Marshall’s Moving to Gaithersburg Square and a Couple Other Openings in the Shopping Center
Last month we let you know that Gaithersburg Square would be undergoing a $6.6 million renovation. With any renovation comes many changes, and we have a few to report today.
Sweeteria, a coffee/tea and dessert spot from the owners of Kao Thai Restaurant, opened last month at 8646 Colesville Road. We stopped in to check about a specific dish that many have been raving about and were not disappointed. The Thai Tea Toast with Coconut Ice Cream, fresh fruit, and other goodies was as good as advertised. Already relatively popular in the short time it has been there, as evident by the multiple carry-out orders that were picked up in the short time we were there, Sweeteria is a charming cafe with a friendly staff and a tasty product.
We look forward to picking up some sweet treats again soon.
Updates on Six New Places Coming to the Kentlands Neighborhood
The construction on the restaurants coming to the paseo hasnt made much progress in the last few months. The paseo is the walkway that can be found next to MOD Pizza (where Chopt is going) on one side and Berries & Bowls on the other.
“Remember that guy that used to paint at Rio?” We sure do. If you ever walked through Rio between 2000-2016, you probably spotted George Petridis working on one of his beautiful paintings with a lot of his other artwork on display in the atrium of Rio just outside of the movie theater. For over 15 years, Petridis displayed his art and worked on new pieces surrounded by the bustle of the Rio crowd– often interacting with those who stopped to enjoy some of the work he had on display.
You’d be surprised to learn that Petridis didn’t actually live in MoCo, though he spent much of his time here while his art was on display at Rio. He was born and raised in Athens, Greece and didn’t pick up art until later in life while he was looking to become a cardiologist and fell in love with the daughter of a prominent artist in Belgium, who introduced him to painting. After participating in a show in Paris, he decided his passion would become his career and he joined his brother in Toronto, Canada.
These are a couple quotes from people who commented on a picture of the Glenmont Arcade sign on when we posted it last week on Instagram. Despite its name, this wasn’t a gaming arcade. Originally built in 1952, the Arcade was a mini mall inside a strip mall. 11 store fronts were open for “one-person businesses.”
A number of local businesses have opened and closed in the Glenmont Shopping Center. In 1957, a 24-lane bowling alley, Tuffy Leemans, first appeared at the strip mall located in the basement of the arcade and stayed open until 2002. There, you could find multiple pinball games, which many believed was the reason for the “arcade” name. Later on, arcade games were brought in, but that was long after the sign and name came about.
Six New Restaurants Coming to Wheaton
Wheaton, which already has quite a diverse restaurant scene, will be welcoming six new restaurants in the coming months.
MoCo Ads 1979
This week we’re looking back at Montgomery County ads from 1979!
Kosmo Nail Bar will open at Montrose Crossing in Rockville, MD on Wednesday, November 18th. This is the third Kosmo Nail Bar in the metro region with locations in Annapolis, MD and McLean, VA.
Located at 12015 Rockville Pike, between Crest Cleaners and Eyeland Eye Care Center, the 1,700-square-foot salon services will include:
A List of Restaurant Closures in MoCo Since March 17th, 2020
Though this isn’t a list of closures caused by the pandemic, since there is no way to determine every reason behind a closure, 17% of restaurants (over 110,000) have closed since the time it started, according to Business Insider.
Fu Shing Cafe closed permanently in Westlake Crossing, the shopping center next to Montgomery Mall, in July of 2019. Soon after Soy Kitchen was announced as the restaurant that would be taking its place, and after over a year of waiting… a new restaurant has taken over.
The Wok Chinese Kitchen has put temporary signage over the Soy Kitchen sign that had been up for months and has opened at 10315 Westlake Drive.
Ela Mesa Taste of Greece Making Progress in Spectrum Town Center (Gaithersburg)
Ela Mesa Taste of Greece signage has gone up and new deliveries of restaurant equipment and decor have arrived.