With the Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council holding a policy discussion and final action on the redevelopment of Lakeforest Mall on September 26, we wanted to revisit a question we asked readers back in 2021– What’s your favorite Lakeforest Mall store of all-time?
Lakeforest Mall first opened on September 12, 1978. At that time, the mall’s anchor stores were JCPenney, Sears, Woodward & Lothrop, and Hecht’s. The mall was one of the first in the United States to feature an indoor ice skating rink on the lower level, in the “H section”, along with being the biggest indoor shopping mall in the county at the time of grand opening.
The ice skating rink was replaced by a NTI Theaters movie theater in 1984, later renamed Cineplex Odeon Lakeforest 5, then by a food court, which occupied the space until the mall closed in March 2023. The mall was built on top of Lake Walker, a park that was previously on the property. Lakeforest opened with approximately 30-50 stores, with some of the first stores being relocated from the then nearby indoor Village Mall (now an outdoor strip mall called Montgomery Village Center since 1991) and absorbed onto the property.
So, what’s your favorite Lakeforest Mall store of all-time? Below are some of the answers we received in 2021:
• Lakeforest Mall used to be such a great place to shop. I miss the old days. The ice skating rink and A & W restaurant!
• I loved A&W as a kid lol…. Those root beer floats, hot dogs and curly fries made my day!
• Not exactly a store, but ChiChi’s!
• I liked Spinnakers and their flowerpot bread!
• The first ever Chik-Fil-A
• Champion’s arcade was the best.
• The Express from waaayyy back in the 80’s. It was neon and acrylic. Right near the elevators. There also used to be a store there called Gantos, where I got a bunch of my prom dresses from.
• Britches! I used to save up to buy new outfits there.
• It kills me how they filled up that carpeted, recessed play area. And my favorite place was that comic book store whose name escapes me.
• Not a store, but the fountains!
• Not a store per say, but the ice skating rink.
• Spinnakers, Chi-Chi’s, A&W (their floats were awesome), KB Toy store, Mrs. Fields, their Movie Theatre, and they had an awesome Arcade area back in the 90’s.
• Kb toys, suncoast, wizards of the coast, the movie theater… it was painful being maintenance there for 6 years as it died around me.
• Natural Wonders when I was 10 was the most amazing experience there was.
• Anybody remember when ARBY’s was in the mall? Also, Chi Chi’s was such a fun Tex Mex place to eat out as a family at. My favorite store was KB Toys as a kid!
• The Wizards of the Coast store way back in the day! It’s what first got me into Dungeons & Dragons years ago!
• It’s so sad to see it empty. Both my parents worked there when I was a kid, either full- or part-time, and it’s where I had my very first job in high school at JC Penney. I miss the days when there were 2 bookstores. Waldenbooks at one end and B. Dalton at the other – it was the best. And I remember going in before they even opened the gates at KB to get some brand new toy I wanted (he worked at Sears).
• Chi chi’s, Spinnaker’s, KB Toys, A&W, the ice rink that became the movie theater where I saw my first movies without my parents… Ghostbusters. Santa Clause at the ugly brown fountain that later became a play area.
• I worked at The Lodge – clothing store in the late 80s, early 90s!
• Express circa 1982 when it was behind the elevator-WOW floor to ceiling acid washed denim and neon everywhere!
• San Francisco Music Box Co. Mom and I both worked there.
• 1,000% Chi Chi’s. I guess Hot Topic too since I worked at that store for 6 years.
• Sam Goody back in the day. Claire’s. So many others. The nature store. Express and the Limited. A bygone time.
• Natural wonders and spinnakers for their flower pot bread!!
• The American Cafe, which was replaced. Loved their Smoked Chicken Baked Pasta Dish
• The Limited! Worked there and spent all my money there!
• Sunshine House – they opened a storefront, and it saved a trip to the beach for surf shirts!
• I miss Woodies…worked there from 84 to 86
• So many memories-learning to ice skate, performances in elementary school, hair modeling for a center stage exhibition in high school, and working at The Limited.
• The Limited, Express, Gantos, Britches, Kitchen Bazar, Gymboree, The Children’s Place, Hallmark, so many…that mall was great back in the day
• I spent hours in KB Toys and Babbage’s.
• I loved the frog themed play area for kids where there was a fountain and we could play hopscotch. Loved it as a kid.
• I did a lot of my shopping at Hecht’s, but the Hallmark store was great too. My kids loved the play area in the center. My oldest worked at Auntie Anne’s and Hollister while he was in college. We got all of our appliances at Sears, till the way they treated warranty customers was so disgraceful that I refused to buy any more appliances there. It was nice while Lands End was fairly well stocked there. Glasses from Lens Crafter and there was a fabric store many years ago as well.
• Limited Too and Chi Chi’s in the 90s!
• Jerry’s Sub and Pizza and Vie De France
• I worked at Kinderphoto, jcpenney photo studio, zoe salon and spa and one year with Santa. I tried on my first formal dress at Jessica McClintock, had my first Starbucks, learned to ice skate, went on many teenage dates, bought my first large appliances at sears and ate a ton of flower pot bread at spinnakers. I was in elementary school when they broke ground and remember going to the grand opening. Oh and the glass elevator we rode just for fun. Yes i still have a box of cassingles I bought at Sam goody!
• Spent my time browsing in Waldenbooks & Suncoast. My wife worked Natural Wonders, and her sister worked Chesapeake Knife & Tool Co.
• The Wild Pair… awesome, gorgeous shoes.
• Herman’s Sporting Goods. You could buy a rifle or shotgun in the mall!
• Tanglewood, Spinnakers, ChiChis, the ice-skating rink, KoKopelli, Gantos (I worked there)
• Waxie Maxies, KB Toys, Suncoast video, Mrs fields, Cinnabon, spinnakers, chi chi’s, old school pacific sun wear (before Pacsun), Sears was great back then too. These were my favs
• Champions. The arcade was too legit. And also Sun Japanese Restaurant. They did it so different than Nori and it was soooo goood.
• Hudson Trail Outfitters – fake log cabin decor and all!
• I spent many years at Richman Brothers and Kinney Shoes
• Who remembers the Enchanted Forest? Woodies? The Little Fench Cafe?
• County seat, Babbages, A &W , KB toys, and the skating rink of course
• Natural Wonders, the Music Box Company, and Coffee Beanery
• Wicks n’ sticks
• The Himalayan Gift Shop. I loved the owner.
• Sherry’s restaurant. My first job – busboy.
• Le Chateau. Such a cool store.
• UNITS!! and Olga’s
• B. Dalton, the Lodge, Kitchen Bazaar, J.C. Penney, and Arby’s.