Wheaton

Popular Wheaton Thai restaurant Nava Thai at at 11301 Fern St. has closed. The restaurant, which was located in the old Sir Walter Raleigh building, has been open for approximately 16 years. The restaurant previously announced that it was closing back in September but decided to remain open for several more months “due to an outpouring of support” from the community.

The restaurant has been a local favorite that has been featured in various publications throughout the years. Below is an excerpt from a 2008 Washingtonian article, highlighting the fandom the restaurant quickly garnered soon after opening in Wheaton.


Lakeforest Mall

On January 17, WRS, Inc. officially announced that Lakeforest Mall would be closing at the end of March, after almost 45 years in Gaithersburg. While there are still a handful of businesses open inside of the mall, including a pro wrestling training school, the last remaining stores are beginning to close, including Bath & Body Works and Charley’s Cheesesteaks, which both closed this past week.

Bath & Body Works is expected to open its new Gaithersburg location at Downtown Crown sometime in the next 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 the Lakeforest location have been transferred to the Germantown store at 20934 Frederick Rd.


Rockville

Regal Cinemas has announced plans to close 39  U.S. theaters, including its location at 199 E Montgomery Ave in Rockville, according to a report today by Business Insider. The Regal Rockville opened on November 6, 1998. Insider reports that Cineworld, the parent company of Regal that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021, plans to “reject the leases” of the 39 locations starting February 15.  The company expects the move to save them close to $22 million a year and “the debtors are hopeful that these negotiations will lead to lease concessions and modifications that will obviate the need for rejection and enable additional theater sites to remain open.”


Beyond MoCo

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.


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.


Gaithersburg

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.


Gaithersburg

Texas Parrillada at 9631 Lost Knife Rd in Gaithersburg has closed. The restaurant’s last day of service was on Sunday, January 1. Menu items included Tex-Mex staples like burritos, carne asada, enchiladas, and tacos. Texas Parrillada was located in the Montgomery Village Crossing shopping center, which is home to BLT Grill, Hook & Reel, and Roy Rogers.

In other restaurant news, on Saturday we reported that Mexicue at 4733 Elm St. in Bethesda had closed after only six months. In a voicemail for calling customers, Mexicue announced that the Bethesda location closed permanently as of Friday, December 30th. The DC location at 1720 14th St NW remains open. Per Mexicue: “It all started with a passion for real, made-from-scratch cooking in a food truck that traversed Manhattan and Brooklyn, embracing the vibrant culture of the city. Today, Mexicue has evolved into a restaurant — and lively bar scene — that does things a little differently than the other guys. A little more boldly, and with a lot more flavor and fun.


Olney

Good Earth Garden Market at 1610 Olney-Sandy Spring Road in Sandy Spring has announced it will be closing on Wednesday, December 21. Good Earth’s Potomac location at 11650 Falls Road will remain open.  In an email sent to customers, owner David Johannes said that all full-time employees at the Sandy Spring location have been offered positions at the Potomac store and that the first 30 people who stop in to say good bye on Wednesday will get a free 4″ poinsettia.

“It is with a sad heart that we announce Good Earth Sandy Spring is closing for good. It is the end of an era that has spanned 43 wonderful years. Good Earth was originally founded in 1979 and has served the Olney/Sandy Spring Market since then. We’ve moved a few times, but through thick and thin our customers, you, have followed and been loyal. We could not have stayed around for 43 years without you. Thank you.


White Oak

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.


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