Hogabs Jerky at 19332 Montgomery Village Ave (formerly TV-VCR Repair) has closed. The specialty beef jerky shop opened for business in October 2021. No word on what will be replacing Hogabs, but an announcement is expected in the next few weeks. Click here to see a full list of restaurants and businesses coming to the Montgomery Village Center, which includes Baskin Robbins and Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken.

About Hogabs:
“Come share the love of gourmet jerky and fine food products. Meet, Greet and Shop Jerky snacks, specialty beverages and fine food gifts. We love gourmet foods .. so we partnered with artisan with the finest level of food craftsmanship in jerky, sauces and baked goods to serve you the finest snacks! Discover Lunch boxes, Food Gifts and more”

Spencer’s in Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg has closed.  Spencer’s was one of the last national chain stores remaining at the mall, leaving only Aeropostale, Bath & Bodyworks, Champs Sports, Finish Line, and Macy’s.
SEE ALSO: Bath & Body Works is Coming to Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown

Spencer’s in known for selling novelty items like lava lamps, shot glasses, t-shirts, and 18+ items like lingerie and sex toys. According to their website, Spencer’s is “the mall destination for entertainment, excitement, and fun” and has been in business of over 65 years.

From their website: “Starting out as a mail order company in 1947, Spencer’s opened its first retail store in 1963 at New Jersey’s Cherry Hill Mall. From the outset, Spencer’s quickly became an oasis within the mall environment offering our guests an entertaining experience both through its merchandising and product mix and grew to a national chain by the mid-’70s. In 2003, under new management, Spencer’s lifted the bar higher and set out to reinvent itself. Remaining true to its roots, this reinvention set Spencer’s on the path to greatness in a subtle shift from Spencer Gifts to Spencer’s in newly re-designed funky, industrial spaces with an award-winning downtown club look.

Over time, Spencer’s has become a one-stop trend shop for the latest pop culture styles. From TV shows and films to video games and anime, you’ll find a little bit of everything at our stores.

Spencer’s now operates over 650 stores throughout the United States and Canada, and is proud to be one of the longest running shows in the mall. Strong operating disciplines combined with our unique merchandising formula underpins our continued growth, as Spencer’s has become a staple of the mall culture. Walking into a Spencer’s reminds you that not everything has to be so boring and serious all the time. Because, at the end of the day, life’s a party–and we’re makin’ it fun!”

Anh-mazing Viet Kitchen located inside The Block Food Hall (967 Rose Ave, North Bethesda) at Pike & Rose has announced it will be permanently closing by September 30. The restaurant is known for its short rib pho and selection of banh mi sandwiches. Anh-mazing’s location at 12250 Clarksville Pike in Clarksville will remain open.

The restaurant posted the following Facebook message on September 20:
“This is not a final goodbye!
Hi banh mi lovers, Anh-mazing team at The Block wants to thank you from the bottom of our heart for your tremendous support in the past two years. We are open during covid and faced with lots of challenges. However, your love and support absolutely make the journey worth it. It is hard for us to announce that Anh-mazing Viet Kitchen inside the Block will permanently close our doors by September 30th. This is not a forever goodbye. We will be back when the right time and the good opportunity come. So come support us and get your favorite banh mi and short rib pho. Also, we are still open at the Clarksville location, and our team is happy to see you there.”

Rio Grande Grill at 13541 Clopper Rd in the Seneca Plaza shopping center in Germantown has been sold. Former owner Erika Myers tells us that the new owners will be keeping the same name and menu.  The restaurant is currently closed for renovations and is expected to reopen in a few weeks.

Rio Grande opened in December 2020, in the location that was previously home to the Mistik Taverna, Germantown Kabob & Sweets, Bhima’s Kitchen & Bakery, and Arirang Korean restaurant. The restaurant offers an extensive menu that goes beyond Tex-Mex cuisine. Menu items consist of “bar food” such as crab pretzels, spinach dip, mozzarella sticks, etc., various salads, build-your-own burgers, fried chicken and pasta dishes, tacos al carbon, bowls, and a wide variety of entrees.

Berry Cup, a locally owned fro-yo shop at 36-B Maryland Ave in Rockville that served probiotic yogurt, Taiwanese shaved ice (also called snow cream), Hawaiian shaved ice, and boba tea has closed.  According to its bio on the Rockville Town website, “At Berrycup, each customer becomes a Yogurt Artist. By bringing together the finest premium yogurt, freshest fruits and the highest quality toppings, customers are able to create their own delightful treat, unique to their own taste. With a variety of healthy probiotic frozen yogurt, fresh fruits, and favorite cookie, cereal, and candy toppings, customers can mix and match their favorite yogurt flavors and toppings to their own liking.”

