Australian based jewelry chain Lovisa opens today, January 12, at 11am at Montgomery Mall (7101 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda). According to its website, “We are the fashionable on-trend jewelry specialist. See our latest styles & curated range for every occasion. From earrings, necklaces, rings & more.” The store is located on the lower level of the mall, next to Journey’s. Additional jewelry stores in Montgomery Mall include Elite Jewelers, Francesca’s, Gold Palace, Icing, Jewelry Corner, Kay Jewelers, Lilenquist, & Beckstead, and Pandora. Click here to see a full list of new stores at Montgomery Mall.
About: “Lovisa was created out of a need for on-trend fashion jewelry at ready-to-wear prices. Our trend spotting departments worldwide take inspiration from couture runways and current street style to deliver new, must-have styles to our customers. We are a fashion-forward jewelry brand that caters to every woman, with 150 new styles being delivered to stores each week. We give exceptional customer service and apply our core belief, It’s about you, always to everything we do.”
Feature photo courtesy of Lovisa on Facebook.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnQ2gRQhwt_/
MCPS is seeking employers in all career fields who would be willing to help prepare students for life after high school. Hosts could benefit by gaining extra help at a time when it is tough to find workers, and by building a future talent pipeline for the organization.
Since 2017, 2,400 students have participated in the program, gaining skills and connections with industry professionals. This year, the program is looking to serve 800 MCPS students in more than 60 industries.
Those who are interested in becoming a Summer RISE host can learn more about the program from:
- A Host Information Session to answer questions (optional)
- Reading the Summer RISE Host Agreement
- Previewing a copy of the Summer RISE 2023 Host Registration.
Potential hosts can register through April 14 at Summer RISE 2023: Career Experience Host Registration (google.com).
For detailed information about Summer RISE, watch a video of students and hosts in action from Summer RISE 2022 or visit www.MCPS-SummerRISE.org.
For more information about the Summer RISE program, contact the MCPS Department of Partnerships at 240-740-5599 or email [email protected].
Many of us likely grew up with a Sears department store somewhere nearby, but lately you may have noticed that you haven’t seen much from the brand that has been a household name for decades. Sears has been rapidly closing locations since 2018, when it filed for bankruptcy in October of that year. According to a report from the Frederick News Post, the Sears department store at Frederick’s Francis Scott Key Mall is set to close on January 15th. Note: There is still a Sears Hometown Store listed as open in Chestertown, MD, but it is not a traditional Sears department store and focuses on selling appliances, tools, hardware and lawn and garden equipment.
“Sears at Frederick’s Francis Scott Key Mall — one of the final remnants of a once great department store empire — is going out of business.The last day customers can shop at the store will be Jan. 15, a manager, who declined to provide her name, told a Frederick News-Post reporter on Tuesday afternoon. Bright yellow signs advertising the store’s impending closure in red block letters are plastered on the store’s windows. More hang around the building’s interior.”
Clearance sales are underway at the Lakeforest Mall Macy’s (701 Russell Ave) in Gaithersburg. Last week Macy’s confirmed to Axios that it will be closing several locations in 2023. Currently everything in the store is between 10-40% off and discounts will increase as the store gets closer to its closing date.
Click here to see a list of what stores are still open inside of Lakeforest Mall.
This was one of the largest hurdles in order for WRS Inc. to reach its target date of 2024 for demolition of the mall and the start of new construction. A more specific date will be available after the approval of sketch plans. The City of Gaithersburg Joint Planning Commission/Mayor and City Council Hearing on the plan is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 at at City Hall, 31 S. Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
WRS purchased the core, ponds, and forest conservation of the mall back in 2019 and added the four anchor sites earlier this year, spending a total of $75 million to acquire Lakeforest Mall. At a meeting in October, WRS announced that they have worked with the City of Gaithersburg since March and plan to submit their zoning application and sketch plan in the next couple weeks. As mentioned above, the target date for demolition of the mall and the start of new construction is currently 2024, with a more specific date to come after the approval of sketch plans. The sketch plan requires at least 35% “green space” and WRS stated that initial sketches are currently at a little more than 35%. Green space is defined as trees, grass, walking/biking areas, etc.
