Donutchew opens at Montgomery Mall (Photos)

Donutchew has opened in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The mochi donut chain's product is denser - and as the name suggests, chewier - than a traditional donut. They are made with glutinous rice flour, as opposed to the enriched wheat flour of a Krispy Kreme donut. Donutchew is in a kiosk that has seen heavy turnover in the last couple of years, but the company has had early success with its Rio Lakefront location in Gaithersburg.

AMC Montgomery 16 theater to add recliners at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

AMC's acquisition of the former ArcLight Cinemas at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda came with great hopes that the cineplex chain would upgrade some of the outdated elements of the theater, now known as AMC Montgomery 16. That's finally about to happen. AMC says it is moving forward with a plan to replace the fixed, cloth seats in the 16 auditoriums of the complex with its current recliner model. 

The company says it will spend nearly $3 million on the seats, and some other minor updates to the cineplex, which are expected to begin early next year. AMC notes that the addition of recliners will reduce the total number of seats in each auditorium. The renovation plan tells us that AMC is committed to keeping this theater open for a long time to come.

Cellaxs Phone Repair opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Cellaxs Phone Repair is coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been installed at its future space, which was once home to The Fix, on Level 2 near the food court. Cellaxs repairs screens, buttons, speakers and water damage on your phone. Battery replacement, tablet repairs and free diagnosis of your phone's problems are among the other services offered by the device repair chain nationwide. 

Holiday festivities get underway at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

The holiday shopping season is officially underway at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Live performances, celebrity guests and holiday sale offers greeted shoppers at the popular retail center yesterday, as mall owner Westfield held a special holiday launch event six days before Black Friday. The Jingle Lounge is now open, with special beverages and a place to relax between stores, or while you're waiting for someone else to finish shopping. A special wine bar at the lounge hosted by Windridge Vineyards will be open again today, November 19, 2023.  

The Jingle Lounge

One of Santa's elves
caught on camera

Abe Lincoln from the
Racing Presidents of the
Washington Nationals

In this age of high crime, you can
trust Honest Abe to carry your
shopping bags to the car

He always was a little more cautious
after Fort Stevens...

Wine bar today only!

Perfume World opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

If you're seeking a special fragrance for that special someone on your holiday shopping list this year, you are likely to find it at Perfume World. The scentsational boutique is opening a new location at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Perfume World has two existing Maryland locations, one at The Centre at Salisbury, and another at Security Square Mall near Baltimore. The Salisbury location has a high 4.5 stars out of 5 rating on Google reviews, so expectations will be high for the new Bethesda shop. When it opens, follow your nose to Perfume World on Level 2 of the mall, next to Beauty Boss.

See's Candies returns to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The signs of holiday shopping season are many at Westfield Montgomery Mall ahead of the official Black Friday start, from decorations to Santa's photo area to holiday pop-up shops. Among the most-anticipated of the latter each year at the Bethesda mall is See's Candies. 102 years after its founding by the See family in Los Angeles, many of their candies still use Mary See's original recipes. Look for See's this year on Level 1, next to T-Mobile.

Lids opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Planning to shop for the sports fans in your life this holiday season? One more option is now here at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Lids has opened next to the Lego store on Level 1. The sports merchandise retailer carries hats, of course, along with a wide variety of licensed sporting apparel, shoes and accessories. Lids offers "hassle-free" returns on merchandise up to 90 days after purchase.

Shouldn't it be the Commanders?

Montgomery Mall gets ready for holiday shopping season (Photos)

The elves are busy at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Christmas trees and other holiday decor are popping up all over the building, as the mall prepares for the biggest shopping season of the year.  Santa Claus will be arriving at the mall on November 16, 2023, but you can start making reservations online now. And the Jingle Lounge will be back for a second year.

The shopping season will officially start with a bang on Saturday, November 18, from 3:00 - 8:00 PM, with the Home for the Holidays Concert & Tree Lighting celebration. Special guests and performers will include Instagram stars The Holderness Family, Rudolf, Olaf, "Ice Princesses," Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt from the Washington Nationals, Rockapella, the Gay Men's Chorus of DC, the Maryland Youth Ballet in Nutcracker mode, and - of course - Old Saint Nick himself. Windridge Vineyards will host a holiday pop-up wine bar in the Jingle Lounge. The whole event is free, and you can RSVP online now.

