Baja Fresh to close in Rockville

Baja Fresh "has lost its lease, is shutting its doors, and making a complete liquidation" of the contents of the restaurant, which is located at 1607 Rockville Pike in the Congressional Plaza shopping center. So states an online auction listing, which indicates the sell-off will take place on Monday, July 22, 2019. The photographs illustrating the items up for bid clearly show the Rockville location, and distinctive Congressional Plaza columns and stone masonry.

Closing sale underway at Saks Off Fifth in Rockville

The collapse of high-end retail in Montgomery County continues. A closing sale is now underway at Saks Off Fifth at Congressional Plaza on Rockville Pike. Items are 20-40% off, which somewhat undercuts the "Nothing Held Back!" claim. My guess is that unsold merchandise here will wind up at the many other Saks Off Fifth locations that remain open around the country.

Windows in the storefront display the "Everything Must Go!" signs now ubiquitous in shop windows around the county. Montgomery County has suffered a net loss of over 2100 retail jobs since 2000, according to the Maryland Retailers Association. The flight of the rich to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region has since cratered high-end retail centers in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, with the latter's once-touted "Rodeo Drive" of Wisconsin Avenue now a sad strip of vacant storefronts, aging apartments and smashed-out bus shelters.

Fu Shing closing at Westlake Crossing

Fu Shing Cafe at 10315 Westlake Drive by Montgomery Mall will close on July 1, 2019. The Chinese restaurant has been in business for twenty years. In announcing the closure, the owners said what they will miss the most after closing are the restaurant's loyal customers. Fu Shing is located in the Westlake Crossing shopping center.

Final week for Payless at Montgomery Mall

This is your last chance to pay less at Payless at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The store is in its final week of business, the latest victim of Montgomery County's moribund economy. Montgomery County has suffered a net loss of retail jobs since 2000, according to the Maryland Retailers Association.

Performance Bicycle Shop closing in Rockville

The "Everything Must Go!" and "Nothing held back!" going-out-of-business signs that have become so ubiquitous in moribund Montgomery County have popped up at Congressional Plaza on Rockville Pike. Performance Bicycle Shop is the latest victim. The store is holding a closing sale with prices up to 40% off. Montgomery County has suffered a net loss of more than 2100 retail jobs since 2000, according to the Maryland Retailers Association.

Dawson's Market to close this weekend

The last-ditch effort to save Dawson's Market has failed. Dawson's owner now plans to close as scheduled October 27. The only good news is that everything in the store will be 50% off now.

Apollo Restaurant to close in Rockville

The Apollo Restaurant will close at the end of this month, according to the owner, who made the bombshell announcement at a meeting about the future of Rockville Town Square. He cited high rent at Courthouse Center as the reason for the closure. Courthouse Center, like RTS, is owned by Federal Realty.

What the Apollo lacked in Michelin stars and fancy decor, it more than made up for in 4 Yelp stars, and hearty Greek/American food for three decades. A regular stop for City officials, the restaurant has a large and loyal following in the community. The Apollo is just the kind of restaurant that is increasingly facing extinction in Montgomery County - longtime, mom-and-pop operations squeezed by high rents and the high cost of doing business under an anti-business County Council.

Dawson's Market to close at Rockville Town Square

The bad news at Rockville Town Square continues to pile up. Now anchor retail tenant Dawson's Market says it will close on October 27, 2018. Despite more special events and tastings than any chain grocery store, the organic, hipster-oriented grocery store never took off. "Unfortunately, the store did not generate enough business to be financially viable," owner Rick Hood said Tuesday.

While the immediate focus has been the closure announcement, much of the context for just how big of a blow this is to the Square has been absent. Remember, the grocery space was one of the biggest design failures of RTS from the beginning. The demolition of Magruder's to make way for the new town center was originally meant to be made up for with a new grocery store in the new development.

But the anchor grocery space was hidden in the back corner of the development off N. Washington Street. Major grocery chains passed on the opportunity, leaving landlord Federal Realty without the prize retail anchor they needed for maximum traffic. In fact, Dawson's extracted concessions from Federal before agreeing to the lease, including over-the-top signage the market argued was necessary just for potential patrons to locate their hidden spot.

Apparently, the major grocery chains know their stuff. Dawson's never had anything close to the traffic you would find at any Giant, Safeway or even Trader Joe's or MOM's Organic Market. The too-few complimentary reserved parking spaces for Dawson's were often full at prime times, leaving grocery shoppers in the grip of a paid/validation parking scheme that has enraged drivers and business owners alike.

Failure is not an option here. While there have been sentiments that RTS is another Rockville Mall, it's not going anywhere after the investments made by all the stakeholders, including the City of Rockville. There may be no assurance of attracting another grocer unless major changes are made to the parking arrangement.

