Pickpocket strikes at Rockville restaurant

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a pickpocket incident at a restaurant at Rockville Town Square late Saturday night, August 13, 2022. The theft was reported at a restaurant in the 100 block of Gibbs Street at 11:59 AM. An attempt to use a stolen credit card from the wallet was detected following the incident. Watch your wallet!

Derwood home burglarized

One or more suspects broke into a home in Derwood early Sunday morning, August 14, 2022. Montgomery County police were called to the scene in the unit block of Beauvoir Court at 1:06 AM. Officers found evidence of forced entry at the home. 

Victim assaulted at Rockville bar

Rockville City police were called to a bar at Rockville Town Square early yesterday morning after an assault was reported there. The assault was reported at a bar in the 100 block of Gibbs Street at 1:30 AM.

Elrich finishes first in Montgomery County Executive election results, Blair-requested recount pending

After canvassers counted the 102 missing ballots that election workers discovered Thursday, Marc Elrich held onto his narrow lead over David Blair in the Democratic race for Montgomery County Executive yesterday. Blair did manage to cut Elrich's lead from 42 votes down to 35. That number could change again in the coming days and weeks, as Blair is requesting a full recount. But as of this morning, Elrich has 55,497 votes (39.20%) to Blair's 55,462 votes (39.17%).

Police called after assault at community center in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a community center in the Montrose neighborhood late Friday night, August 12, 2022. The assault was reported at a facility in the 1600 block of Martha Terrace at 11:11 PM. The Rollins Congressional Club is on that block.

Greek Aroma Mediterranean Grill to open at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Greek Aroma Mediterranean Grill is expanding from Frederick to Montgomery County. Their new location will be in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. All meats served at Greek Aroma are halal. They will compete with Cava and Grill Kabob in the food court at the mall.

Logo courtesy Greek Aroma

Toys R Us at Macy's opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

The Toys R Us at Macy's era is upon us at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Does it live up to the hype? Not entirely yet. Perhaps they are still getting organized here, but will otherwise have difficulty competing with the new FYE Alex Baby & Toys, which is delivering something closer to the Toys R Us experience in the Old Navy wing of the mall.

As I mentioned when the plan for the holiday pop-up shops was announced, one of the fundamental problems is that the Toys R Us experience can't be duplicated in a small format. Toys R Us was essentially a big-box store, a cavernous warehouse with aisle after aisle of toys. Even Target and Walmart can't match that with their toy sections. At the same time, the TV and movie-licensed products most popular at Toys R Us don't exactly fit the image of a Macy's department store, where you'd expect high end German teddy bears as a toy display.

The vibe right now is somewhere between Big Lots and Ross. Shelves are less than full in spots, and the displays could be more neatly presented in some cases, as you can see in the photos here. There isn't much that screams, "Toys R Us," besides the Geoffrey stand-ups. The overall aesthetic is going to require a bit more attention and juice before Black Friday to create a holiday atmosphere.

I'm beginning to wonder if the pop-up idea is simply an effort to prop up the value of the Toys R Us trademark by the new owners, to be able to resell or repurpose it down the road. The plan has gotten a lot of media attention for the brand name. But what does that brand name stand for? This is a nice and convenient way to pick up holiday gifts while doing your usual shopping at Macy's, but it is definitely not reproducing the Toys R Us experience for people who have actually been inside a real Toys R Us.