SIGN INSTALLED AT NEW YORK MART IN ROCKVILLE (PHOTOS)

The permanent sign is up at New York Mart, the Asian grocery store coming to College Plaza on Route 355 in Rockville. It is taking over the space formerly occupied by Magruder's - and yes, those are vintage Magruder's shopping carts outside. They are now collector's items.

The store's building permit

Vintage! Magruder's shopping carts
still on site!

NEW YORK MART TO TAKE OVER COLLEGE PLAZA MAGRUDER'S SPACE IN ROCKVILLE (PHOTOS)

The vacant former Magruder's store in College Plaza on MD 355 finally has a tenant. New York Mart has leased the space, and will be the latest competitor in the international groceries category now flourishing in Rockville. New York Mart will literally be just up the road from Kam Sam Supermarket, Great Wall Supermarket and Maxim Gourmet Oriental Market along the Rockville Pike corridor. The burgeoning Asian population in Rockville has made it one of the prime spots for Asian food markets, and restaurants, in the DC area.

MAGRUDER'S CLOSING IN ROCKVILLE

Magruder's supermarket in Rockville is closing, perhaps at the end of the month. Both Rockville Patch and Gaithersburg Patch are reporting store employees have told them Magruder's Rockville and Gaithersburg locations will close.

The corporate headquarters of the longtime, local grocery chain has not publicly addressed the issue as of press time.

If true, this is a sad day.  As a lifelong county resident, I have memories of several Magruder's stores, including the one in Northwest Washington.

What caused this? It sounds like a companywide problem.  But with Rockville customers so critical to the chain, it's worth considering its Rockville-specific troubles in recent years.

I think the condemnation of the Town Center location played a role. The City never was able to relocate Magruder's in the poorly-designed supermarket space in Rockville Town Square. In fact, no chain wanted the space until Dawson's Market finally agreed to move in.

But there was also the county's ill-advised, punitive Energy Tax.  Magruder's actually had to reduce its interior lighting at one point (so did Target) to save money. Like many county businesses, the Energy Tax devastated stores during an already-difficult recession.

As disgraceful as the County Council's Energy Tax is, there are also the factors of the newer Giant nearby on the Pike, and increasing costs.

Perhaps the company will explain the cause, but these are just some of my thoughts.

If Magruder's indeed closes, it is yet another Hot Shoppes, G.C. Murphy, Chuck E. Cheese, Century Ford, etc., etc. loss for Rockville - and the DC area in general.