Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Is Marlo Furniture on the way out in Rockville? (Photos)


Marlo Furniture
has been a landmark presence on Rockville Pike since 1995. A new real estate listing suggests that, 30 years later, that could be changing. Several spaces in Marlo's custom-built warehouse showroom at 725 Rockville Pike are being offered for lease, including an 89,100-square-foot space that will become available on "January 01, 2026." Marketing materials prepared by Transwestern show renderings of "Your Sign Here" where the current, large "Marlo" signs are attached to the front and side facades of the building. The listing brochure states that prospective tenants will be joining Goodwill and Movement Rockville, with no mention of Marlo.


Images courtesy Transwestern

Monday, July 21, 2025

RNC demands Maryland "clean up voter rolls"

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley

The Republican National Committee has sent a letter to the Maryland State Board of Elections demanding it "clean up voter rolls." RNC Chair Michael Whatley said the notice letter informs the SBE that it is "violating federal law" in failing to do so previously. It's unclear what will happen if the SBE ignores the letter. A previous attempt by the conservative organization Judicial Watch to purge the names of dead or out-of-state voters from the Maryland rolls was unsuccessful. Judicial Watch's analysis at the time found there were more names registered to vote than actual voters in Maryland.

"Maryland is failing to maintain accurate and up-to-date voter rolls, in clear violation of federal law," Whatley said in a statement. "Citizens deserve to know their vote isn't being canceled out by duplicate or ineligible voters."

No Republican has won any office in Montgomery County since Maryland switched from punch card voting to electronic voting in 2006. Only four years earlier, County Republicans held at least two seats on the Montgomery County Council, several seats in the state legislature, and at least one Congressional seat. 

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Kirk Cousins' favorite hair salon is coming to Rockville


Great Clips
is "coming soon" to Rockville Pike, according to signage posted in the windows of its future storefront. The hair salon will be located at 835-H Rockville Pike at Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville, and it will be Great Clips' first Montgomery County shop. Based in Minnesota, the haircut chain is best known for its convenient appointment scheduling using its Online Check-in. 


Great Clips was memorably endorsed by NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins, who said he relies on the national chain to provide a predictable haircut regardless of what city he is in. The chain's "Clip Notes" feature helps provide that reliability. "Everybody needs a little rush in their lives. I get mine when I go to Great Clips to get my hair cut," Cousins told USA Today earlier this month. Cousins' original endorsement was genuine, as he was not a paid spokesperson, but Great Clips later provided him with a VIP free haircut card after learning of his praise.



Saturday, July 19, 2025

Rockville Hallmark store under new ownership


The Hallmark Gold Crown store at 1663 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza in Rockville is under new ownership. Previously known as "Banner's Hallmark," the greeting card, ornament, stationary and gift shop has been acquired by Norman's Hallmark. Norman's is the nation's largest independent owner of Hallmark Gold Crown stores. The Bethesda Hallmark store was also recently acquired by Norman's. Hallmark's big season begins in mid-summer, with the rollout of its annual keepsake Christmas ornaments, so the timing of the ownership change makes sense.


Banner's is a local company, headquartered in Gaithersburg, while Norman's is based in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Banner's region has been Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Norman's has been focused in the Keystone State and New Jersey, but seems to be slowly expanding southward into Maryland. Norman's takes the prize for longevity; Banner's has been around since the 1970s, while Norman's was founded in 1939.

Friday, July 18, 2025

Mystery vehicle runs wild on front lawn of Rockville home


A vehicular rampage in the front yard of a Rockville home brought new meaning to the phrase, "Get off my lawn!" on July 9, 2025. Shortly after 6:00 PM that evening, an unknown suspect driving what Rockville City police only describe as "a white vehicle" proceeded to drive onto the front lawn of a home in the 13200 block of Midway Avenue in Twinbrook. The mystery vehicle left damage behind in its wake, striking a tree and the front steps of the house. If you have any information about this incident, call police at 240-314-8900.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Loudoun County wins ORBCOMM HQ over Montgomery County


Another economic development loss for Montgomery County and Maryland is in the books. Not surprisingly, the winner in the latest contest for a corporate headquarters is once again Northern Virginia. ORBCOMM, Inc., currently headquartered in New Rochelle, New Jersey, has announced it will locate its global HQ in Sterling, Virginia, in Loudoun County - not Montgomery County, Maryland. The "internet of things" company is focused on products and services that track, monitor, and control industrial assets around the world. It operates its own network of 31 low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites. ORBCOMM's clients include Walmart, Caterpillar, Hitachi, Target, Tropicana, Tyson, and Canadian National Railways.

"Virginia is proud to welcome ORBCOMM’s global headquarters to Virginia," Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. "This decision highlights our commitment to innovation, workforce development, and creating an environment where advanced industries can thrive. We look forward to the economic opportunities and technological leadership ORBCOMM will bring to the Commonwealth."

"As we welcome ORBCOMM's headquarters to Sterling, I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the significant economic impact this expansion brings to Loudoun County and the Commonwealth," Virginia State Delegate Atoosa R. Reaser said. "The creation of new jobs is a welcome development and will undoubtedly contribute to the prosperity of our community," said Delegate Atoosa R. Reaser.

Montgomery County has failed to attract a single major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. The County, and Maryland as a whole, have forgone massive amounts of potential tax revenue rather than adopt more competitive, business-friendly policies and tax rates. They have also refused to construct a new Potomac River crossing to the Dulles area that has been on the books for decades, which would provide direct access to the only local airport with the frequency of flights and variety of international business destinations that corporate executives demand. Once an economic engine of the Washington, D.C. region, Montgomery County's economy today is moribund, and the County has become a bedroom community for booming job centers elsewhere in the region.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Robbery at knifepoint at convenience store in Rockville


Rockville City police responded to a report of an armed robbery at a convenience store early Monday morning, July 14, 2025. The robbery was reported at a store in the 100 block of Rollins Avenue at 12:13 AM Monday. There is a 7-Eleven at 160 Rollins Avenue. A knife was the weapon utilized in the robbery.