Armed robbery at Burlington in Rockville

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery at Burlington in Rockville Wednesday night, May 27, 2026. Two suspects entered the store at 12089 Rockville Pike at Montrose Crossing at 10:24 PM. One of them brandished a handgun. They proceeded to fill bags with merchandise, and left the store. Police have not released a description of the two suspects, and did not indicate how they managed to avoid appearing on the many surveillance cameras inside the store.

Customer assaulted at grocery store in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of an assault at a grocery store early yesterday afternoon, May 25, 2026. The assault took place shortly after 12:30 PM at the Aldi supermarket at 1501 Rockville Pike at the Congressional North shopping center. While shopping, an adult male customer was struck in the face by an unknown individual, leaving him with minor lacerations. The suspect was ordered to leave the store by management, and left the scene before officers arrived.

The suspect is described as a tanned White male approximately 50-60 years of age, bald, and 5'8" in height. If you have any information about this incident, call police at 240.314.8900. Let's note once again this troubling 2026 trend of violent crime taking place during daylight hours in Montgomery County.

EUG Apparel closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

EUG Apparel has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The sportswear and streetwear boutique launched a thousand discussions about its name, which appeared as Embrace Ur Greatness on the storefront, but which Westfield listed as EUG Apparel in its directories. Was the latter simply 3 initials - and if so, what did they stand for? - or a Trumpesque "Yuuuuuuuuge"? But as Jesse Jackson once declared, "The question is moot." The signage is gone, the space is cleared out, and the storefront windows are now blacked out. EUG opened here for the holiday shopping season in November 2024, and that's a pretty impressive run to last almost two years in Montgomery County's anti-business climate and moribund economy.

Pop Mart "coming soon" to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Pop Mart is "coming soon" to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, according to signage posted across its future storefront. Specifically, the massively hyped and viral Labubu and blind box toy retailer is coming this fall, the signage promises. It will be located on Level 1 of the mall, next to Bath & Body Works. And there's nothing Bono Vox's attorney can do about it!

Kokosh relocates at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Kokosh has moved within Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The cosmetics boutique debuted in the Macy's wing next to Purple back in December of 2023. It has stayed on Level 2, but now it is across from Uniqlo, next to LensCrafters. Carrying many of the top skincare products from South Korea has been a recipe for success for Kokosh at the mall, at a time when that country has become the standard for beauty and skincare across the globe. Kokosh also carries a line of jewelry reflecting the latest minimalist K-fashion trends in Seoul.

Free Wi-Fi now available at The Square in Rockville

The Square in Rockville (formerly Rockville Town Square) is offering another incentive to lure visitors to the development in Rockville Town Center. Property owner Morguard has partnered with the City of Rockville to provide free Wi-Fi at The Square. To utilize this new perk once you are on-site, open up the Wi-Fi settings menu on your device. Select the network, “The Square Rockville — Public Wi-Fi.” A browser page will open that states, “Connect to WiFi with Verizon.” Check the box to accept the terms and conditions. Click “Connect.” POW! BAM! ZOOM! YOU ARE HEREBY EMPOWERED!!!!!!!

Sprouts Farmers Market opening in Rockville

Sprouts Farmers Market, a rapidly-expanding organic grocery store chain, is expanding to Rockville. The supermarket has leased a space at 5296 Randolph Road at Loehmann's Plaza. This will be the third Montgomery County location for Sprouts. The first is already open in Burtonsville, and the second will be in the development that is replacing the beloved Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg. Construction on the Rockville store is anticipated to begin this summer.

Sneak peek: Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby opening June 1 (Photos)

The sign is up at Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby store at 15750 Shady Grove Road at the 270 Center, on the border of Gaithersburg with Rockville. And the window coverings are down, and you know what that means: It's sneak peek time, for our first look at the interior of the County's first Hobby Lobby. All of the shelving and display stands appear to be in place, as well as wayfaring signage. I can see signs at the back wall of the store denoting the adult long sleeve shirts section.

