Maryland continues resurfacing northbound Rockville Pike

A Maryland State Highway Administration contractor continues a major resurfacing project on Rockville Pike (MD 355) in Rockville. This has been going on for months. Currently, the northbound lanes are being worked on. If you have a new car, or one you're concerned about getting scratched or dinged, you may want to take an alternate route.

Brandy Melville opens in Rockville

Brandy Melville has opened at Pike & Rose on Rockville Pike. The women's fast fashion boutique is located at 11804 Grand Park Avenue. Brandy Melville was founded in Italy, but gained success after taking inspiration from California designs rather than Italian fashions. The label's target audience is comprised of teens and young adults.

Another reason for Brandy Melville's popularity is that their pricing is very reasonable. They're still looking for full-time and weekend employees, if you are seeking a retail fashion position. Scan the QR code pictured in the bottom photo below.

Ace Hardware opening new store in Rockville

Ace Hardware is opening a new location in Rockville. It will be at 835 Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza. That was most recently home to Gold's Gym, so it is a sizeable space. When it opens, this will be the only Ace Hardware store in Rockville.

Rockville Pike McDonald's construction advancing (Photos)

Here's a look at the progress on the new McDonald's restaurant at 11710 Rockville Pike in White Flint. New and improved, as this one - unlike the McDonald's that just closed nearby - will have drive-thru service. You can see the two drive-thru windows on the south side of the building now. Fast food restaurant construction is often measured in days or weeks, rather than the months this one has been. Another unusual aspect of this? I've never seen Home Depot protective wrap on a project like this before.

Woman assaulted at 7-Eleven in Rockville

A woman was assaulted at the 7-Eleven at 11530-G Rockville Pike Tuesday night, April 15, 2025. Police were called to the convenience store, which is located in the Metro Pike Center, at 8:09 PM Tuesday. @MoCoMag on X reported that the woman was knocked to the ground by the suspect. Police radio communications indicated that the victim declined to be transported to a hospital.

Rockville Best Buy to participate in midnight Nintendo Switch release on June 5

Some Best Buy stores across America will hold special late-night hours for the June 5, 2025 release of the Nintendo Switch 2. Customers who pre-order their system will be able to pick it up at participating stores at 12:01 AM. In Montgomery County, the Best Buy stores at 1200 Rockville Pike in Rockville, at 20914 Frederick Road at the Milestone Shopping Center in Germantown, and at 10901 Georgia Avenue in Wheaton will be participating in the Switch 2 event. Despite the exorbitant $449.99 price, Best Buy is warning that "This item is expected to sell out quickly."

Robbery at Rockville bus stop

Rockville City police responded to a report of a robbery at a bus stop in broad daylight on February 25, 2025. The robbery was reported at a bus stop in the 700 block of Rockville Pike at 1:30 PM. Police have not released a description of the suspect, but identified the getaway car used as "a white passenger car." If you have any information that could help detectives solve this case, call 240-314-8900.

Assault in Rockville parking lot

Rockville City police responded to a report of an aggravated assault on Rockville Pike yesterday afternoon, February 23, 2025. The assault was reported at 4:35 PM Sunday. It took place in a commercial parking lot in the 1000 block of Rockville Pike.

Buy Buy Baby's last day in Rockville is Tuesday

Buy Buy Baby is saying Bye Bye to Rockville this week at 1683 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. And this time, it's likely for good. Tuesday, February 25, 2025 will be the last day at this location, and your last chance to take advantage of the closing sale. 

Buy Buy Baby tried closing for good in the summer of 2023, when the oddly-named and unknown New Jersey company Dream on Me acquired the struggling chain, and planned to make it an online-only retail operation. It abruptly changed course that fall, and reopened some of the bricks-and-mortar locations, including this one. 

Closing time tomorrow night will truly be the end of an era, as the very first Buy Buy Baby store in America opened here in Rockville in 1996. You may almost be able to see Tower Records through your tears as you exit the store for the last time. He's reaching for "Crash," but - oh, last minute save! - he's wisely picking up "Pinkerton" instead. Into the yellow bag it goes! Buy Buy!

Electric Dodge Charger EV arrives in Rockville (Photos)

The dawn of the electric muscle car age is upon us in Rockville. DARCARS Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Rockville at 755 Rockville Pike has just received one of the first Dodge Charger EV coupes. It arrived a few days ago, according to a salesperson at the dealership. This is the Daytona Scat Pack Track version. While parent company Stellantis has expressed regret for its attempt to boost revenue via high prices in recent years, the $85,965 sticker price on this car will still induce shock to the faint of heart.

