Construction continues to progress at the upcoming CVS location in the Kentlands and “coming soon” signage was erected earlier this week.
We first reported that CVS would be taking over the old Tommy Joe’s/Boulevard Tavern/Brasserie Beck/O’Donnell’s location in the Kentlands back in 2019. There’s no timetable for when CVS will be ready to open, but it wouldn’t surprise us if it opened by this end of this fall.
Pollo Campero has additional Montgomery County locations in Takoma Park and Wheaton. The Downtown Silver Spring location closed in December, 2021.
The fried chicken chain, which originated in Guatemala, opened its first location in 1971 and has grown to over 400 locations worldwide, including over 70 in the United States.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the scene of a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail delivery truck on fire in the rear of a house on the 14200 block of Seneca Rd in Darnestown at approximately 12:30pm on Thursday afternoon. The fire was quickly extinguished in the 90+ degree heat with a heat index of almost 100 degrees, according to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer.
The driver indicated that there was a mechanical issue as smoke and flames started to come from the engine when it was started, eventually combusting. There was no extension to the nearby home, but there was over $30K in damages incurred (vehicle total loss) in addition to a lost load of U.S. Mail. The driver, though not injured, was transported to a hospital due to anxiety from the fire.
On Sunday, July 10, 2022, at approximately 12:51 a.m., the victims approached officers in the area of Lost Knife Rd. and Odendhal Ave. to report an armed carjacking that just occurred.
The investigation by detectives determined that the victims were driving their black 2019 Toyota Corolla for a ride share company and were picking up customers in the 18500 block of Boysenberry Dr. Upon arrival, the victims were approached by the two unknown Black male suspects. One of the suspects approached the driver’s side of the car, displayed a black semi-auto handgun and ordered the victims out the of vehicle. The other suspect had a knife when he approached the vehicle. When the victims exited, the suspects took the car and drove toward Montgomery Village Ave. and then Midcounty Hwy. Officers placed a look out for the vehicle.
Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen will be moving in to the 2,741SF space recently occupied by BGR at 229 Boardwalk in Rio. The restaurant is part of Jeffeary Miskiri’s Miskiri Hospitality Group, which describes itself as a unique collective of Black, family and woman-owned products and restaurants in the DC area. The restaurant group will also be opening Miss Toya’s Creole House this summer in Downtown Silver Spring. The group’s restaurants include Creole on 14th (Miss Toya’s Creole Kitchen’s sister restaurant) and Po Boy Jim’s in DC, as well as Suga & Spice, listed as coming soon to Hyattsville.
BGR closed in June and the restaurant was almost immediately cleared out, so construction/renovations for Miss Toya’s could start very soon. An opening date, however, has not been provided. Per the BizJournals article that first reported this news, “The deal with Miskiri is Peterson’s second with the local restaurateur. The other is in Downtown Silver Spring, where Miskiri is close to opening another Miss Toya’s. That one has a special connection for Miskiri, a Takoma Park native who met his wife, Toya, at the Silver Spring Whole Foods Market, according to Weinschenk.” said Paul Weinschenk, president of retail for Peterson.“They’re very much a local story,” he said. “He grew up in the area, they live in Montgomery County, and as they’ve looked to branch out…Silver Spring made a lot of sense.”
Sportrock climbing centers is coming to Rio, taking over part of the space that was previously occupied by Sport & Health (Dave & Buster’s now occupies the other part of the space). Sportrock opened the first commercial climbing gym in the DC metro area approximately 28 years ago in 1994, when it opened its Rockville. That location closed in 2006, but Sportrock has continued to operate successfully in Alexandria, Virginia. Now, it’s bringing rock climbing back to Rio, where many remember the much smaller walls that were a part of Sportland in the 90s.
The Sportrock founders met while training together at Zich’s (pronounced Zeke’s) Garage, a handmade climbing gym in Washington, DC. When Zich was 19 he was looking for a place to train in the wintertime. Zich convinced his supportive parents to let me build a DIY climbing space in their freestanding car garage. When the demand outgrew the space, Sportrock founders broke off and formed Sportrock’s first location in Rockville (14708 Southlawn Ln) so they would continue to have a place to climb and train together.
On Tuesday, August 2, these neighborhoods will hold events to increase drug prevention awareness, generate support for anti-crime programs, encourage residents to be involved in their communities, and send a message that neighborhoods and businesses are organized to fight back against crime. The NNO programs help bring together residents, law enforcement agencies, local officials, civic groups, and neighborhood organizations.
Participating neighborhoods include:
A man was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy this morning in Gaithersburg after allegedly waving a large knife at the deputy. The incident occurred around 9:20AM on Garth Terrace off of Watkins Mill Road and Travis Lane. According to a report by NBC Washington, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, which included Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies, were attempting to serve a warrant to the individual before he was shot. The warrant was for failing to appear in court for charges involving a 2020 home invasion.
A bystander that was at the scene attempting to help defuse the situation was also shot in the leg and suffered superficial wounds. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said the man killed was 35 years old and his identity has not yet been released. The FBI is currently handling the investigation due to the involvement of U.S. Marshals. According to the report, Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force officers do not wear body cameras.
One person is dead after a shooting this morning in Gaithersburg. The incident occurred around 9:20AM on Garth Terrace off of Watkins Mill Road and Travis Lane. According to a report by NBC Washington, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force were attempting to serve a warrant when the shooting occurred. No law enforcement officials were injured.
No other details have been released and the identity of the person killed has not been announced. We will post an update when more information becomes available. A press conference is expected to begin shortly.
Five Below at 516 N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg, the former location of Chuck E. Cheese, has announced it will be opening on July 29 at 10am. This will be the second Five Below store in Gaithersburg, the other located at 202 Kentlands Blvd. We were told by representatives from the Kentlands location that the new Gaithersburg Square location will not be replacing the Kentlands store. Five Below has additional MoCo locations in Germantown, Rockville, and Silver Spring.
Macy’s will be adding Toys”R”Us store-in-store shops to all of its U.S. locations over the next few months. The shops will range from 1,000-10,000 sq. feet, depending on the size of the Macy’s and will expand during the holiday season to offer a wider assortment of products. There are currently Macy’s locations in Lakeforest, Montgomery, and Wheaton Malls.
Depending on the success of the Macy’s version of Toys”R”Us, the company could consider bringing back standalone stores. The former Toy”R”Us location at 600 Frederick Rd in Gaithersburg has remained vacant since the company closed all its stores in 2018. Did you know the first ever Toy’s “R” Us opened in Rockville?