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? 

Photos of what the Macy’s locations will look like below:

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 18, 2022 – Macy’s expands partnership with WHP Global to bring the beloved Toys“R”Us brand to every Macy’s store in America this holiday season. Beginning late July and rolling out through October 15^th, the in-store shops will range from 1,000 sq. feet and span up to 10,000 sq. feet in flagship locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. The footprint of stores may flex up an additional 500 to 3,000 sq. feet during the holiday season to offer an even wider assortment of products.

The Toys“R”Us brand will come to life in-store with playful colored fixtures as well as hands-on demonstration tables for customers to interact with various toy assortments. The Toys“R”Us shops will also feature a life-size “Geoffrey on a Bench” photo opportunity for families. To celebrate the openings, all Macy’s stores will host nine days of in-store events, beginning October 15 through October 23, which will include family friendly activities and daily giveaways from brands like Barbie ^®, LEGO ^® and more.

Since last August, Macy’s customers have shopped the expansive assortment of Toys“R”Us products online exclusively at macys.com/toysrus and ToysRUs.com, powered by Macy’s digital and fulfillment ecosystem. In Macy’s reported earnings for the first quarter of 2022, toy sales were 15x higher than the comparable period prior to the Toys”R”Us partnership.

“Macy’s cannot wait to bring the Toys“R”Us experience to life in our stores,” said Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer. “We hope Toys”R”Us kids of all ages discover the joy of exploration and play within our shops and families create special memories together. The customer response to our partnership with Toys“R”Us has been incredible and our toy business has seen tremendous growth.”

For more information on Toys“R”Us, check out macys.com/toysrus, ToysRUs.com, or follow @macys and @ToysRUs across social.

Macy’s Toys“R”Us flagship locations include:

• Lenox Square, Atlanta
• State Street, Chicago
• Ala Moana, Honolulu
• Memorial City, Houston
• South Coast Plaza, LA
• Aventura, Miami
• Dadeland, Miami
• Herald Square, NYC
• Roosevelt Field, NYC
• Union Square, San Francisco
• Valley Fair, San Jose

For images of the Toys”R”Us shops in-store, click here.

Per the Maryland Lottery:
A Montgomery County Lottery player dropped by the Winner’s Circle this week to claim a $50,000 Bonus Match 5 prize won in the July 7 drawing.

After purchasing a $6 quick-pick ticket at Wheaton Winery, the Burtonsville resident waited for the drawing to take place later that evening. The 52-year-old saw that the game’s top-prize winning numbers of 10, 13, 16, 29 and 31 appeared on the first line of her lucky ticket.

Her Lottery retailer, Wheaton Winery, will also benefit from selling the $50,000 top-prize winning Bonus Match 5 ticket. The Montgomery County business located at 2211 University Boulevard in Silver Spring will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery. The Lottery has sold 26 $50,000 winning Bonus Match 5 tickets already this year.

Bryant Whack, 32, of Silver Spring, is currently being held without bond after stabbing an employee of Max’s Kosher Café in Wheaton on Thursday, July 14.  According to MCPD, Whack was panhandling inside of Max’s and stole the tip jar from the counter.  An employee followed Whack outside of the restaurant who was then pepper sprayed and stabbed by Whack.  According to a report by Washington Jewish Week, the employee involved in the incident is a manager at restaurant.  The stabbing occurred only hours after it was announced that Max’s would be closing permanently on July 28 after 28 years in business.

Per Montgomery County Police:
A Silver Spring man is in jail, charged with first-degree assault, following a stabbing outside of a deli on University Blvd in Silver Spring. On Thursday, July 14, 2022, at approximately 12:38 p.m., 4th District officers were called to Max’s Kosher Café on the 2300 block of University Blvd for a stabbing.

During the course of the investigation, officers learned that the suspect, 32-year-old Bryant Whack, had been inside the deli panhandling, when he allegedly stole a tip jar from the counter and walked out. The victim, an employee of the café, followed Whack outside and confronted him. Whack sprayed the victim with pepper spray, stabbed the victim and then left the location. A lookout was placed with a description of Whack.

4th District Community Action Team (DCAT) officers observed a male matching Whack’s description running behind a Laundromat on the 11300 block of Georgia Ave. DCAT apprehended the person and identified him as the suspect, Bryant Whack. Whack was taken into custody and transported to the Central Processing Unit where he is being held without bond. The adult male victim was transported to an area hospital in serious condition.

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The following information is courtesy of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office:
July 13, 2022:
Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the honorable Judge Sharon Burrell sentenced defendant, Markeith Dwayne Jones, 21, of Washington D.C. to 10 years in prison for an armed carjacking that occurred on June 9^th, 2021, plus five years of supervised probation upon release.  (The sentence breakdown is 20 years suspend all but ten years for armed carjacking and an additional ten years suspend all but five years for the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence which will run concurrently.)

