Spirit Halloween returning for 2024 to Rockville and Gaithersburg

Spirit Halloween will be returning to Montgomery County for the 2024 Halloween season. In Rockville, they will be haunting the vacant Bed Bath & Beyond store at 1519 Rockville Pike. The Gaithersburg store will be in the former Pier 1 space at 30 Grand Corner Avenue at Rio Lakefront. 

Spirit Halloween says the Gaithersburg store will open later this month. An opening date for the Rockville store has not yet been announced. A visit to Spirit Halloween is a Halloween season event all in itself.

Abercrombie & Fitch opening store at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Abercrombie & Fitch is making a triumphant return to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The once-edgy apparel chain has reformed its image to comply with societal changes that have taken place since its golden era. So far, the politically-correct makeover has actually boosted the company's fortunes and stock price. When it opens, look for - and perhaps smell? - Abercrombie & Fitch on Level 2 of the mall, in the former Banana Republic (RIP) space next to the Apple Store.

Squishable closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Squishable has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been removed, and the windows largely covered in black. A message in the window states that a new retailer is coming soon to the space. But two $250 Massive Comfort Food Hamburgers could still be seen peering out at mallwalkers from the uncovered top portion of the glass. 

Squishable appears to have squashed by the moribund Montgomery County economy, as I don't see any other Squishable locations closing elsewhere in the country. In fact, they are opening a bunch of new stores across the nation this year. 

Both profit margins and residents' annual net incomes are trending downward, thanks to the heaviest tax burden in the DMV and anti-business policies. That becomes even less sustainable during a wallet-busting inflation era like the one we're in now. Heckuva job, Brownie!

The good news for mall patrons who are seeking soft plush toys in the Squashmallow/Squishable vein is that new toy store Mind Games has a good selection of these in stock. Squishable originally opened here in December 2022.

Curtains for Butter Chicken House at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda?

Butter Chicken House in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda has been closed during business hours on visits to the mall over the past week. Last evening, funereal black curtains were drawn across the front of the business. Men were seen removing kitchen equipment from the stall. Butter Chicken House opened here in September 2023.

Sleeping victim awakens to find laptop stolen in Rockville

Dozing off in public places can make you an easy target for criminals in Rockville, as we saw earlier this year when a sleeping diner had their smart watch stolen. This time, the victim was sleeping on a sidewalk in the 1600 block of Rockville Pike early in the morning on July 23, 2024. Sometime between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM, Rockville City police say, someone stole the victim's laptop as they slept. If you have any information about this incident, or can identify a suspect in the case, you are asked to call police at 240-314-8900.

Aldi opens at Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg

Aldi is now open at 737 S. Frederick Avenue at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg. The grocery store is the new anchor tenant for the retail center, which has undergone major renovations to update the property. Aldi hopes to succeed where previous grocers like Weis Markets failed here, and will also have to compete with the new Amazon Fresh opening nearby on Shady Grove Road on August 8. Still to come at Walnut Hill is a Sheetz convenience store and mega gas station. 

Rockville police arrest suspect in July 20 stabbing of four

Rockville City police have arrested the suspect in the July 20, 2024 stabbing of four people near the intersection of Dawson Avenue and Upton Street. Ricky Lee Dyson Jr. of Rockville is now charged with four counts of 1st-degree assault, four counts of 2nd-degree assault, and four counts of reckless endangerment. The 1st-degree assaults are felonies; the rest of the charges are misdemeanors.

According to Maryland court records, Dyson is currently being held without bond. A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for August 23, 2024 in District Court in Rockville. 

Records also indicate that Circuit Court Judge Eric Johnson reopened an existing 2021 drug conviction case, after ruling that the alleged assaults were a violation of Dyson's probation in that matter. Johnson issued a bench warrant for Dyson's arrest on July 25, and it was served today along with the warrants issued for the alleged stabbings.

Photo courtesy Rockville City Police Department