Per Westfield: Westfield Wheaton will host the annual back-to-school fair in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 26 (two days before students in Montgomery County are scheduled to report back to school on Monday, August 28). The event will take place in The Streetery, the center’s outdoor event and dining space situated between Macy’s and the food court on Parking Level 2. Shoppers and members of the community will have the opportunity to enjoy family-friendly activities while learning more about the school system, county programs and receiving free curriculum resources.

This year’s 2023 Back-to-School Fair promises to be an even more dynamic and informative event. “We are so excited and look forward to welcoming families to the new school year,” said MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight. “As we begin our new school year, we are reminded of the importance of our partnerships with families and community and we say, ‘All Together Now”;  an excellent example is our continued partnership with Westfield Wheaton to bring these valuable resources and information to our community. We encourage all MCPS families to engage with the more than 100 offices, businesses and organizations at the fair as we prepare for an amazing school year at MCPS.”


Bassett’s Restaurant at 19950 Fisher Ave in Poolesville plans to reopen next month. The restaurant closed due to a fire on June 5. Owner Erika Myers tells us repairs are taking longer than anticipated due to the wait for construction permits. The fire was located in a small building in the back, with no extension to the main building/restaurant.

Bassett’s, which opened in 1993, closed its doors on December 31, 2021. Myers, who worked at Bassett’s for over 15 years before leaving to open Rio Grande Grill in Germantown in 2020, purchased the restaurant and reopened it in May, 2022. Menu items include fried chicken, burgers, salads, and home-style entree’s such as meatloaf, chicken pot pie, and grilled calves liver.


Six months ago we let you know that Downtown Silver Spring landed two major tenants with Uniqlo and Golds Gym signing on for the shopping center. Now Uniqlo has set an opening date as its Google listing shows Friday, August 25th as opening day for the clothing store.

Uniqlo opened its first and only other MoCo location in September of 2018 in Pike & Rose. The Downtown Silver Spring location will be taking over the 10,058 SF space at 914 Ellsworth St that was formerly home to Ulta prior to the move to its current location in Downtown Silver Spring.


Aldo, a shoe and accessory store for men and women, is opening its third Montgomery County location at the Clarksburg Outlets (featured photo courtesy of @LillyMagillys). Also currently has locations in Montgomery and Wheaton malls. The Clarksburg location is currently hiring and aims to open this fall.

Aldo announced a restructuring in May of 2020 when it filed for creditor protection during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. In 2022 the company announced a successful restructuring, which would “mark the beginning of a new chapter” for the company that has been in business for over 50 years. Current CEO David Bensadoun, whose father Aldo founded the chain in 1972, stated the following in 2022, “It is with great relief that we put this process behind us, and with excitement that we now look ahead.”


Olney Winery has been operating since 2012, initially as The Winery at Olney. The winemaker was previously located at 18127 Town Center Drive in the Fair Hill shopping center in Olney until September of last year. In 2016, expanded and opened a tasting room in the stone house at 12810 Shank Farm Way in Hagerstown. In July, Olney Winery opened its new space at 52 Olney Sandy Spring Road in Ashton Market that includes a large outdoor patio. In addition to wine, they’re also offering pizza at the location (first look video available below).

Per Olney Winery: “Olney Winery employs the unique business model of sourcing our grape product from suppliers and vineyards all over the world to ferment over 34 different varietals of award-winning wines locally. We bring the world of wine to Maryland.


Lids is coming to Westfield Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd) in Bethesda. The store will be located next to LEGO on the mall’s lower level. Lids is a “mall based, retail headwear” store that sells NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL licensed hats and merchandise. Lids has additional Montgomery County locations at the Clarksburg Outlets, Ellsworth Place (Silver Spring), and Wheaton Mall.

