Cinco de Mayo closes in Gaithersburg

Cinco de Mayo has closed at 640 Center Point Way at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg, according to a sign in the window. The Mexican restaurant opened here in 2000. Bailamos DMV has had to cancel their Friday night events at the restaurant. They are currently seeking a new venue in the area to continue those events.

Claire's closes at Gaithersburg Square

Claire's has closed at 524 N. Frederick Avenue at Gaithersburg Square. The interior has been mostly cleared out, with shelving and other leftover materials stacked up behind the counter. This closure can't be blamed on the moribund Montgomery County economy (though there's something odd about a Claire's in an open-air shopping center instead of an indoor mall). Claire's has filed for bankruptcy, and over 200 locations are closing nationwide.

Contents of former California Tortilla in Gaithersburg to be auctioned off

The contents of the former California Tortilla restaurant at 255 Spectrum Avenue at Spectrum Town Center in Gaithersburg will be auctioned off this November. According to the online auction listing, the auction will begin closing on Saturday, November 22, 2025. That's a lot farther in the future than these auctions are typically held. Also unlike most restaurant auctions, there isn't anything here for the prospective collector of branded items from the business in question. This auction will primarily appeal to the restaurateur seeking potential bargains on kitchen equipment and dining room furniture.

Poke Bros., Charm City Run close in Gaithersburg

Is the poke bowl fad officially over? Poke Bros. has closed at 107 Market Street at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. The restaurant opened in November 2023. Their signage is still up, but the space is being marketed for lease. Also cleared out is Charm City Run at 255 Kentlands Boulevard, although a sticker remains on the glass out front. The Baltimore-based chain's stores in Annapolis, Bel Air, Columbia, Fells Point, Frederick, Rehobeth Beach, and Timonium remain open, according to the company website.

Watkins Cabinet Co. closes in Dickerson, property for sale

Watkins Cabinet Company has closed at 18001 Sellman Road in Dickerson, after 73 years in business. Its 14,884-square-foot factory and warehouse facility has been put on the market for sale. This is a prime 1.43-acre property for an industrial/manufacturing use, as it is right on the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision tracks, part of a major freight and Amtrak route between Washington, D.C. and Chicago. That creates the opportunity for direct freight rail shipping across the nation, or to ports in Baltimore and Norfolk. 

I have suggested for many years that Montgomery County sit down with CSX and try to create attractive industrial sites alongside the railroad. This could be for the manufacture of anything from furniture to pharmaceuticals to drones. In exchange for the new freight business, CSX might then cooperate for the additional track that has been sought for use by MARC commuter rail on this line. According to the online sale listing, the asking price for the Watkins Cabinet property is $2,000,000. If Montgomery County is serious about getting the third track, these are the types of opportunities they should be investigating in partnership with CSX. Even without a third track, moribund Montgomery County needs the business and high-wage job growth.

Wilbur Watkins founded Watkins Cabinet Company in 1952. It remained family-owned for all 73 years. You might have a Watkins cabinet, vanity, bar, or bookcase in your home right now, if you live in the Washington, D.C. region.

Photos courtesy Brian Jamison Real Estate

Bonchon closes in Germantown (Photos)

Is the Pelicana Chicken Effect already being felt in Montgomery County? Bonchon has closed at 19775 Frederick Road, at the Fox Chapel Center. The popular Korean chicken chain has generally done well in MoCo, and this was a prime location with several other Asian-targeted businesses on the same property.

Pelicana Chicken, which claims the title of "King of Chicken," is opening soon in Rockville, not Germantown. Maybe it was the Chicken Pocha Effect? Bonchon has closed several locations in Northern Virginia in recent times and, ironically, was replaced by Pelicana Chicken in Sterling. Could that happen at Fox Chapel? Stay tuned!

Damascus Library closing for more than one year for renovations

The Damascus Library at 9701 Main Street in Damascus will close on Friday, January 31, 2025 for major renovations, Montgomery County Public Libraries announced. It is expected to remain closed until the fall of 2026. The renovations will include work on the senior center that shares the site with the library.

Updates planned include new flooring, paint, furniture, collaboration and study spaces, and a new customer service desk. Roof repairs will be made, and the building will be made compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards. An "all-gender" restroom will be constructed, and the HVAC system and windows will be upgraded.

“This renovation is a major investment in the future of Damascus,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement. “By improving both the library and senior center, we are enhancing the experience for our residents and ensuring these spaces serve future generations. These updates will help us provide a vibrant, inclusive community space.”