Per Berry Cup:
“Berrycup sells healthier frozen treats, drinks and other sweet treats. Check healthy drinks and natural flavor French macaron. Seeing friends laughing as they catch up over a cup of frozen treat and watching children’s eyes light up as they swirl their first cups is what makes us smile. Probiotic yogurt is yogurt that contains live, active bacterial cultures-the healthy bacteria or the “good army” that fights to keep our digestive tract healthy and enhances our immune system. At Berrycup, all of yogurt flavors are probiotic and most of them contain five ‘good’ live bacterial cultures: L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. lactis, L. acidophilus and Bifidobacterium.

Max’s Kosher Cafe at 2319 University Blvd W in Wheaton has announced that its last day in business will be July 28, 2022. The restaurant, known for their falafel, shawarma, fried chicken, and deli sandwiches, released the following statement:
“We have had the privilege to serve the community since 1994 when we opened Max’s. Our falafel and shawarma turned us into a popular destination and gave us opportunities at FedEx Field and Nat’s Park. With much sadness, we are closing Max’s and our last day of business will be July 28, 2022.

We want to thank everyone for their patronage over the last 28 years. We have been extremely lucky to have such a long history of serving the community and very grateful for the opportunity. We have worked tirelessly over the past few years to move Max’s. We were given the opportunity to move closer to the community however, due to conditions beyond our control, we are not able to relocate. If the right opportunity arose, we would welcome the idea of reopening.
Max, Larry, and Justin Dekelbaum”

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Not Your Average Joe’s at 245 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg has announced it will be closing by July 27.  Signage at the restaurant asks customers to visit nearby locations in Bethesda (10400 Old Georgetown Rd) and Reston, VA, and thanks guests for their many years of patronage. ‪ Not Your Average  Joe’s CEO, Peter D’Amelio, is a Poolesville resident. The company closed its Downtown Silver Spring location in July 2020.‬

About NYAJ’s:
“Stephen Silverstein opened the first Not Your Average Joe’s in pursuit of the uncommon. In 1994, he worked to give his hometown of Dartmouth, Massachusetts a unique neighborhood place with great food and better company.

Today, we have 19 restaurants spread throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. We’re building incredible spaces with every nail, and striving to be better with every opening. In doing this, we’ve created a culture where our people are our foundation – making the sky the limit where we go next.“

Photo: Kristin Johnston

Moorenko’s in Montgomery Mall has closed. The ice cream shop, which opened in 2020, was located in a kiosk (previously home to Cookie Dough & Co.) on the lower level of the mall.  All signage and equipment has been removed.  Moorenko’s still has scoop shops in Silver Spring (8030 Georgia Ave) and Capital Hill, DC, and their ice cream is also served at Henry’s Sweet Retreat at 4823 St Elmo Ave in Bethesda. Ice cream flavors the company makes includes Bittersweet Chocolate, Blackberry Chocolate Chip, Cherry Stracciatella, Cinnamon Cappuccino, Cotton Candy Gummy Bear, Honey Lavender, and White Chocolate Mint.

About Moorenko’s:
“Our customers come into our scoop shops to get away from daily life for a moment of joy. That’s really what we’re about here at Moorenko’s”
“It all begins with an idea: quality ice cream than rivals anything ever made in the US or Europe – that is also better from a nutritional point of view. After studying under renowned ice cream experts in New York and a master gelato maker in Italy, Susan worked hard to perfect her own process and recipes before setting out to make ice cream on the highest possible level.”

News of Moorenko’s closing was first reported by Robert Dyer.

Flower Coffee Collective has announced that it’s last day of service will be on June 25. The mobile coffee shop opened at 8805 Flower Ave in Silver Spring (in front of El Gavilan Restaurant) in August of last year and sold specialty coffee, espresso, agua fresca and pastries out of a vintage camper.

Flower Coffee posted the following message on their social media pages: “It’s with a heavy heart that I tell you Flower Coffee is closing. Our final day of operation will be Saturday, June 25th. While this iteration of my coffee journey is coming to a close, it is not the end of coffee in the Long Branch neighborhood. Your individual and community support has made this particular coffee venture a success, and as we move forward I can’t wait to share what the future holds. More soon!”

We will post an update once Flower Coffee announces its future business plans. Visit their website at www.flowercoffeeco.com.

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The Pollo Campero located inside of Lakeforest Mall (701 Russell Ave) in Gaithersburg has officially announced it will  be closing when the new location at 426 N Frederick Rd, the former site of KFC, opens.  Representative from the Lakeforest location tell us that the new store is expected to open on July 17.

Pollo Campero has additional Montgomery County locations in Takoma Park and Wheaton. The Downtown Silver Spring location closed in December, 2021.

The fried chicken chain, which originated in Guatemala, opened its first location in 1971 and has grown to over 400 locations worldwide, including over 70 in the United States.

Photos of the upcoming 426 N Frederick Rd location below:

China King at 8035 Snouffer School Rd in Gaithersburg has closed. The restaurant opened in 2001 and closed its doors this past April. The owners tell us that difficulty staffing and pandemic woes helped them to decide it was time to retire.

China King was known for its modern interpretation of classic dishes and for using high quality fresh ingredients. The restaurant was located between 7-Eleven and El Salvadoran restaurant El Encanto.