Trendy Man closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Was Trendy Man too far ahead of the curve? If Trendy Man is wearing it, is it already too late? Who is more stylish, Trendy Man or Florida Man? We may never know the answer to these and other questions, as Trendy Man has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Trendy Man opened here last March, and began a closing sale this past fall. We do know Trendy Man is smart, because Trendy Man stayed open through the biggest shopping months of the year, hopefully landing some trendy gifts under the tree or on the coat hangers of trendy men in Bethesda, Rockville, and Potomac.

Rockville Wegmans now opening "late summer 2025"

The Wegmans store in Rockville is now anticipated to open in "late summer 2025," the company said in a job announcement linked to an online banner ad Friday. It is one of three Wegmans stores expected to open in the United States in 2025. Rockville's will be the smallest of the three at 80,000-square-feet, but will serve as the retail anchor of the new Twinbrook Quarter development. It appears it will not have the Market Cafe found in other, larger Wegmans locations, including the other two opening this year on Long Island and in Norwalk, Connecticut. 

Wegmans also announced that Rockville Wegmans customers will receive 90 minutes of free parking in the underground parking garage. Signage for the garage has already been installed.

Training for the more than 500 positions at the store is apparently quite intensive. It will begin long before the store opens, and will be conducted at an off-site location through June 2025. Some potential training locations for prospective Rockville Wegmans employees include the Wegmans stores in Frederick, Germantown, Woodmore, Washington, D.C., and Tysons, the company said. The Rockville Wegmans will be located at 1590 Rockville Pike, near the Twinbrook Metro station.

See's Candies closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

See's Candies has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Their space has been cleared out, although they left an odd artwork at the back of the store. Christmas is not officially over yet, as it ends on the Epiphany feast of January 6 or on Candlemas on February 2, depending on how you count it. But we can agree that the holiday gift-buying season is over, so seasonal tenant See's Candies departs for another year.

Maryland 2025 utility bills increase under Wes Moore, MD Gen. Assembly plan

"We helped lower utility bills," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) declared in a New Year's Eve video recapping the 2024 legislative "accomplishments" of his office and colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly. As Maryland utility customers are beginning to realize as 2025 begins, Moore lied. Pepco has just informed customers that, beginning this month, their electric bills will be increasing by at least 5%. The reasons? Laws passed by our elected officials in Annapolis.

While our elected officials try to hide new taxes and fees by having businesses collect them, such as bag taxes, Pepco has been upfront in their billing communications about government being the reason for the new charges and increases. In their message to customers, Pepco cites the new "EmPOWER MD" surcharge of 4% that was rammed through the legislature and signed by Moore in 2023. Moore and those in the legislature who supported the increased surcharge to energy utilities knew full well that the amount would be passed on directly to utility customers. This is theft, not "efficiency."

A second reason Pepco cites is that it is facing a 1% increase in its supply costs, a direct result of "supply and demand by generator plants." Why is the supply of electricity down? Because the same Maryland legislature has ordered the closure of not one, not two, but eight coal-fired power stations across the state over the last 13 years. With AI, data centers, and electric vehicles contributing to an all-time high in energy demands, Maryland is trending in the opposite direction of dwindling supply and rising costs.

In claiming to have lowered residents' utility bills, Gov. Moore lied. His claim would earn Four Pinocchios, if The Washington Post were to fact check our local elected officials' frequent false claims. They don't. Kudos to Pepco for telling the truth.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue opens in Rockville

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is now open at 785-G Rockville Pike, at the Ritchie Center shopping center. "Hawaii's Favorite Plate Lunch" invites you to "slither into 2025" here during the Year of the Snake. In 1999, the founders of L&L called their restaurant "Hawaiian Barbecue," assuming their future patrons on the mainland United States would be unfamiliar with the culinary history of the Hawaiian Plate Lunch. You, dear readers, won't suffer that ignorance, as you will be armed with this knowledge before visiting.

The Hawaiian Plate Lunch was an improvised invention of the islands' plantation workers during the 1800s, using leftovers packed into tins that had multiple compartments. Because the workers were of a diverse background, and tended to share their midday meals with their colleagues, the Plate Lunch evolved into a meal that usually contained the following elements: Rice, macaroni salad, and fish or chicken. 

Other dishes available on the menu include an L&L House Special BBQ Cheeseburger, the aptly-named Loco Moco with fried egg-topped beef burger patties, and a BBQ Beef Bowl. Hawaiians' love for SPAM is also well-represented, with the sushi-like SPAM Musabi and hearty SPAM Saimin noodle soup. Perfect for this weekend's weather. Another great addition to the dining lineup at Ritchie Center!

7-Eleven closes in Rockville

7-Eleven has closed at 1701 A-16 Rockville Pike, at The Shops at Congressional Village in Rockville. Windows are covered, and signage has been removed from the storefront. 7-Eleven opened at this location ten years ago. Can we blame this closure on Montgomery County's moribund economy? Yes. 

This past fall, 7-Eleven announced it would be closing 444 stores nationwide. However, it also stated that the locations getting the axe would be "underperforming" stores. So business at this location must have been below expectations, which would certainly reflect Montgomery County's stagnant economy and declining income levels. 

Inflation continues to hit those of lower incomes the hardest, and that is now the fastest-growing demographic in Montgomery County. The combination of moribundity and inflation has created stagflation in MoCo, and a longer drive to the remaining 7-Elevens north and south of here on the Pike.

Regal Germantown signage removed (Photos)

Signage has been stripped from the facade of the former Regal Germantown cineplex at 20000 Century Boulevard. It closed about a month ago. The building is for sale, and is likely to be redeveloped as housing unless another theater chain takes it over. Regal Germantown started this century as a Hoyts Cinema. One of the newest theaters in Montgomery County at that time, it stagnated into obsolesence over the next two decades, failing to add the upgrades and amenities like recliners that are standard circa 2024.