PacSun closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

PacSun has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been removed from above the storefront. PacSun, a.k.a. Pacific Sunwear, started as a small surf shop in Seal Beach, California in 1980. It had a long run at Montgomery Mall. The closure is the latest sign of a moribund Montgomery County economy, as PacSun has recovered from its 2016 bankruptcy filing, and more recently has been opening or remodeling stores rather than closing them. 

Calzedonia opening soon at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Calzedonia is opening soon at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Italian brand specializes in legwear, swimwear and socks. Calzedonia also owns Intimissimi, a lingerie brand that also has a boutique at the mall. When Calzedonia opens, look for it on Level 1, between Talbots and Sunglass Hut.

Police respond to assault at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an assault at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda on Friday afternoon, October 20, 2023. The assault was reported at 3:07 PM Friday. This is the fourth assault reported at the mall this year, and the first since July 19. Despite that, violent crime has trended downward at the mall since police established a "resource room" at the popular retail center, following a string of assaults last year. By comparison, there were 12 assaults reported at the mall in 2022.

The Fix relocates at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The Fix has relocated inside Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Its old space near the food court has been cleared out. Look for the device repair and accessories shop next to AT&T. The Fix opened at the mall in 2017. Their new spot looks a bit bigger.

PacSun closing at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

One of the longest-tenured tenants at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda will soon close its doors forever. PacSun is now winding down operations. Everything in the store is on sale, and many shelves are already bare as a result.

The California-inspired casualwear store is also offering a Buy One, Get One Free promotion. We probably can't blame this particular closure on Montgomery County's moribund economy, or on the County Council. PacSun has been struggling as a chain for most of this century. Despite filing for, and successfully emerging from, bankruptcy nearly a decade ago, PacSun is repositioning itself in the market with a new women's activewear store concept.

New location, new name for Melashops at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

After a two-week delay, Melashops has opened in its new location at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. It also has a new name - - just Mela, dropping the "shops." It's been a busy year for Mela, moving downcounty from its original Lakeforest Mall location in April, and now this relocation. Look for Mela on Level 1, across from Forever 21.

Melashops misses opening date, Kay Jewelers gone dark at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Melashops has missed its expected October 1, 2023 opening date in its new space at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The sign on display at the future store location has been changed from "Oct. 1" to now say, "Opening Soon." 

Meanwhile, Kay Jewelers has been closed for several weeks, raising questions about its future at the mall. Signage is still up outside the jewelry store's space, and the inside of the store is still intact, just with drapes covering the display cases. The mall is usually quick to wall-up vacant spaces, but it's highly unusual for a business to simply close for an extended period like this, and there is no sign to inform customers about the reason for the closure.

Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too returning for the holidays at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

If you believe the Christmas season is the most wonderful time of the year, the annual arrival of Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too is a welcome sign that the holidays are just around the corner. What is alpaca? According to an explanation from the company, "alpaca fiber is warmer, weighs less and is more durable than wool. It is soft like cashmere, but stronger and a highly-natural product. Because alpaca fiber is hypoallergenic, most people [allergic to] wool items can wear alpaca. Alpaca garments...are stain resistant. Precipitation does not readily penetrate an alpaca garment, and they are naturally windproof." The seasonal pop-up is fully-stocked and ready to open any minute. Unleash the alpacas! Look for Sheepskin Gifts & Alpaca Too on Level 1 of the mall.

VinoRita closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Apparently, there's no demand for wine slushies in Bethesda. Last weekend, I noticed that VinoRita, which opened only about five weeks ago in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall, was closed on a busy Saturday evening. Now their kiosk is entirely cleared out. It's recently become one of the unluckiest spots in the mall, as HalfSmoke lasted less than a year in the same kiosk, and VinoRita has now chased that with one of the fastest business failures I've ever reported in the 17 years I've been publishing news in Montgomery County. 

It looks like wine moms have been following the ultra-rich out the door in their mass exodus from moribund Montgomery County, folks. You would think County residents could have used a stiff slushie after looking at their new, jacked-up MoCo property tax bills. VinoRita may want to try a Spring Valley, Leesburg or Clarksville location instead. Meanwhile, Westfield may need to break the emergency glass, and bring in Steak and Shake, In-N-Out Burger, Jack in the Box, Raising Cane's or Zaxby's to hit a home run in this struggling kiosk. In the words of Shia LaBeouf, "I'm tired of starting over...just DO IT!!!!"

VinoRita was still there, but
abandoned, last Saturday night

A week later...VinoRita is gone

*Sad trombone*