The current retention pond will be “cleaned up” and a boardwalk is in the plans for a dining experience on the water that was described as being similar to what is available at nearby Rio Lakefront. WRS has also heard from several different movie theaters that are geared towards adults with food offerings and a bar, mentioning one that has a very robust civic program that would allow community groups to use one theater per week for their own functions. No specific names were given and it was noted that a discussion “doesn’t mean it’ll happen”.
A national builder has signed on to build all the various type of housing that will be available at the new development (areas G-P in the map pictured below). The name has not been released yet because the builder wants to announce it in a future press release. MCDOT has would also like to see an enlarged transit corner that will likely be located in area F. Area C would be heavily retail. “A place you’d go once a week to fill up the car with things you’d bring home to fill up the pantry.” A few in the crowd began to discuss Costco possibly moving to the new development, but it was never mentioned by WRS. Area D would be designated for medical offices, a space for a business to move its headquarters, lab space, etc.
Updated on Saturday, January 7th to reflect the closing date has been pushed back.
The Bath & Body Works location inside of Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg was scheduled to close this Saturday, January 7, but that has been pushed back according to associates at the store. The new closing date is currently not available, but staff wanted customers to know that there are not any closing sales at the store at the moment. A new Bath & Body Works location will be opening in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown later this month. The new store will be located at 130 Crown Park Ave, in the location that was formerly home to Hair Cuttery, in between ZAGG and Warby Parker. Employees from this location will be transferred to the Germantown store at 20934 Frederick Rd.
Bath & Body Works offers its own brand of fragrances for the body and home. The brand is a consumer favorite for top-selling body products, including lotion, cream, wash, hand soap and hand sanitizer. The retailer is also known for its fragrance diffusers, fine fragrance mist and candles. Bath & Body Works will join Sweetgreen as an upcoming tenant in Downtown Crown.
Dave & Buster’s co-founder James “Buster” Corley has died by suicide, according to a report by CBS News. Dave & Busters, which has a half video arcade and half full service restaurant/bar concept, opened its first location in 1982 and currently has over 150 locations in the US and Canada. Dave & Busters has MoCo locations at 9811 Washingtonian Blvd in Gaithersburg and 8661 Colesville Rd in Silver Spring.
“His pioneering spirit and steadfast belief that ‘everybody is somebody’ set the foundation for bringing food and games to millions of Dave & Buster’s guests over the past 40 years,” the statement reads. “Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence, and the deep care he had for his team members were unparalleled. Our hearts go out to his family at this difficult time and while we will miss his wise counsel and his easy laugh, the legacy he and Dave built endures,” the company said in a statement to CBS News.
" Everybody is somebody, everybody is a star"
RIP to Buster Corley, to whom we owe half our name and all of our thanks. You will be missed. pic.twitter.com/Ca4cWEPY4S
— Dave & Buster's (@DaveandBusters) January 4, 2023
Planet Fitness at 255 Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg has reopened after temporarily closing on 12/13 for renovations. Upgrades include new rubber flooring and a new Black Card Spa area. The gym’s locker rooms and bathrooms will remain closed until further notice. Planet Fitness sent the following message to members on Friday, December 30:
“We’re so excited to let you know that Planet Fitness Gaithersburg is re-opening tomorrow, December 31st, at 7:00AM! However, our bathroom, showers and locker rooms remain closed until further notice.
Your upgraded & expanded club include:
- NEW PF Black Card Spa
- NEW locker rooms
- NEW Entrance Way Floor Tile
- NEW Rubber Flooring
- and MORE!”
Planet Fitness at 13031 Wisteria Dr in Germantown underwent $1.7 million worth of renovations and was expanded by 2,200 square fee this past fall.
The new Planet Fitness location in the Montrose Shopping Center in Rockville is also scheduled to open soon. The gym is moving from its 15,000 sq ft space at 1776 E Jefferson St to the 30,000 sq ft space at 5520 Randolph Rd, which was the previous site of Gold’s Gym. This will also be the first Planet Fitness location in Maryland to feature the new RelaxSpace Wellness Pod, where the gym’s Black Card members can “select between a variety of videos, scents and even temperatures while learning more about diet, nutrition, breathing and the benefits of exercise.”