The location is currently hiring and no opening date has been announced. Click here to see a list businesses that are also coming soon to Montgomery Mall


Bai Khao Thai, a new a Thai restaurant, is preparing to open at 12944-D Travilah Rd in the Potomac Oak Center (Potomac/Travilah). The restaurant will be taking over the space that was recently home to 98 Cafe and previously home to Shanghai Cafe. Signage is now up and the restaurant is “coming soon” according to a small sign on the front door. An opening date is not yet available.


Third Hill Brewing Co., which is located in the former Astro Lab Brewing location at 8216 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring, will hold a grand opening celebration on Saturday, August 19, from 1-10pm. There will be live music, special guests, giveaways, and games.

“The Silver Spring community will be celebrating our newest brewery! The Third Hill Brewing Co. grand opening “christening” (in lieu of a traditional ribbon cutting) will be on August 19 from 1pm-10pm. We are inviting you, the community, and government leaders to attend the official ceremony beginning at 2pm at Third Hill Brewing Co. at 8216 Georgia Avenue.


A few weeks back we provided an update on Twinbrook Quarter, the future home of Wegmans in the area of Halpine Rd and Rockville Pike. According to signage recently put up at the construction site, Wegmans is now expected to open in 2025 (photos of progress available below). Previously, a more general “Late 2024 or 2025” was the expected opening date of the grocery store. In addition to the grocery store, the upcoming neighborhood has approval for 480,000 SF of retail (which includes the 80,000 SF Wegmans and an additional 25,000 SF of additional retail/restaurants in the first phase. Twinbrook Quarter will also consist of 450 apartment homes (The Milton) and 248,000 SF of trophy office above. It will also include over 1,500 parking spaces with electric vehicle charging stations. Our previous update can be seen below:

Brick facades are currently nearing completion after a couple months of work on the exterior of the buildings. “As we progress with the brick façades around all sides of the new building, a variety of building styles, brick colors, heights and architectural features will emerge to give visual interest to the block and provide a different “identity” for each side. The brick work will continue through the summer and into the fall.” Interior work is also ongoing. “We are busy with interior work as well. We are framing the walls on the second and third floors that will define hallways, apartment interiors and other spaces. Plumbing pipes for water and sanitary, mechanical ductwork and electrical work are all in progress. Interior work will move progressively up the building, and well into 2024.”


Permanent signage is up at Le Macaron at 7 Grand Corner Ave (next to BurgerFi) in Gaithersburg’s Rio. The shop is expected to open in the coming months, and is owned by MoCo residents Natalia Mejia and Camilo Beltran. Le Macaron, a Florida-based pastry shop now has more than 70 locations across the US, with more locations on the way as franchisees are opening in shopping centers like Rio, food trucks, and kiosks in malls.

Menu items at the upcoming Rio location will include macarons (available in 20 flavors), gourmet chocolates, French gelato, specialty European style coffees, classic French pastries, and homemade candies.  More on the history Le Macaron, per its website:


Cousins Maine Lobster, a leading quick-service Maine lobster roll concept, has announced the launch of their newest franchise market in Maryland. They are celebrating with the grand opening of the new food truck on August 18 at Streetcar 82 Brewing Company in Hyattsville, Maryland. The grand opening will take place between 12pm and 8pm at Streetcar 82 Brewing Company on 4824 Rhode Island Ave.

The operation is led by franchisees and brothers Yunus and Thameem Shahul and is part of a multi-unit franchise food truck deal for Washington, DC; Maryland; and Virginia. Yunus Shahul joined the Cousins Maine Lobster Franchise Family in September 2018 with his first food truck in Connecticut. Over the past five years the brothers have worked together to expand their franchise footprint to five markets that span from Connecticut to Virginia. The Shahul brothers launched their first DMV-area food truck in Virginia in March 2023 and have seen great success. “We are committed to investing in the DMV with the goal of building the same strong customer base that we have in our established markets,” Yunus explained. “Our brand has experienced great growth and a strong customer following on the East Coast and we know we can continue to connect with consumers in the DMV.”


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