Comfort Inn Shady Grove gets updated branding and signage in Rockville (Photos)

The Comfort Inn at 16216 Frederick Road has updated branding and new signage. Gone is the old sun-and-waves logo. In its place is a minimalist "C" turned at an angle. I like this retro-style building. Although it's not apparent from the outside, the property did have a major interior renovation in the last three years, and is quite modern on the inside.

One plus of staying at this hotel - besides the convenient distance to Checkers, Red Lobster, Bowlmor and Burger King - is that parent company Choice Hotels is located just down the road, so you know the service and cleanliness are going to be carefully monitored by headquarters. From a nostalgia standpoint, I personally still prefer the old Comfort Inn logo - although it could hardly compete with the old Quality Inn logo, whose fonts and animation were only matched by the famous Holiday Inn signs that once lined America's highways.

Bambu Cafe to host grand opening August 20 in Rockville

Bambu Cafe will celebrate its official Grand Opening on August 20 in Rockville. They have operated on soft-opening hours prior to this. Bambu Cafe is located at 12242 Rockville Pike, at Towne Plaza.

Smashburger Rockville opening today

Smashburger is scheduled to reopen its Rockville location at 1800-A Rockville Pike today. They have been holding training sessions in recent days. Now the tables are set for diners inside. Smashburger is located in the Galvan development near the Twinbrook Metro station.

Rockville construction update: Main Street (Photos)

Here's a look at the progress on the Main Street apartments, a mixed-income residential building being constructed at 50 Monroe Place. This used to be the site of the IBM building. When completed, 25% of the units here will be set aside for the disabled, and 75% will be affordable.

FM Karaoke building fenced off in Rockville (Photos)

The old FM Karaoke building at 2131 Veirs Mill Road has been fenced off, but the reason is unclear. No plans have been filed with the City of Rockville (or, at least, no plans that have been made public on the City website) for this address. But some demolition work has taken place already.

The property owner had suggested a building addition or redevelopment of the site were in the cards for the future last year. At that time, the Mayor and Council relinquished to the property owner a public right-of-way that ran in front of it to facilitate such an expansion, at the request of the owner.

Land's End to open Rockville store in late fall 2019

Land's End is coming to Rockville late this fall. The famous family apparel retailer will open a 8500 SF store at Congressional Plaza. While the new store will offer the advantages of a bricks-and-mortar location, it will also feature touchscreen kiosks to interface with the company's online operations.

“We’re excited to continue to expand our brick-and-mortar footprint, and integrate our digital retailer experience into our new store concepts,” Land's End Senior Vice-President of Retail Claudia Mazo said in a statement. “Congressional Plaza is convenient location for our customers in Maryland, and we’re excited to support them in the communities in which they live.” Land's End has begun hiring staff for the Rockville store.

Former Capital One bank fenced off at Montrose Crossing

The vacated Capital One bank branch at Montrose Crossing on Rockville Pike has been blocked off with construction fencing. Hopefully it is being replaced by a new restaurant, and not another bank.