Potbelly closes at Gaithersburg Square

Potbelly has closed at 544 N. Frederick Avenue at Gaithersburg Square. Signage has been ripped off the storefront, and the interior appears to have been cleared out. The sandwich chain is actually in an expansion mode of significant growth, only closing low performing stores. Once again, the anti-business policies of the Montgomery County Council - and the resulting moribund economy - claim another victim.

Fashion Q returning to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Red alert! Fashion Q is making a triumphant return to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Los Angeles-based fashion wholesaler closed almost exactly one year ago at the mall, after less than a year in business, a victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy. Now they're giving it another go, this time in the former Forever 21 space on Level 1, across from Build-A-Bear. 

Fashion Q traces its roots back to the 1980s. It chose its "Q" logo because a one-letter sign was cheaper than using the whole brand name. The cost savings extend to its merchandise, which is purchased wholesale here and abroad.

Fugitive alleged thieves found at Motel 6 in Gaithersburg

Two men accused of multiple thefts from vehicles in Bethesda were located at one of my favorite hotels in Montgomery County, the Motel 6 at 497 Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg. Say what you will, but these two fellas have got great taste when it comes to lodging. Craig Pendergrass, 30, of Silver Spring and Antonio Gordon, 38, of Frederick may have been expecting Tom Bodett when they heard a knock on their door, but it turned out to be Montgomery's Finest. 

Police claim numerous stolen items, including electronics and other property linked to the Bethesda thefts, were found in their hotel room. Two firearms previously reported stolen in a separate Montgomery County case were also recovered. Pendergrass and Gordon were arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft: $1,500 to under $25,000, rogue and vagabond and related charges. They are being held without bond. 

Photo courtesy Montgomery County Police Department 

iSmash rage room "coming soon" to Rockville

iSmash rage room is "coming soon" to Rockville, according to signage posted in the windows of its future storefront at 36-C Maryland Avenue, at The Square at Rockville. Designed to let patrons blow off steam in a controlled, safe environment, iSmash also accommodates date nights, group events, and team-building exercises. "We’re building something Rockville hasn’t seen before…and trust us, it’ll be worth the wait," iSmash Rockville posted on their Facebook page earlier this month. Stay tuned for an opening date.

Armed carjacking in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of an armed carjacking Monday night, July 27, 2026. It took place in the 500 block of Hungerford Drive (MD 355) at 10:00 PM. A suspect displayed a handgun to a driver, and ordered the driver out of the vehicle. The suspect then drove away in the stolen vehicle. Police have not released a description of the suspect or of the stolen vehicle as of this writing.

Watkins Mill Town Center: Promises made, promises broken

Montgomery County taxpayers, and early homebuyers, were sold a vision of the Watkins Mill Town Center shortly after the Montgomery County cartel seized a majority of the seats on the County Council in 2002. Over twenty years later - like the similarly promoted Clarksburg Town Center - the Watkins Mill Town Center remains an empty field. Nowhere to be found are the promised shops, restaurants, and movie theater with a special liquor license that predated the lobby bars that would pop up in County cinemas a decade later. And no Corridor Cities Transitway light rail connects Watkins Mill to the Shady Grove Metro station - or anything else for that matter.

Like Clarksburg, all of the highly-profitable residential housing was built at Watkins Mill. But the less profitable commercial construction and amenities? You're on your own, baby, the Council and City of Gaithersburg told residents. Hey, you got a mega gas station and Starbucks on the other side of the highway, so shut up and quit your complaining.

Taxpayers who picked up the tab for new services and classrooms will well remember that the developers involved helped get favored County and City officials elected. Their campaign signs were even erected on the property. They got elected, and prospered. The developers prospered. You, the taxpayer? Not so much. 

It follows the Montgomery County cartel model we've seen everywhere from Westbard to downtown Bethesda and White Oak. Developers and their planning and legislative puppets promise the world. They get their approvals. Then they take the money and run - for the hills, or for re-election. Amenities are deleted. Master plans ignored. Commercial land gets rezoned for more and more housing. 

Watkins Mill Town Center. Promises made. Promises broken.

Vandals damage apartments in Rockville

Rockville City police report that two suspects allegedly caused damage to multiple apartments in the Rockville Town Center area on July 22, 2026. Between 5:00 and 6:00 PM that evening, police say, the suspects vandalized a water valve at a commercial property in the 100 block of Gibbs Street. As a result of the damage to the valve, multiple apartments in the building suffered water damage. The incident was reported to police the following day.