Office Depot at 11130 New Hampshire Ave in White Oak has announced it is closing. A representative from the store tells us that it will be closing “sometime in January”. Office Depot’s closest competitor Staples has MoCo locations in Chevy Chase, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Rockville, and Silver Spring.
The Office Depot that was located at 15790 Shady Grove Road in Gaithersburg closed back in November of 2020 and is the site of the upcoming Amazon Fresh, which will be opening in early 2023, according to signage on the door (exact date still not available). No word yet on what could be replacing the White Oak location.
About: “Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODP) is a leading provider of business services and supplies, products and technology solutions through its fully integrated omni-channel platform of approximately 1,400 stores, online presence, and dedicated sales professionals and technicians to small, medium and enterprise businesses. Through its banner brands Office Depot®, OfficeMax®, CompuCom® and Grand&Toy®, the company offers its customers the tools and resources they need to focus on their passion of starting, growing and running their business. For more information, visit news.officedepot.com and follow @officedepot on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”
Gold’s Gym at 19757 Frederick Rd in Germantown has announced it will close on Thursday, December 15. In a letter sent to current members, the company wrote “We are thrilled to welcome you to your NEW and improved fitness home in March 2023! However, we do need to inform you that our existing landlord has given us an unexpected notice to exit our current Gold’s Gym Germantown location by December 15th. This circumstance was out of our control, as we were previously told we would be able to stay and service our members at the current facility until the opening of the new location. That said, we do apologize for any inconvenience this causes. We will be keeping all current memberships valid and active for use at all our DC Metro locations, including the following locations near Germantown until the new gym opens:
Gold’s Gym Airpark | 18810 Woodfield Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20879 (6.5mi)
Gold’s Gym Olney | 18330 Village Center Dr, Olney, MD 20832 (13mi)”
Over the weekend we reported that “coming soon” signage was up at the upcoming Germantown location at 12922 Middlebrook Road in Germantown, in the former location of DSW that closed earlier this year in the Germantown Commons shopping center next to Bed Bath & Beyond. Gold’s Gym closed its Layhill Center location in Silver Spring earlier this month, according to a representative from one of its Rockville locations. We were told the decision was made to not renew the lease at 14348 Layhill Rd. Gold’s Gym has other Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg, Olney, and two in Rockville (Rockville Town Square and Wintergreen Plaza).
Coming soon signage is up at the upcoming Gold’s Gym location at 12922 Middlebrook Road in Germantown, in the former location of DSW that closed earlier this year in the Germantown Commons shopping center next to Bed Bath & Beyond. In September we spoke with a representative from Gold’s Gym current Germantown location in the Fox Chapel shopping center, and we’re told that the existing location will close when the new one opens “sometime next year.” According to advertisements on social media, the new Gold’s Gym location is now expected to open in “Spring 2023” (photo below).
Earlier today we reported that Gold’s Gym closed its Layhill Center location in Silver Spring earlier this month, according to a representative from one of its Rockville locations. We were told the decision was made to not renew the lease at 14348 Layhill Rd. Gold’s Gym has other Montgomery County locations in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, and two in Rockville (Rockville Town Square and Wintergreen Plaza). The current Germantown location (Fox Chapel) will be closing once the new location opens in the former DSW space in the Germantown Commons shopping center next to Bed Bath & Beyond.
Planet Fitness at 255 Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg will be temporarily closing next week to complete renovations at the gym. Signage on the front door reads, “We are working on an upgraded club! We temporarily close on 12/13 at 9pm and plan to re-open tentatively on 12/30. Further communication will be posted!” The Planet Fitness at 13031 Wisteria Dr in the Germantown Plaza shopping center briefly closed for renovations back in November.
Planet Fitness has also announced that its new location in the Montrose Shopping Center in Rockville is scheduled to open this month. The gym is moving from its 15,000 sq ft space at 1776 E Jefferson St to the 30,000 sq ft space at 5520 Randolph Rd, which was the previous site of Gold’s Gym. This will also be the first Planet Fitness location in Maryland to feature the new RelaxSpace Wellness Pod, where the gym’s Black Card members can “select between a variety of videos, scents and even temperatures while learning more about diet, nutrition, breathing and the benefits of exercise.”
