Rockville Town Square's Toy Kingdom assists MCPD's annual Autism Outreach Holiday Party (Photos)

Toy Kingdom's Paula Aulestia,
Officer Laurie Reyes, and
Officer Tara Bond

More than 50 children and their siblings celebrated the holidays just before Christmas at the annual Montgomery County Police Department Autism Outreach Holiday Party, held at the county's Public Safety Headquarters. MCPD's Autism/IDD/Alzheimer's Outreach Program teamed up with local attorney John Malouf, and Toy Kingdom to sponsor this year's event.

Toy Kingdom, an independent toy store located at Rockville Town Square, donated the toys for the event and assisted officers in choosing the right ones for the kids who would be attending. They also helped organize and wrap the gifts. Malouf contributed about $250 to the event, as well.

Reyes and Aulestia pose with
two of the attendees

“Because we are a specialty toy store, we are able to select the best toys for kids with autism meeting their sensory needs,” said Paula Aulestia, whose family owns Toy Kingdom. She has been involved with the MCPS autism program for nearly 10 years. Aulestia said her involvement with the autistic community led her family to take on this giving project.

Rockville Town Square developer Federal Realty praised Toy Kingdom's participation in the event. Deirdre Johnson, VP of asset management at Federal Realty called it "an example of the important role small, independently-owned businesses play in the fabric of our community."

Reyes hands out
gifts to children

Officer Laurie Reyes also lauded the toy store's role in the event, at which kids enjoyed pizza, cookies, a ballon artist and live music.  “Toy Kingdom has been such a great resource and a wonderful partner for us for this program, and Mr. Malouf’s generosity has enabled us to engage with the members of our Austism IDD community and encourage a trusting relationship between those children and our officers. It’s really great to see these children interact with our officers in a positive way,” said Reyes, of MCPD's special operations division.

A Bite of China posts Coming Soon signage in Rockville (Photos)

Some readers were asking where in College Plaza A Bite of China will be opening. Here are a couple of photos, including the "Coming Soon" signage the restaurant has posted on the storefront. A Bite of China will be at 15106-A Frederick Road.

Firefighters respond to vacant American Tap Room in Rockville (Photos)

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel entered the vacant American Tap Room in Rockville Town Square early last evening. They appeared to be searching the building, and inspecting the kitchen. There apparently was no fire, but it's unclear what brought the firefighters there. American Tap Rom closed about three weeks ago.

CS NY Pizza to bring New York-style pizza to Rockville

Having mastered the art of real Neapolitan pizza, the owners of Pizza CS in Rockville are turning their attention to a pizza capital a little closer to home: New York City. CS NY Pizza is promising to bring authentic New York-style pizza to the Edmonston Crossing shopping center, located at 1020-1066 Rockville Pike, just north of Taco Bell.

CS NY Pizza is scheduled to open in March.

Rockville is ready for A Bite of China

A Bite of China isn't just a Chinese television show anymore. It's also going to be the newest addition to Rockville's exploding Asian community and businesses. The restaurant will be located at 15106-A Frederick Road, in the College Plaza shopping center. A Bite of China has applied for a liquor license from Montgomery County. Stay tuned for further details.

Winchester Homes closes on 1900 Chapman Avenue deal in Rockville

Winchester Homes is the developer that will construct 61 townhomes at 1900 Chapman Avenue in Rockville. The former site of Syms, the property is divided between Winchester's project, and a 318 unit apartment building by a separate developer. Winchester has now purchased the 104855 SF site for $10,365,000, according to real estate records. The project is directly adjacent to the CSX railroad tracks and Twinbrook Parkway.

GNC stores in Rockville to close Wednesday, reopen as One New GNC on Thursday

Struggling vitamin and supplement retailer GNC is making a dramatic effort to right the ship this week. Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 28, all of their stores nationwide - including the ones in Fallsgrove and Federal Plaza - will close for the day. When they reopen on Thursday, they will be rebranded as One New GNC, according to a company spokesperson.

Store staff will be armed with tablets to assist customers, and new point-of-sale terminals will provide faster checkouts. A new loyalty program and mobile app will go online at the same time, with the idea of increasing customer incentives to shop at GNC. And inventory will be more diverse, with new brands, and more stock of currently-popular products.

During January, a 1 Million Point Giveaway Contest will be held, and other samples and prizes will be awarded in stores on Saturdays. Robert F. Moran, Interim Chief Executive Officer of GNC, doesn't underestimate the challenge of turning the company around.  "The New GNC leaves the old, broken model behind," he said in a statement. "We're confident it will have a positive impact on the business, but it will take time for the changes to take hold and translate to improved financial results."