Cash registers are in place and plugged in at the checkouts. They are currently set to Training Mode, as the newly-hired employees prepare for the June 1, 2026 opening date. The big sign above the storefront has only increased the excitement level about Hobby Lobby's imminent arrival. Readers of this blog have known about it since I first broke the story way back last August. But now the many people who don't follow any local news websites are seeing this sign as they drive past. They're pulling into the 270 Center parking lot just to take a closer look. Even the other tenants here are pumped up, as you can imagine the increase in foot traffic Hobby Lobby is going to bring to the 270 Center.

Sneak peek: Gap Factory opening May 20 in Rockville (Photos)

We've been watching the signs going up in recent weeks at Gap Factory at 1667 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. Now, the most important sign of all is up: the one announcing the store's opening date, which is now set for this Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The sign has to mention that the store is not currently open, because the lights are on and workers are busy stocking shelves and displays ahead of the big day. For whatever reason, the window coverings were removed from the front entrance area, and that means it's time for a sneak peek at what awaits you on Wednesday!

Armed robbery at CVS in Derwood

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery at a CVS Pharmacy in Derwood yesterday, May 12, 2026. The robbery took place at the CVS at 17651 Redland Road at 5:35 PM Tuesday. According to police, three suspects entered the store and attempted to shoplift merchandise. When the store manager confronted them, one of the suspects drew a knife and told the manager they would kill him. The three suspects then successfully fled the store with stolen merchandise.

Police have not released descriptions of the suspects. They did not indicate how the three avoided appearing on the many surveillance cameras inside the CVS. This was - yet again - another violent crime taking place during daylight hours, the latest trend in the six year Montgomery County crime wave.

Update on Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby, opening June 1

The Tyvek is off the facade at what will soon be Montgomery County's first Hobby Lobby store at 15750 Shady Grove Road on the border of Gaithersburg with Rockville. In its place are red brick and concrete facade treatments. Glass has also been installed, but the new vestibule lobby makes it difficult to see the interior at the moment. The store is scheduled to open on June 1, ten months after I broke the news that MoCo was finally going to get a Hobby Lobby. Let's hope Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel, and Waffle House can break through the truly-weird Montgomery County Council's obstacles next!

Sign installed at Gap Factory in Rockville

The main sign is up at Gap Factory, opening soon at 1667 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. It has the widely recognizable Gap logo, but is otherwise understated in size and color. They could go bigger and louder, in my opinion, especially when you have to make what little signage you're allowed these days count. The windows are still papered over, so we can't see just how close opening day is. The sign installation - and especially the removal of the construction wall, suggests it is not far off.

Squishable moving at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Squishable is relocating inside Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The plush toy retailer won't be going far, though. It is going to be across from its current location. That location has temporarily closed because it takes time and some doing to corral these creatures and herd them across the corridor. 

Update on Gap Factory in Rockville

The construction wall across the storefront has been removed from the future Gap Factory at 1667 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. Alas, the windows are still papered over, blocking view of the progress on the interior fit-out of the store. A sign has been installed over the sidewalk out front, but the main sign above the storefront is still to come. Gap Factory sells apparel exclusive to Gap Factory stores, designed with less-expensive materials at lower prices by "real" Gap designers. So, if you want to look like you shop at Gap, but pay less, Gap Factory will be for you.

Francesca's closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Francesca's has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. They had one of the longest closing sales I've seen outside of some of those rug shops. Then again, the demise of the fashion boutique chain was also a long one. Francesca's filed for bankruptcy over five years ago. Westfield is probably not losing sleep over this closure, as it has recently agreed to leases with a number of tenants that would be considered an upgrade from Francesca's.

