New public art installed at Rockville Town Square (Photos)

When life gives you a failing town center, make art. That's just what the City of Rockville and property owner Morguard have done with a large storefront that has been vacant for a painfully-long time at Rockville Town Square. The windows of what was to be HalfSmoke at 36-A Maryland Avenue are now hosting a new public art installation. "The LOVE Mural" was painted by artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer with assistance from members of the community during this month's Rockville Pride event.

"Together, we are painting this world a rainbow," a plaque near the mural states. "'The LOVE Mural' project honors the beautiful diversity of our world and connects us through the power of public art creation. Through love we can come together and solve our world's most challenging issues, empowering us to listen and value each other. By painting LOVE we celebrate each other and amplify positive energy authentically around the world, elevating respect and equity for all beings."

Police called after assault at auto dealership in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault on Rockville Pike this past Wednesday, June 26, 2024. The assault was reported at an auto dealership in the 800 block of Rockville Pike at 12:00 PM. There are two dealerships located on that block. 

Dinosaurs spotted in parking lot at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

It's not every day you see a velociraptor racing across the parking lot at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Why are these extinct creatures suddenly massing on the Westlake Terrace side of the property? For next week's Dino Safari attraction, which will be at the mall for a full month, from July 4 to August 4, 2024. Some woolly mammoths are thrown in for good measure, even though the current temperatures are not to their liking. Signage for the event has been posted, as well as a couple of plugs for Dino Safari production company Lumino City's holiday lights event expected to return to Montgomery County this winter. Tickets for Dino Safari are available online.

Signage installed at future Amazon Fresh on Shady Grove Road (Photos)

The sign is (back) up at Amazon Fresh, opening soon at 15790 Shady Grove Road at the 270 Center on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg. It's exactly the same logo sign that was vandalized, and ultimately removed, when Amazon paused - and then "canceled" - the opening of this store last year. The reversal of that decision became apparent earlier this month. There's still nothing on the bare shelves inside the store, but more signage has been added inside over the last few days, including a large banana image and other promotional images in the produce department.

We should soon see the grocery cart return out front in the parking lot. It was erected, and then dismantled, during Amazon's period of indecision in 2023. One wonders if anyone in Amazon's grocery division was fired as a result of the faux cancellation of this location. Nothing has changed over the last year, and Amazon only lost money over this period that the store didn't operate. If anything, the market is worse, as Americans have reduced their grocery purchases due to runaway inflation of prices, and price-gouging by greedy corporations.

Kusshi signage installed at Rockville Town Square

The sign is up at Kusshi, opening soon at 36-G Maryland Avenue at Rockville Town Square. This is the latest location for the local sushi chain in Montgomery County, joining existing spots in Bethesda, Pike & Rose, and downtown Silver Spring. There are also locations in Arlington, Tysons, and Glover Park. Here, Kusshi will more than fill the void left by the exit of Sushi Damo. Stay tuned for an opening date!

MOD Pizza closes on Rockville Pike

MOD Pizza has closed at 12027 Rockville Pike at the Montrose Crossing shopping center. The pizzeria opened here in August of 2019. This is probably not a total shock, as the chain closed 26 of its locations in Q1 of 2024. At the time of those closures, MOD described those stores as "underperformers," so we can't rule out the anti-business policies or moribund economy of Montgomery County as contributing factors. 

The "fast-fired" pizza chains as a whole seem to have struggled in MoCo. Blaze Pizza didn't even last two years at Montgomery Mall, closing in 2016, but its multiple outposts right next door in Gorgeous Prince George's County are still serving pies in under 180 seconds today. Yet &pizza seems to continue to thrive at its many Montgomery County locations, including one about a block away from this MOD at Pike & Rose, so they must be doing something right that some of the other chains weren't.

Walnut Hill Shopping Center makeover nearly complete (Photos)

The cosmetic upgrades at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 16529 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg are entering the home stretch. New facades and logo signage for storefronts are the most obvious updates. Resurfacing and restriping of the center's parking lot is underway. The updated appearance was a requirement by Aldi to agree to become the property's new anchor retail tenant. Still to come are new monument and wayfaring signage, and the eventual construction of a Sheetz convenience store and mega gas station.