Gaithersburg Archives - Page 2 of 72

Published January 24, 2023 at 6:59PM | Updated January 24, 2023 at 7:32PM

Nori Japan, one of the last remaining tenants at Lakeforest Mall, has announced its opening a new location across from the mall in the Montgomery Village Crossing shopping center. Nori will be taking over the space that was previously occupied by Wok Express. According to signage at the restaurant, “This is the new address for the store (9615 Lost Knife Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20877) near the H Mart Shopping Center. Now we are prepping for the opening of our new store. When we finish the prepping we will posting on the Facebook. Please add my Facebook ID Wei Huang. Thank you.” According to the owner, the restaurant is just waiting on permits before it can make the move.

In other Lakeforest news, Bath & Bodyworks and Charley’s Cheesesteaks have both closed, and Macy’s is currently running a store closing clearance sale. The mall itself is expected to close at the end of March, according to a recent announcement by WRS Inc.– the mall’s new owner.

Lakeforest Mall

Bath & Bodyworks and Charley’s Cheesesteaks Close at Lakeforest Mall

By Patrick Herron

Published January 24, 2023 at 6:37PM

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.

Rio

Update on Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen in Rio

By Patrick Herron

Published January 22, 2023 at 2:30PM

The restaurant is part of Jeffeary Miskiri’s Miskiri Hospitality Group, which describes itself as a unique collective of Black, family and woman-owned products and restaurants in the DC area. Miss Toya’s will serve southern-influenced dishes such as red beans and rice, macaroni and cheese and a southern fried chicken sandwich. It will be joining the recently announced Sportrock Climbing Centers, Charley Prime, Le Macaron, as well as the recently opened Donutchew, as locally-based businesses opening in Gaithersburg’s Rio. Below you’ll see a video of the recently opened full-service Miss Toya’s restaurant in Downtown Silver Spring:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChZ-tyJgUP_/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c53984a8-5e53-4a38-ac20-f4e873b9c6dc

Gaithersburg

Opening Information for Sweetgreen in Gaithersburg

By Patrick Herron

Published January 17, 2023 at 12:31PM

Sweetgreen will be holding a soft opening for its new Gaithersburg location at 299 Copley Place D100 in Downtown Crown this Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21. The official grand opening will be held on Tuesday, January 24. You can register for a free meal at the soft opening or a $5 app credit to use during the grand opening week at this link.

“We can’t wait to bring sweetgreen to your neighorbood! Join us before we officially open on Tuesday, January 24th to get a sneak peek of our new restaurant, meet the team, and taste our fresh, made-from-scratch menu with a bowl, plate or salad on us.”

MDLottery

$100,000 Winning Powerball Ticket Sold at Harris Teeter in Gaithersburg Has Been Claimed

By Patrick Herron

Published January 11, 2023 at 6:33PM | Updated January 12, 2023 at 9:46AM

The $100,000 winning Powerball ticket that was sold on September 5 at the Harris Teeter located at 323 Copley Place in Gaithersburg has been claimed by a woman from Virginia. Full story courtesy of the Maryland Lottery: “Spending the day shopping with two Maryland friends gave a Fairfax, Va., resident a $100,000 memory she won’t soon forget. The Powerball jackpot had rolled to $159 million for the Sept. 5, 2022 drawing and all three of them wanted to buy tickets. They wound up at Harris Teeter #384 located at 323 Copley Place in Gaithersburg, where they joined others buying tickets.

The Virginia resident bought five lines of quick-pick numbers and added the Power Play multiplier for a total of $15, then joined her friends for dinner.The information technology specialist returned home that night and didn’t check her ticket after the drawing. “I kind of forgot about it,” she said. Meanwhile, her Maryland friends had great news to share with her. “They called me and said the Harris Teeter has a sign up saying someone won!”The mother of one then checked her ticket against the winning numbers and realized she won a $50,000 third-tier prize. Even better was her discovery that the Power Play multiplier for the drawing doubled her prize to $100,000! She signed her ticket and put it in a secure location until she could claim her prize this week at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.

