery Avenue in Rockville Town Center, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Saturday. There will be tributes to Kirk, prayers, and speakers. Kirk, the founder of the conservative political organization Turning Point USA, was assassinated on September 10 while speaking at the launch of TPUSA's latest college campus tour in Utah.

Slurp Noodle House "coming soon" to Rockville

Slurp Noodle House is coming soon to Rockville, according to signage posted at its future storefront. The ramen and dumpling restaurant will be located at the corner of Halpine Road and Chapman Avenue, on the ground level of the Milton apartments at Twinbrook Quarter. Contrary to Western table manners, slurping one's noodles is a sign of enjoying your meal in Japan, and is therefore encouraged. And from a practical standpoint, the practice also cools down the ramen. 

Tesla Supercharger station planned for Germantown

A new Tesla Supercharger station is in the works for Germantown. It will be located at the Shops at Seneca Meadows at 20600 Seneca Meadows Parkway. The charging spaces will be located in the ground level of the parking garage at the shopping center, which is best known for its anchor tenant, Wegmans. Twelve charging spaces are expected to be furnished at this Supercharger station.

Ba Le bánh mì sandwich shop opening September 25 in Rockville (Photos)

Ba Le, a bánh mì sandwich shop, will open September 25, 2025 in Rockville. A banner announcing the grand opening has been placed above the storefront. The Vietnamese restaurant is located at 765-FG Rockville Pike, in the Ritchie Center shopping center. You can get a sneak peek at the menu in the photos below. They've also added a "Fresh Baked Bread" sign in the window, as each of these world-famous Vietnamese sandwiches start with a fresh-baked French baguette sliced lengthwise, before it is filled with the ingredients of your choice. I notice they will have touchscreens for ordering inside, also pictured at bottom.

The Spot food hall is on the way out in Rockville

ZAP! BOOM! POW! The crash out of the food hall fad in Montgomery County is snowballing. Caught up in the downhill momentum is The Spot at 255 N. Washington Street in Rockville. Its 6033-square-foot space just hit the market for lease Friday. The listing is being handled by H&R Retail brokers Bradley Buslik and Austin Hersh. Although The Spot remains open for business, the online listing states that their space is "available now."

A series of food halls, primarily targeted at the large Asian demographic in Rockville, opened in 2018 and 2019. The Spot's biggest rival - The Block - has already exited. Down in struggling Friendship Heights, the food hall called The Heights recently shuttered, having experienced perhaps the briefest run of any such enterprise in the County. Still chugging along in Rockville is Pike Kitchen.

The departure of The Spot will be a major blow to what's left of nightlife in Rockville Town Center. Spaces occupied by bars like American Tap Room and Gordon Biersch remain vacant years after both closed their doors. Raucous rooftop nightlife events at The Square in Rockville fell victim years ago to complaints of noise by apartment dwellers at the development. Food halls survived the pandemic, but seem to have ultimately lost their novelty shortly thereafter, leaving huge spaces behind.

Go Fresh 365 supermarket "coming soon" to Rockville

A Go Fresh 365 supermarket is "coming soon" to 1800 Rockville Pike at the Galvan at Twinbrook development in Rockville, according to signage posted at its future storefront. The Long Island City, New York-based grocery chain boasts that it is the "No.1 Asian/Chinese Supermarket Chain" on the East Coast of the United States. Founded in 1995, the company has grown by leaps and bounds through a focus on freshness, and exclusive partnerships with businesses in the fields of fresh produce, livestock breeding, marine fishing, catering services, and commercial real estate. 

Here in Rockville, Go Fresh 365 will attempt to fill the vacuum left when Safeway closed at the Galvan earlier this year. The chain says it takes very seriously a responsibility to promote and spread Chinese food culture. Its mission, it says, is to "create greater values for overseas Chinese and the American people." Go Fresh 365 is expected to open in Rockville in November.