Businesses

Wheaton

Royal Jewelers Coming to Wheaton Mall

By Patrick Herron

Coming soon signage is up for Royal Jewelers (RoyalDMV) in Westfield Wheaton Mall. Royal describes itself as a one-stop-shop for exuberant hip-hop jewelry. Royal will join Ardene, Classic Diamond by Pandora, Crown, Elite, Gold Palace, Kay, Paradise, Ruby,  and Sun’s on the list of jewelers located at Wheaton mall. No opening date has been announced.

In related news, former NFL star Antonio Brown stopped by Crown Jewelers (also located in Wheaton Mall) recently for some early morning shopping. Video below:

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Gaithersburg

Lakeforest Mall: What Stores Are Still Open, Recently Closed, and Closing Soon

By Patrick Herron

While Lakeforest mall and its anchor stores have been purchased by WRS Inc., a real estate investment firm based out of South Carolina, redevelopment of the site has yet to begin and close to 40 stores/kiosks are still open for business inside. Since our last update in April:

Upper Level:

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Maryland

Governor Hogan Announces Maryland’s State Small Business Credit Initiative Programs Now Open

By Patrick Herron

“The State of Maryland’s small business programs are proven and effective, providing critical relief during the pandemic and supporting strong economic growth during our ongoing recovery,” said Governor Hogan. “This additional funding will ensure Maryland continues to remain open for business by supercharging these programs to increase capacity and better serve entrepreneurs and small businesses, especially those creating jobs and other opportunities that fuel the revitalization of disinvested communities.”

Created by Congress in 2010, SSBCI received a $10 billion allocation as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. Maryland was the first state in the nation to submit its SSBCI deployment plan to the United States Treasury Department and was one of the first five states to be approved. The nine programs funded by SSBCI will support businesses with limited opportunities for growth whether due to the pandemic or historic disinvestment. Maryland’s statewide SSBCI initiatives will target communities and areas with a high concentration of small, micro, and Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individual (SEDI) businesses to support ongoing state investments in underserved communities.

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Wheaton

Five Below is Coming to Wheaton Mall

By Patrick Herron

Five Below is coming to Westfield Wheaton Mall at 11160 Veirs Mill Rd in Wheaton. The new store will be located in the upper level center court, in the space that is currently occupied by Gussini Fashion & Shoes. Gussini is expected to relocate to the former Panera Bread location, which closed in 2020. We’re told construction on the new Five Below is scheduled to begin in a few months.

Five Below opened its most recent MoCo location at 516 N Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg, the former location of Chuck E. Cheese, back in July.  Five Below has additional MoCo locations in Gaithersburg (Kentlands), Germantown, Rockville, and Silver Spring.

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Bethesda

Governor Hogan Visits Several MoCo Businesses

By Patrick Herron

On Friday, August 5, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan did a tour of Montgomery County, visiting several local businesses.  He started the day off  at the Glen Echo Fire Department, which is scheduled to undergo major renovations after receiving a state grant.  He then toured Maxim Biomedical on E. Gude Dr. in Rockville, one of the few companies that produce American-made COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, followed by a tour of Twin Valley Distillers, also on E Gude. Twin Valley was the first distillery to open in MoCo in over 100 years and owner Edgardo Zuniga tells us Twin valley was,  “honored having the Governor visit when he presented us a proclamation for small business in Maryland.”

Hogan then spent the afternoon in Poolesville visiting the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, and having lunch at the recently reopened Bassett’s Restaurant.

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Gaithersburg

Signage Up at CVS in Kentlands

By Patrick Herron

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.

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Bethesda

Toys “R” Us Returning to MoCo

By Patrick Herron

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? 

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Wheaton

Dollar Tree Coming to Wheaton

By Patrick Herron

Dollar Tree is coming to 2321 University Blvd W in Wheaton, the former site of CVS (next to Max’s). CVS closed this location back in December 2019.  No opening date has been announced for the store, but signage was just installed this week.  Dollar Tree has undergone several big changes over the past year.  In January, the company raised the price of all items in its stores from $1 to $1.25.  At the time, Dollar Tree said the higher prices were not a result of inflation, but rather to allow the company to offer a wider range of merchandise. In April the chain added “Dollar Tree Plus” sections to area stores, with items priced $3 and $5.  The higher priced items include cookware, headphones, chargers, and t-shirts (Baby Yoda, Lilo & Stich, etc.)  similar to those found at FiveBelow.

Photos of the store’s progress below courtesy of @toniosito_ on Instagram.  Dollar Tree has additional MoCo locations in Damascus, Derwood, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Montgomery Village, Rockville, and Silver Spring.

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Cabin John

Stretch Zone to Open July 9 in Cabin John

By Patrick Herron

Stretch Zone, the nation’s first and largest practitioner-assisted stretching company, will be opening its newest location at 7901 Tuckerman Lane in Cabin John Center this Saturday, July 9. Stretch Zone opened its first MoCo location at 251 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg back in February.

About: Stretch Zone is practitioner assisted stretching which gradually increases a client’s range of motion.  The best part about Stretch Zone is that it applies to everyone.  Young athletes through older clientele who want to remain active can all benefit from stretching, and of course everyone in between as well.  Our sedentary lifestyles lead to muscle tension and we all need to flex muscles in order to keep our body tones and our posture correct so that we can continue to move throughout our lives.  Stretch Zone is a key component to helping all of us live a healthier lifestyle.

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MoCo Government

Happening Today: Minimum Wage Increases to $15.65 For All Large Employers in Montgomery County

By Patrick Herron

Based on the Consumer Price Index for all urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) for the Washington-Baltimore region, the Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer has set the rate for the increase of minimum wage for July 2022 for large employers (those with 51 employees or more) at $15.65 per hour. After hitting the $15 minimum wage rate last year, the law now requires the Chief Administrative Officer to adjust the rate each year. The change is based on the previous calendar year. Previous years were based on rate of increase determined by the Montgomery County Council to get to $15.

“This is an important next step to ensure that the minimum wage keeps up with inflation,” said County Executive Elrich. “For too long, the minimum wage was stagnant and did not change based on inflation. I was proud to champion the increase in minimum wage when I was a County Councilmember and pleased to see it finally reached $15 per hour for large employers last year, and under the law, once the minimum wage hits $15, it is then increased based on inflation so that low wage workers are not left behind. A decent wage is the path to more opportunity and improved equity.”

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