Lifestyle Essentials opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Lifestyle Essentials has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The streetwear and athletic shoe retailer is a locally-owned small business, with an existing location at Dulles Town Center. Brands carried include Nike, Adidas, Asics, and the always-non-controversial Yeezy. Look for Lifestyle Essentials on Level 1 in the Nordstrom wing of the mall, next to Everything But Water.

Char'd opens in Rockville, offering Ramadan specials

Char'd has opened at 11881 Grand Park Avenue at the Pike & Rose development on Rockville Pike. The fast-casual burger restaurant is also welcoming those breaking their Ramadan fast each evening. Through the end of Ramadan on March 19, the restaurant is offering complimentary dates and tea during Iftar hour, and will stay open until midnight each night. The Char'd menu is halal, including the grass-fed beef.

Burlington sets opening date for Montgomery Village store

We now have an opening date for the new Burlington store at 19142 Montgomery Village Avenue at the Montgomery Village Center. The store is now scheduled to open on April 24, 2026, just in time to shop for your summer wardrobe. Burlington is replacing Big Lots at the center. I was sad about the closure of Big Lots, but Burlington is an excellent replacement, and better than I expected.

Ace Hardware opens in Rockville

Ace Hardware has opened at 835 Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville. This is the first Ace Hardware store to open in the city. A couple of target opening dates were missed, but they've opened just in time for today's Nor'easter. Time to stock up on snow shovels, ice melt, deicer, windshield scrapers, and snow blowers! Check out that early closing time, though. 

Esvin's Bagels and Cafe opening soon at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

And here we thought Bethesda was reaching peak bagel with the impending arrival of Call Your Mother Deli and PopUp Bagels in downtown Bethesda. But wait - there's more! Westfield Montgomery Mall is getting in on the act with Esvin's Bagels and Cafe. Founded by a father-son duo, Esvin's will serve artisanal bagels and Guatemalan coffee. Specialty sandwiches, healthy bowls, and a variety of baked goods will round out the menu, which also includes milkshakes. When it opens, look for Esvin's right inside Entrance 4 on Level 1 of the mall, in the Cheesecake Factory wing.

Gap Factory coming soon to Rockville

Gap Factory is coming this summer to Rockville. The store will be located at 1667 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. That's the space recently vacated by Land's End, next to Hallmark. The interior has been gutted and construction on the interior fit-out appears to be getting underway.

Is Gap Factory yet another liquidation outlet? No, and I did not know this. Gap Factory does not sell anything sold at regular Gap stores. Instead, the products are designed with less-expensive materials at lower prices by Gap designers. Now, most of us would probably say, "Isn't that what Old Navy is?" The selling point seems to be that if you are fond of the styling of Gap clothes and find their designers' tastes to reliably match yours, Gap Factory is an additional line of their creations you can snag for less.

Fork & Kitchen opens in Rockville

Fork & Kitchen has opened at 150 Gibbs Street at The Square at Rockville. The American restaurant has garnered the most attention for its weekend brunch, and specifically the incredibly fluffy pancakes shown in its promotional pictures. Yes, the actual pancakes are pretty close to those in the photos. That brunch menu also includes Sinful Eggs, Garlic Parm Wings, a lobster taco, seafood grits, a mocha martini, and a Black Angus Sunday Burger. The biggest challenge for Fork & Kitchen may be its location on Gibbs Street, which has been closed to automobile traffic for about five years. But the restaurant features a light, clean, and airy interior design, and you can never have too many brunch options in the Town Center area.

Wild Bean Coffee opens in Rockville

Wild Bean Coffee has opened at 1532 Rockville Pike. The coffee shop and smoothie cafe roasts its own beans in-house daily. It appears this weekend was a soft-opening, with the shop scheduled to reopen again Monday morning at 6:00 AM, according to their website - complete with countdown clock. In addition to beverages, Wild Bean offers a variety of build-your-own sweet bowls and baked goods.

Kako Claw opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

 Kako Claw is now open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The claw machine arcade offers token packages starting at $10. Win blind box toys and collectibles Win keychains. Win plushies. Win plushie keychains! Already tired of what you won? Trade up at the Trade Station.

Kako Claw claims every machine gives you a fair chance to win. Look for Kako Claw on Level 1 of the mall, in the Cheesecake Factory wing. Kako Claw opened a Wheaton Plaza location just last month, so they are growing quickly in our area.

Foot Locker reopens at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Better late than never. Foot Locker has reopened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in a new, larger space. The new store includes a Kids Foot Locker. A fall 2025 opening date blew past, but one of the top sporting goods destinations at the mall is finally open for business again.

Cycle Gear opening in Rockville

Cycle Gear is coming to Rockville. It will be located at 1500 Rockville Pike, in the former Party City space next to Tobacco King. The motorcycle parts, gear, and apparel retailer will be a classic Rockville Pike type of business in an age of luxury apartments gone wild. Cycle Gear was founded by motorcycle enthusiasts in California way back in 1974. Demolition of the interior is underway.

Wonder food hall expanding to Rockville

Just when it looked like the food hall fad was cratering in Montgomery County, a behemoth of a new entry has announced its impending arrival in Rockville this spring. Wonder, a national chain promising dine-in, pick-up, and delivery cuisine "from James Beard Award winners, Michelin star recipients, and Food Network stars," will open this April at 12240 Rockville Pike at Towne Plaza. The food hall will allow you to mix and match dishes from more than 15 restaurants operating out of its kitchen. Big names on board include Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Jonathan Waxman, Marc Murphy, José Andrés, and Marcus Samuelsson. A more-dubious name on board is "North Bethesda." North Bethesda? Mmm...not quite.

Tato's potato bar opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

A first-of-its-kind eatery has just opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Tato's is a potato bar that flips the script on the usual fast-casual bowl concept. Here, proteins are what you add to your choice of starch, not the other way around. Menu boards help you build your ideal loaded potato, but it seems Russia was overlooked on the international options menu, despite being an obvious choice. This space was formerly home to 7-Eleven at a busy entrance to the Dining Terrace food court.

Urban Outfitters opens new concept store at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Urban Outfitters has opened its long-promised new concept store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. This is only the third location in America to get this store design, after Houston and Glendale. The new store concept features more floor space dedicated to the best-selling UO brands, including BDG denim, OFU (Out from Under) and Standard Cloth. New modular and responsive fixtures and displays allow the store to more quickly and easily respond to trends and seasons. The new concept was developed after extensive research into what store design elements, layout, and aesthetics would appeal to Gen Z shoppers, the brand's current target audience.