Jones pleaded guilty to the charges on April 29^th, 2022. He was arrested in June of 2019 for carjacking two individuals whose vehicle he had agreed to purchase through a social media ad. Jones met the victims at a Wheaton shopping center on June 9^th, 2021, threatened them with a gun and took off with their BMW. Montgomery County police located the stolen vehicle and a pursuit ensued which continued into the District of Columbia. An MPD helicopter assisted, and you can see the spotlight from it in surveillance video used in court which shows Jones after he crashed the vehicle. He can be seen tossing the gun into a trash can and then hopping a fence. He was arrested shortly after.

An important reminder for the public: The Montgomery County Police Department has designated “Exchange Zones” at six police stations where residents can meet up to safely hand off items bought and sold online.

Link to more information: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/howdoI/online-exchange-zone.html

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.

Rumi Life is coming to Westfield Wheaton Mall. The name, Rumi, is intended to reflect the store’s goal to make your living space feel “roomy.” The store sells a variety of fashion accessories, home décor, stationary, and toys.   There are Rumi locations in Hanover and Townson, MD, as well as Florida, New Jersey, and New York.  No opening date for the Wheaton location has been announced.

According to their website, “Rumi is a team of visionaries, go-doers and initiators who wish to better the present for an improved future. We physically personify the concept of affordability and efficiency in all of our products. At Rumi, we preach a lifestyle filled with minimal, aesthetic, and well-designed products so our shoppers can enjoy life to the fullest. Rumi works with over a hundred multicultural and innovative designers from over twenty countries across the globe such as Germany, France, Korea, Japan and China to supply quality and cost-effective products. In addition, we work alongside our company’s personal manufacturers and designers to self-create our own products in accordance to current trends and demands.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfhxucYj7fz/

Suki Hana has opened up locations in both the Montgomery and Wheaton mall food courts, although the two locations appear to have completely different menus. The Montgomery Mall kiosk menu features sushi, rolls, salads, and bowls. Selections include Spicy Tuna Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Black Dragon Roll, Seaweed Salad, and Green Poke Bowl. The Wheaton Mall location features chicken, beef, and shrimp Teryaki platters, as well as fried dumplings and tempura.

The signage at the Montgomery Mall location originally referred to the restaurant as “Sarku Hana,” but was quickly updated to ‘Suki Hana’, since there is no connection between the restaurant and Sarku Japan, which is also located in the Montgomery Mall food court.

Montgomery Mall:

Wheaton Mall:

Per Montgomery County:
Residents 18-and-older who are interested in electric scooter lessons will have the opportunity to attend free clinics on Saturdays, June 4 and 11, sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Participants can take a test ride, learn safety tips and get details on basic scooter laws. Participants must have a valid driver’s license. No registration is required to attend a clinic and walk ups are welcome. The clinics generally will last about two hours and e-scooters will be available at each site.

Those interested in e-scooters can stop in at any time during the two-hour clinics. The schedule of clinics:

Per Montgomery County:
The Taste of Wheaton will return after a two-year hiatus with a full day of food, music and activities for all ages from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, at Marian Fryer Plaza in Downtown Wheaton. Kids rides and activities are free, with food and drinks available for purchase from local Wheaton restaurants. Marian Fryer Plaza is located at 2424 Reedie Plaza adjacent to the Wheaton Triangle Business District. Participating Wheaton restaurants in the Taste of Wheaton will include Frank’s Burger Place, Green Plate Catering, Hollywood East Café, IHOP, Los Cobanos, Methi Indian Restaurant, Nando’s Peri Peri, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nut House Pizza and Terra Mare Restaurant.

Attendees can expect a full day of music and dance, rides, video games and children’s activities including face painting, caricature drawing, creation of balloon animals and arts and crafts.
Scheduled musical performances at the stage will include:

• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Rollex
• 1-2 p.m.: Chopteeth
• 2:30-3:30 p.m.: I&I Riddim
• 4-5 p.m. Rafael Ortiz and El Tumbao with Y2Salsa Production Dancers

Scheduled dance performances at the stage will include:

• 12:30-1 p.m.: Wheaton Studio of Dance
• 2-2:30 p.m.: Ameanspinn
• 3:30-4 p.m.: Urban Artistry

The festival will feature a beer and wine garden with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to the local food pantry Mid-County United Ministries.

Free COVID-19 testing and vaccinations will be available with no appointment required.

More information about Taste of Wheaton is available at www.wheatonmd.org.