MDLottery

Three $10,000-Winning Mega Millions Tickets Sold in MoCo; Jackpot Climbs to $1.35 Billion

By Patrick Herron

Published January 11, 2023 at 2:55PM

While nobody matched all six numbers in last night’s Mega Millions drawing, three MoCo retailers sold winning tickets worth $10,000. Those stores were the State Line Market at 7817 Eastern Avenue in Silver Spring, Tiger Beer, Wine & Deli at 303 North Washington Street in Rockville, and Watkins Mill Beer & Wine at 857 Russell Avenue in Gaithersburg. The next Mega Millions drawing will take place this Friday, January 13, and has an estimated value of $1.35 billion with a cash value of $707.9 million. Additional details below courtesy of the Maryland Lottery:

Although there was no Mega Millions jackpot winner on Tuesday night, the drawing produced five third-tier $10,000-winning tickets sold in Maryland. Congratulations! The jackpot for the next Mega Millions drawing on Friday, Jan. 13 rolled to an estimated annuity value of $1.35 billion. If the jackpot is hit at that amount on Friday, it would be the second-largest in Mega Millions history and the fourth-largest in U.S. lottery history. The estimated cash value for Friday’s drawing is $707.9 million.

Lakeforest Mall

Store Closing Sales Begin at Macy’s in Gaithersburg

By Patrick Herron

Published January 9, 2023 at 11:22AM

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.

MCPS

Summit Hall Elementary School Placed on Brief Shelter in Place Friday Morning

By Patrick Herron

Published January 6, 2023 at 11:33AM

Summit Hall Elementary School at 101 W Deer Park Rd in Gaithersburg was placed on a brief shelter in place Friday morning. According to MCPD, “Officers from the 6^th District responded to the area of Summit Hall Road and West Deer Park Road at approximately 9:42 a.m., for the report of a stabbing. Summit Hall Elementary School went into a shelter in place at approximately 10 a.m., while officers conducted their investigation.” The shelter in place has been lifted. We will post an update when additional information becomes available.

MCPD on Twitter: “Summit Hall Elementary school was placed on a brief shelter in place during a police investigation on Summit Hall Rd. The shelter in place has been lifted.”

Gaithersburg

What’s Still Open Inside of Lakeforest Mall: January 2023

By Patrick Herron

Published January 6, 2023 at 10:52AM | Updated January 10, 2023 at 11:24AM

Lakeforest Mall has been in the news a lot recently. Lakeforest owner WRS is proposing a full redevelopment of the space that will include both residential and commercial use. WRS spent $75 million to purchase the mall’s core, ponds, forest conservation, and four anchor sites and has targeted 2024 to begin demolition. Yesterday we reported that both Macy’s and Bath & Body Works will be leaving the mall in the near future and MoCo Show founder Alex T. appeared on FOX 5 to discuss all the recent developments. Below that is a list of what was open, and a few photos, from when we stopped by on January 5, 2023:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnDK4piIkhS/

Gaithersburg

City of Gaithersburg Celebrates Financial Wellness Month

By Patrick Herron

Published January 4, 2023 at 2:04PM

Per the City of Gaithersburg: The City celebrates Financial Wellness Month in January with educational programs that help increase the financial stability & well-being of City residents. In recognition of this month, the Financial Empowerment Center presents a virtual Financial Education Workshop series featuring experts from leading financial institutions & members of the Gaithersburg Financial Wellness Coalition. Workshops are available in both English & Spanish. All sessions will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. To register, e-mail [email protected] with your name, e-mail address & what session(s) you would like to sign up for. A Zoom link will be sent to participants before each session.

With a proclamation at their meeting on January 3, the Mayor & City Council officially proclaimed January as Financial Wellness Month in the City. View the meeting presentation here.

Gaithersburg

Planet Fitness in Gaithersburg Reopens

By Patrick Herron

Published December 31, 2022 at 12:17PM

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:

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.