Smash-and-grab burglary at Town Square Jewelers in Rockville

One or more burglars used a sledgehammer to smash the front windows at Town Square Jewelers at 100-E Gibbs Street in Rockville early yesterday morning, April 16, 2023, MoCo PG News reported on Twitter. Glass displays inside the store were also smashed. The total value of all of the merchandise stolen has not yet been announced by Rockville City police, who responded to the burglar alarms at the scene at Rockville Town Square. Police did recover the sledgehammer, which was found nearby. The suspect(s) remain at large.

Colony Grill coming soon to Cabin John Village Center in Potomac (Photos)

The lineup of restaurants being assembled at the Cabin John Village Center in Potomac is simply amazing. Here comes another one - the first Maryland location of the Colony Grill. It doesn't sound like a pizzeria, but that's exactly what is. Colony Grill has been serving its famous "hot oil bar pie" pizza since 1935 in Stamford, Connecticut. 

There are 12 toppings you can put on this very-thin crust pizza that intentionally carries less cheese and sauce than the typical American pizza - but one with just the pepper-infused hot oil sauce is what the owners recommend. They also have a full-service bar with TVs. You can see they are also going to have a nice, elevated outdoor dining area for summer breezes.

The permanent sign is up outside the pizzeria. Inside, construction is well advanced. How good is the pizza at Colony Grill? Davey Pageviews gave it an 8.4 out of 10, high praise from a very tough pizza critic. Everybody knows the rules!

Le Bonday boutique to open at Congressional Plaza in Rockville

Le Bonday, a luxury retail and resale boutique, is taking over the recently-vacated Loyal Companion space at 1643-A Rockville Pike, in the Congressional Plaza shopping center. The owner currently operates the Bonday store down the pike at Federal Plaza. Le Bonday promises "luxury shopping without the luxury price tag," with labels including Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Versace, and Louis Vuitton. The boutique is scheduled to open on May 10, 2023.

Montgomery County sheriff orders restaurant to vacate at Montgomery Mall

Butter Me Up, a breakfast-themed restaurant, has been evicted from Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda less than a year after opening. A "final notice" from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is posted outside the restaurant ordering the business to "vacate premises." It states that "The Sheriff will use whatever force necessary to gain entry into the premises for immediate removal of all persons and property." Behind the closed storefront gate, the contents of the restaurant have been left behind.

The restaurant group that owns Butter Me Up also owned the HalfSmoke kiosk in the mall's food court. It has also closed. These developments raise serious questions as to whether the company's long-delayed HalfSmoke location at Rockville Town Square will ever come to pass. No construction inside that location has taken place in the three years since the Rockville outpost was announced.

The Grove restaurant to open at Cabin John Village in Potomac

The trend of high-quality tenant additions continues at the revamped Cabin John Village shopping center in Potomac. A new restaurant called The Grove has leased the vacant restaurant space formerly home to Lahinch Tavern and Grill at 7747 Tuckerman Lane. All that is known at the moment is that The Grove will be a new dining concept from the Common Plate Hospitality restaurant group, which is already making a big push into Montgomery County with its upcoming food hall called The Heights in Chevy Chase.

HalfSmoke closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

HalfSmoke has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Its kiosk in the Dining Terrace food court has been totally cleared out, and signage removed. How this didn't work is a mystery, as they had a short but great menu. This venture opening and closing in the time since a long-delayed Rockville Town Square location of HalfSmoke was first announced does not bode well for that larger restaurant coming to fruition. No construction activity has been observed at the Rockville HalfSmoke space since "coming soon" signage was installed over the windows in November 2020(!!).

Signage installed at Rockville Pike Animal Hospital

It was over a year ago that Rockville Pike Animal Hospital announced it would be opening at 12248 Rockville Pike, in the Towne Plaza development. But on Monday, the permanent signage was installed on the building facade. This will be a benefit to pet owners in the many apartment buildings located near Towne Plaza on, and parallel to, Rockville Pike. Does that ATM now accept Milk Bones?