Beyond Yoga opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

What is beyond yoga? Astral projection? Teleportation to Waffle House? The first customers are finding out at Beyond Yoga, which is now open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. We know one thing, which is that Beyond Yoga delivers on promises. Only announced a few months ago, and expected to open by summer, it has opened well ahead of schedule. Expected to compete with Lululemon and Fabletics, based on reader feedback, Beyond Yoga is considered by a good number to be superior to both.

The Los Angeles-based company's calling cards include a "body-positive" product line, a Thred-Up apparel exchange program, and its proprietary soft Spacedye fabric. It recently expanded into men's apparel. Look for Beyond Yoga on Level 1 of the mall, next to Vineyard Vines in the Nordstrom wing.

Nordstrom Rack "coming soon" to Rockville

Nordstrom Rack is "coming soon" to Rockville, according to signage posted across its future storefront. It will be located at 1683 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. This is the former Buy Buy Baby space.

What is the difference between Nordstrom at Westfield Montgomery Mall and Nordstrom Rack? Well, unlike a couple of competitors I recently wrote about, Nordstrom Rack actually does sell some overstock, clearance, and past-season items from the "real" Nordstrom. So this means that you actually are going to be able to find a significant number of Nordstrom-quality products by top labels at great savings at Nordstrom Rack.

However, like those other competitors, Nordstrom Rack also carries items specifically designed and manufactured for Nordstrom Rack. These are essentially going to be pieces that look like what you expect to see in the higher-end Nordstrom department store, but that might be made with a lower-cost material. You can quickly identify apparel made for Nordstrom Rack by checking the tag, which will say... Nordstrom Rack, not surprisingly.

You won't have the department store Nordstrom services like personal shoppers and alterations at Nordstrom Rack. And there won't be a cafe or somebody tinkling away on a grand piano. But bargain hunters won't mind, as they search for and score deals on items that might have been out of their price range at the department store a season ago.

Ten Ren Tea & Ginseng closes in Rockville

Ten Ren Tea & Ginseng has closed at 825-G Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza. The tea shop operated for over 20 years. In addition to bubble tea and milk tea beverages, the shop was a popular place to purchase loose-leaf teas and ginseng. They sold a high-grade ginseng, as well as imported teas from Asia that weren't always easy to find elsewhere.

Mavi opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Mavi has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Turkish denim boutique missed its fall 2025 opening date by several months, but the chain has been engaged in a major expansion of bricks-and-mortar locations across America over the last year, including Jacksonville, Minneapolis, and Long Island. That has included establishing a U.S.-specific subsidiary. Mavi's arrival in American malls comes as Gen Z has shown a preference for in-person shopping over online ordering, particularly in the fashion sector.

If a denim brand can't have Sydney Sweeney and her good genes, it helps to have something unique in the actual denim material to set the brand apart from the other department store jeans that abound in the mall. In Mavi's case, they have Turkish denim fabric in several styles. SuperSoft is a midweight denim that employs Tencel and Lyocell fibers for softness and stretchiness. Feather Denim is even softer and lighter. And Organic Move is the softest with maximum stretch.

What's new for the season at Mavi just as they welcome their first customers in Bethesda? Most obviously, they are promoting their "L-OW RISE" jeans. For summer, they have a line of white denim. Look for Mavi on Level 1 of the mall, in the Nordstrom wing, across from Lily Pulitzer. Operating hours are 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, seven days a week, according to the mall website.

L'Occitane en Provence reopens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

L'Occitane en Provence has reopened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The skincare and beauty boutique has undergone a major renovation. L'Occitane is transforming its stores nationwide to celebrate its 50th anniversary this month. This includes a switch from a trad-retro aesthetic to a more contemporary design. They call this the Soleil, or "sunshine," store model. It features a bright yellow and white color scheme. 

Much like the chain's products and business practices, the construction materials emphasize sustainability. Changes at this location aren't limited to the boutique design. I notice the shop has also posted a job listing seeking a new store manager. Look for the revamped L'Occitane on Level 1 of the mall, next to Arc'teryx and across from Sunglass Hut.