DARCARS says gasoline-powered V6 coupe and 4-door sedan versions will arrive later this year. Personally, I am thrilled with the new design that recalls the iconic 2-door 1969 Charger. Dodge has wisely made it available in orange. No word if "01" door numerals are an option.

TGI Fridays closes in Rockville (Video + Photos)

TGI Fridays has closed at 12147 Rockville Pike at the Pike Center in Rockville. The American restaurant chain that was founded on March 15, 1965 in New York City has filed for bankruptcy. Even dropping the "TGI" from the brand name - a memo few Americans ever got, and likely would have confused with a defunct Saturday Night Live knock-off that aired in the dawning years of the 1980s on ABC anyway - couldn't turn the chain's fortunes around. TGI Fridays closed 60 restaurants last fall, and it looks like another round of closures is quietly playing out now. Let's take a last look at Rockville's TGI Fridays:

The flagship TGI Fridays location that started it all at First Avenue and 63rd Street in the Big Apple has been considered by many recent business writers to have been America's "first singles bar." Only in the occasional creepy and awkward moment has the Rockville location been considered as such. But it was a reliable destination on the Pike for above-average creative cocktails, the famous Fridays Loaded Potato Skins, and just about any sports bar appetizer or entree you can imagine with a whiskey glaze applied to it. Now, unless you are up for a long drive to Tysons or Hanover, Maryland, you'll just have to hope that somewhere in the back of your freezer is a box of frozen Fridays delights you had bought from the freezer aisle at your supermarket.

An insider at the Montgomery County Council building reports that several councilmembers were exultant upon hearing the news of TGI Fridays closure. Having banned several ubiquitous American chains from the County, including Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel, and Waffle House, the existence of other big names like TGI Fridays, The Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Robin, and LongHorn Steakhouse has been one of the banes of the Council's existence this century.

Ironically, the departure of TGI Fridays from Pike Center refocuses attention on how the County Council was directly responsible for the shopping center's struggles in recent years. It was the Council's action to ban Walmart from opening any new stores in the County that tanked Pike Center's plan to reinvent itself with a super-high-traffic Superstore as anchor, after the moribund Montgomery County economy had left the property with empty storefronts. Upon learning that many more of their constituents - whom they privately refer to as "losers" and "suckers" - might soon be saving $21 a week on groceries, the Council swiftly moved to block the proposed Pike Center and Aspen Hill Walmarts by banning the chain altogether. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Chateau de Rockville bakery cafe update (Photos)

Here's an update on the Chateau de Rockville bakery and cafe, currently under construction at 1701 Rockville Pike at The Shops at Congressional Village. Permanent signage has just been installed above the storefront. They are hoping to open in February or March 2025. Yes, this is a sister location to the existing Chateau de Chantilly in Virginia. It will be right next door to another recent addition to the property, the Teso Life store.

Nothing Bundt Cakes opens in Rockville

Nothing Bundt Cakes is now open at 1032 Rockville Pike at Edmonston Crossing. The popular cake appeared in America back in the 1950s, but the innovation was really the pan that molds the cake's shape. Nordic Ware added a "t" to the German word "bund" for a pan that was designed to help a Jewish women's group in Minneapolis replicate a traditional, ring-shaped kugelhopf cake. Success on that effort was followed by wider adoption of the shape and recipe after a Bundt cake won the Pillsbury Bake-Off competition in 1966.

Thirty-one years later, Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz founded Nothing Bundt Cakes in Las Vegas. Today, it is the top specialty cake company in America, with over 600 locations. The Rockville location is open from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM from Monday through Saturday, and from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Sundays. The opening here is great timing, as the chain is currently featuring a Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter cake "while supplies last." It doesn't get any better than that!

Assault inside Rockville parking garage

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault inside a parking garage at Pike & Rose on Rockville Pike last night, January 23, 2025. The assault was reported at 8:37 PM. Police were called to the Trade Street garage at 11860 Trade Street at the property.

White Flint McDonald's closes on Rockville Pike (Video + Photos)

McDonald's has closed at 11564 Rockville Pike in White Flint. The loss is not permanent, however. McDonald's is relocating into a new restaurant building on the former Arby's site just up the Pike at 11710 Rockvile Pike. I had expected they might make an overnight switchover, but it looks like the transition won't be as seamless as I thought. The new McDonald's will have something this one never did: a drive-thru.