Regal Germantown closed while Montgomery County leaders slept at the switch (Photos)

Regal Cinemas has closed at 20000 Century Boulevard in Germantown. The closure, which was first reported by The MoCo Show, is a significant blow to the development and success of Germantown Town Center. The theater is likely to be replaced by yet another residential building. Yes, it may have retail or restaurant tenants in the ground floor (or, like others in the area, it might not), but neither outcome will produce the general activity level of a cineplex. In a relatively-high-crime area like Germantown, the last thing in the world you want is a large, dead, dark space after business hours.

The closure is also bad news for the surrounding businesses. A study last decade found that a multiplex theater draws an additional 20,000 people to a neighborhood each weekend, who shop and dine at nearby establishments before and after their movie. "Dinner and a movie" is such a generator of economic activity - not to mention one of the most popular weekend activities of many Americans - that some restaurants will even partner with theaters to offer special packages. 

It's sad that it came down to this. When this theater opened as a Hoyts Cinema around the turn of the century, it stood out for awhile in a county where most theaters were aging or had closed altogether, and the odds of finding a hole in your seat cushion at many were quite good. But in recent years as a Regal Cinemas, the failure to convert to the latest theater standards such as recliners could be seen as the writing on the wall. 

The reality is that the potential cash value of the land as a mixed-use development site exceeded whatever Regal would realistically be able to pay in rent over the coming years. And as in the demise of Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10, the Montgomery County Council was asleep at the switch, despite it being known for months that this economic engine of Germantown Town Center was in danger of being switched off, with no replacement. 

It should be noted that Topgolf, the only other significant entertainment option in the Town Center neighborhood, is in financial distress at the corporate level. Parent company Topgolf Calloway has declared its intention to spin off the Topgolf business into a separate entity. As a result, there's no ironclad guarantee that Topgolf will be around forever in Germantown. BlackRock Center for the Arts isn't enough to sustain a viable Town Center economy on its own. Where is the leadership? Somebody reach for the smelling salts.

Don Jorge's closed in Gaithersburg

Don Jorge's is closed at 108 E. Diamond Avenue in Gaithersburg. A sign in the window states that the restaurant is closed for "critical repairs." There are also signs in the window offering the restaurant building itself for sale. Readers may recall that I reported the building was being marketed for lease in February 2022, and that the Don Jorge's lease was stated at that time to be expiring this year.

Buca di Beppo closes in Gaithersburg

Buca di Beppo has closed at 122 Kentlands Boulevard in Gaithersburg. The family-style Italian chain leans heavily in a retro direction, but was actually founded in 1993. It's unclear if Buca di Beppo was a victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy. On the one hand, there are no news reports indicating the chain is in financial trouble. But I do see quite a number of other Buca di Beppo locations closing around the country recently, in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, and Hawaii.

Paladar closes at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg

Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar has closed at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. A sign posted at the restaurant calls the closure a "tough decision," but that unspecified "challenges in recent years have made continued operations unsustainable." Paladar was one of the original businesses at the decade-old development, and was successful enough to reach the end of a 10-year lease at the property. However, the chain appears to have been struggling in recent years, closing its North Bethesda Market restaurant in 2018, Annapolis in 2020, and Cleveland, Ohio in 2023. At some point their Tysons location closed, as well.

Red Lobster closes in Gaithersburg as chain files for bankruptcy

Red Lobster has closed at 15700 Shady Grove Road. The seafood restaurant chain announced late Sunday night that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. "This restructuring is the best path forward for Red Lobster," CEO Jonathan Tibus said in a statement. "It allows us to address several financial and operational challenges and emerge stronger and re-focused on our growth. The support we've received from our lenders and vendors will help ensure that we can complete the sale process quickly and efficiently while remaining focused on our employees and guests." As part of its bankruptcy filings, Red Lobster will close some locations, sell some - or potentially all - of its assets, and sell its business to a new entity "formed and controlled by its existing term lenders."

This is especially sad news for residents of the Upper Rock neighborhood. The closure removes one of the main dining options within walking distance of the apartments there. Can we get an Olive Garden or Texas Roadhouse into this empty building? Montgomery County may be the only jurisdiction of its size in America to have neither. The machinations of the Montgomery County Council against those brands, Walmart, Cracker Barrel, and modernity in general are truly bizarre! Believe it or not, your constituents want unlimited bread sticks, and to be able to buy beer and wine at Giant and CVS!