Chase bank "coming soon" in Rockville

A long-planned Chase bank branch at 460 Hungerford Drive (MD 355) in Rockville is "coming soon," according to a banner posted at the construction site. The historic Jack Sullivan-designed commercial building on the property that was most-recently home to Meixin Supermarket has been demolished. Some parking signs for the Chinese grocery store remain intact, however. The bank will have a drive-thru, and is just north of Rockville Town Square and Walgreens.

DJ Watch & Engraving opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

DJ Watch & Engraving has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. In addition to engraving services, and watch repairs and battery/wristband replacement, it also offers crystal repairs, link removal, pins, and new batteries for your car remote. Service is provided while you wait. Look for DJ Watch & Engraving on Level 2 of the mall, next to Elite Jewelers.

Wild Custom Apparel, Ebere by Alpha open at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Two new apparel boutiques have opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Wild Custom Apparel is a custom printing business similar to the t-shirt shops you would find on the boardwalk at Ocean City. A selection of graphic designs are posted on the wall, and can be printed on shirts, pillows, and other items. Find Wild Custom Apparel on Level 1 of the mall, next to Journeys. Ebere by Alpha has also opened its first full boutique after a promising start as a kiosk at Prince George's Plaza; you'll find it on Level 2, next to BeautyBOSS.

Rockville Planet Fitness grand opening set for April 12

The new Planet Fitness gym in Rockville is scheduled to host a grand opening celebration this Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 4:00 PM at 5520 Randolph Road, in the Montrose Shopping Center. It will be hosted by Nick Gomez from Hot 99.5 FM. Enjoy a ribbon cutting ceremony, a 30-minute circuit workout with the owners and trainers, food & drinks, and a chance to win fabulous prizes (65" Smart TV, Apple Watch, Amazon Echo) and more. Planet Fitness replaces Gold's Gym at the shopping center.

Japong Bakery moving in Rockville

Japong Bakery is relocating at the Ritchie Center in Rockville. The Asian bakery known for its specialty cream puffs will be staying at the shopping center, moving from 785-I Rockville Pike to 765-A Rockville Pike. However, the bakery will be temporarily closed from April 17, 2023 to May 9, 2023 while it makes the transition. The grand reopening of the bakery is scheduled for May 10.

Find out how your Montgomery County business can work with Rockville City government

Jessica Lewis, Director of Procurement
for the City of Rockville

Local businesses can learn about opportunities to do business with the City of Rockville at a special event this month. Register now for the "Rockville Means Business" event, which take place from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at the Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Drive. Doors will open at 8:30 AM.  

Information sessions, exhibits and strategy sessions with city employees will help you find out if your services or products are needed by the city. You'll also receive advice on how to most effectively to bid on procurement opportunities, and how to use the city's online vendor collaboration portal.

A continental breakfast will be served during the event. If you cannot attend, the event will be available online. You can register for the virtual option on the same page as the in-person registration.Minority-, female-, disabled- or veteran-owned businesses are especially encouraged to attend the event. Seating will be limited, so don't delay in registering. 

Bank orders liquidation of Rockville hockey facility's assets

A bank has ordered the liquidation of a Rockville hockey training facility's assets, according to the Rasmus Auctions firm. First Line Training Center is located at 40-C Southlawn Court in Rockville. Its website appears to be down. Items being liquidated in the bank-ordered auction include 3 skating rinks, over 11,000 square feet of synthetic ice, a skater-trainer treadmill, skate sharpening machines and cleaning equipment, and a variety of hockey and skating equipment. A full list of items being auctioned off is posted on the Rasmus website. 

Advanced Massage opening in Rockville

If you need an advanced massage, just the spa for you is opening soon in Rockville. Advanced Massage is coming soon to the Edmonston Crossing shopping center. It takes over that empty space at 1028 Rockville Pike, between Rockville Auto Tag & Title and Angkor Nails & Spa. Advanced Massage is apparently not to be confused with Massage Advanced, which also has a Rockville location at 821 Hungerford Drive.