Perhaps if Federal Realty could attract either a Lidl store or an Asian grocery store, and provide enough reserved parking, the grocery space could work. Many have argued that more residences are needed within walking distance to provide more foot traffic for all businesses in the Town Square. Two large apartment towers are coming within one block of the development, but they won't be delivered for several more years. 

Unfortunately, the new developments have also provided more dining competition. Gordon Biersch had the craft beer market cornered until World of Beer came along in the Upton/Cambria Suites development, for example. A longer and stronger roster of restaurants at rival developments like Pike & Rose, Washingtonian Center/Rio and Downtown Crown - and their lure of free parking - has cost Rockville Town Square much traffic. A new Wegman's down the Pike in a couple of years won't help matters.

Taylor Gourmet to close all locations after Sunday

Taylor Gourmet, the D.C.-area hoagie chain whose locations include Bethesda Row, downtown Silver Spring, and Pike & Rose, will close all of its restaurants at the close of business on Sunday, according to Washingtonian magazine. Among the reasons cited for the closure were financial troubles with landlords at some of their locations, expanding too rapidly, and a brief downturn in sales after owner Casey Patten participated in a 2017 business roundtable with President Donald Trump, who is unpopular in all of the cities where Taylor Gourmet operates.

The chain has not publicly commented on the closure report on its social media accounts as of press time. Taylor Gourmet had recently experimented with new menu items such as burgers, tacos and fried chicken sandwiches.

Nike to close Rockville Factory Store

A second sporting goods retailer has failed to last in a prime corner spot at Pike & Rose. The Nike Factory Store will close this Friday, August 24, 2018. City Sports held the spot when the development opened, but closed when the chain fell into bankruptcy.

There's no indication the failure is the fault of Federal Realty; I was at Pike & Rose Saturday night, and the development was the most crowded I have ever seen it so far. To me, the "Factory Store" brand seemed a mismatch for an upscale development, but foot traffic has grown tremendously on Grand Park Avenue over the time the store has been open.

The death of hh gregg in Rockville (Photos)

hh gregg, the upper-case-challenged (and bankrupt) big box electronics store is liquidating more than just gadgets, computers and TVs. You can also get lighting fixtures, furniture, beds - and even the store's official wheelchair.

The chain wasn't old enough to generate nostalgia, but as big boxes struggle, one has to wonder who could take over this former Circuit City space. A new, urban-format Walmart like they have in Tysons? Yet another furniture store?

Rockville's hh gregg is one of the 40% of their stores the chain is closing as part of its Chapter 11 reorganization. Everything must go!!! hh gregg is located at 1501 Rockville Pike.

Even the store's wheelchair
is being liquidated

I assume this was used
by disabled shoppers - and
kept standing by for
hh gregg stockholders who
looked at the latest share price

Looks like four TVs
were snapped up here

RED HUE CLOSING AT ROCKVILLE TOWN SQUARE, RADIO SHACK CONFIRMS CLOSING IN ROCKVILLE (PHOTOS)

Red Hue is closing its Rockville Town Square boutique on February 15. The owners say their apparel will still be available online, and through other retail outlets in the area. This is the most recent of many closings at the Federal Realty property, which some say is the result of the parking setup there. Residents and city officials alike have expressed concern that Rockville's flagship retail destination could lose business to new competitors Pike & Rose and Downtown Crown, as well as RIO/Washingtonian Center, all of which offer limited (2 hours at Pike & Rose) or unlimited free parking.

Meanwhile, Rockville's venerable Radio Shack store at 1600 Rockville Pike is now confirmed to be on the bankrupt company's closure list. The store has gone into "Everything Must Go!!!" mode, with savings of 30-50% off.

BELLINI JUVENILE DESIGNER FURNITURE CLOSING IN ROCKVILLE (PHOTOS)

Bellini Juvenile Designer Furniture is closing in the Pike Center, at the corner of Rockville Pike and Bou Avenue in south Rockville. The store is holding a closing sale, and "Everything Must Go!!!"

CAPITAL ONE TO EXIT ROCKVILLE TOWN SQUARE IN OCTOBER (PHOTOS)

Another tenant heads for the exits at Rockville Town Square. Capital One is moving its Rockville Town Center bank branch to 387 Hungerford Drive. The current Rockville Town Square location will close permanently on Friday, October 17, at 6:00 PM.

Capital One is only the latest tenant to either leave, or be evicted from, Rockville Town Square. It joins Cosi, Oro Pomodoro, Pho & Rolls, Carbón and the Hair Cuttery, all of whom have vacated the Federal Realty property in only the last 3 months alone.