Montgomery County Council bill would permanently eliminate Office of the People's Counsel

A bill introduced by Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson (D - District 1) would permanently eliminate the Office of the People's Counsel. The office, which was able to assist residents with land use and development issues, and could represent the interests of the public in some land use proceedings, hasn't been funded by the Council since FY-2010. Developer-funded councilmembers used the budget shortfall as an excuse to "temporarily" get rid of the position starting in FY-2011, and, of course, never restored funding since. 

Bill 18-23, co-sponsored by Councilmember Dawn Leudtke (D - District 7), would create a new office, called the Community Zoning and Land Use Resource Office. It would completely gut the functions of the People's Counsel that made it beneficial for residents, but a pain for development interests. The "officer' of the new office would no longer be an attorney. They would no longer be allowed to participate or advocate for the public in administrative proceedings. That would be a big win for developers, as the People's Counsel as currently defined in County code can introduce evidence, call and cross-examine witnesses, and point out when the County or a developer is in violation of County code and regulations.

The reason this is happening is that County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has made a firm point of wanting to have funding for the Office of the People's Counsel finally restored in the FY-2024 operating budget. Much like the bait-and-switch soundalike bills on expanding the Council size and rent stabilization, which sounded like what advocates wanted but prevent the substantive change of the competing proposals, the "Community Zoning and Land Use Resource Office" is as much like the Office of the People's Counsel as the German Democratic Republic was democratic. 

In short, Bill 18-23 is a totally-cynical move to kill off the People's Counsel permanently, as it is getting harder and harder for the Council to explain year after year why it is not funding an office that exists solely to help residents. As you can imagine, it's difficult to publicly announce that you don't want to fund an office that exists solely to help your constituents and protect their interests.  Thus the bait-and-switch. A public hearing on Bill 18-23 is currently scheduled for April 18, 2023 at 1:30 PM.

Ebere, Wild Custom Apparel opening soon at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Two new tenants have signed leases at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, and already have their permanent signage installed. Ebere by Alpha is an apparel store with custom designs for men, women and kids. It has an existing kiosk at The Mall at Prince George's, but here it will have its own space on Level 2, next to BeautyBOSS. 

Speaking of apparel, Wild Custom Apparel is also coming soon. There's a custom-printed apparel business by that name at St. Charles Towne Center mall in Waldorf, but it has a different logo. I guess the name is pretty self-explanatory. When it opens, look for Wild Custom Apparel on Level 1, next to Journeys.

Arhaus, Jolly Yolly, Melashops & The Kashmir Collection open at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Four new businesses have opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Arhaus, an heirloom-quality furnishings store has made its debut on Level 1. But wait, there's more. Melashops has also opened on Level 1, having moved out of Lakeforest Mall before the mall permanently closed Friday evening. Jolly Yolly Kids has opened on Level 1 next to The Cheesecake Factory. Finally, The Kashmir Collection has opened next to Psycho Bunny, and across from Lilly Pulitzer.

Botanero offering Passover meals to go in Rockville

Botanero at 800 Pleasant Drive in the King Farm Village Center in Rockville is offering a Passover Meal for Two for pickup on April 5 and 6 at the restaurant. The meal includes wine-braised brisket, chicken matzo ball soup, purple cabbage salad with cabernet vinaigrette, stuffed chicken breast with apricot glaze, carrot and sweet potato tzimmes, and flourless chocolate cake for dessert. It will serve 2 or 3 people, and provide some leftovers as well. You can order more than 1 for a bigger group.

The cost is $85.00 per 2-person meal. Orders must be placed by Monday, April 3, 2023. You can place your order online, and also include additional a la carte items from the Botanero menu for an extra cost, if you wish. 

Nighttime noise ahead tonight in Rockville

Contractors for developer EYA will be working overnight on Fortune Terrace in Rockville tonight, March 30, 2023 through tomorrow morning, March 31. Delmarva Site Development will be performing water line and storm drain work between 9:00 PM tonight and 4:00 AM tomorrow morning. The firm has received a noise waiver from the Montgomery County Department of the Environment. It is scheduling the work for night hours to reduce the impact of water service disruptions to nearby customers.

A City of Rockville inspector will be on-site to monitor the work and hours of operation. The work is related to the EYA Potomac Woods development project at 11511 Fortune Terrace.