El Guero Mexicano opening in Gaithersburg

El Guero Mexicano is coming soon to Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg. It will be located at 200 Ellington Boulevard, the former home of BurgerIM. If the name sounds familiar, it's because the new restaurant is being opened by the owners of the nearby Taco Bar El Guero. They are keeping the same menu, as well as their famous Salsa Bar.

Tea Spa to relocate at Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg

Tea Spa Wellness Center is preparing to relocate within Kentlands Market Square in Gaithersburg. Currently located at 209 Market Street W., the day spa will be moving over to 621 Center Point Way. That space - as you can see in the photo below - was most recently home to Pacifica Cafe. It faces the parking lot on the far end of the Cinepolis movie theater building. Massages, facials, Reiki energy healing, acupuncture, and waxing are among the services offered by Tea Spa.

Bach to Rock moving into Kentlands Market Square

Bach to Rock is moving from one major Gaithersburg development to another. The music school will be leaving its current location at Rio Lakefront next month. It will reopen in a new space at 112 Market Street at Kentlands Market Square. 

The chain says "you will be notified of the official grand opening date once one is determined. We will continue to operate in our existing facility until the new one is opened. Our 2024 summer camps will be held in our new facility." The new spot is next to Wine & Beer Bistro, and was formerly home to Jessa Medical Supply.

Locally Crafted moving at Rio Lakefront

Locally Crafted is relocating at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. It will be moving from its original spot at 201 Boardwalk Place to the space next to Le Macaron at 9 Grand Corner Avenue. Locally Crafted is a retail store carrying artisan and hand-crafted goods from over 60 makers in the D.C. metropolitan area. It opened at Rio in October 2021, but temporarily closed while awaiting Francesca's Collections to vacate their new storefront recently.

DMV Empanadas opening at Gaithersburg Square

DMV Empanadas is coming soon to Gaithersburg Square, according to signage posted at its future space. Known for its savory and sweet Latin American turnovers, DMV Empanadas had an existing location at 113 E. Diamond Avenue. That store closed last month, and the new Gaithersburg Square spot will be at 560 N. Frederick Avenue. While waiting for the new location to open, you can still get your favorite DMV Empanadas at the Olney Farmers Market from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM every Sunday.

Megamart Gaithersburg opening September 7

The new Megamart location at 33 Dalamar Street in Gaithersburg will open tomorrow, September 7, 2023. Operations will transfer from the existing store at 401 S. Frederick Avenue. Interestingly, as of last night, signage had yet to be installed on the new grocery store building. However, a new traffic signal at MD 355 and Dalamar Street has begun operation, in anticipation of heavy traffic to the new Megamart store. Please note that the street address for the site of the new store has changed from 7 Dalamar Street (when it was Golden Bull) to 33 Dalamar Street.

Germantown firm moving to Virginia

There goes another one. Amentum Services, a leading government contractor in the fields of engineering, project management and advanced solutions integration, is moving from Germantown to Chantilly in Fairfax County, Virginia. The latest corporate decision to choose Virginia over Montgomery County will bring 157 new jobs to Fairfax County - good jobs with high pay. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) announced the move in a press release Monday.

According to Youngkin's statement, Virginia competed directly with Maryland to woo Amentum, which has 44,000 employees working in 85 countries around the world. “Fairfax County offers the location, access to decision-makers, and talent pipeline that global providers like Amentum are seeking, and we are proud to welcome the company’s leadership and operations team to Virginia,” Youngkin said. “Amentum joins the ranks of the Commonwealth’s diversified ecosystem of more than 800 corporate headquarters across a broad cross-section of industries.”

“I want to thank and congratulate Amentum for choosing Fairfax County for its home base,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay said in statement. “Our long-term investment into making Fairfax County the top choice to locate a global business continues to bear fruit, and I am thrilled that Amentum has chosen to take advantage of what we offer.” 

Amentum is the latest corporation to abandon moribund Montgomery County for Virginia, or choose Virginia over Maryland in a relocation search. It joins Amazon, Northrop Grumman, Volkswagen, Lidl, Hilton Hotels, Intelsat, Corporate Executive Board, Nestle, Lego, and Gerber, to name a few. 

Montgomery County and Maryland have had difficulty even gobbling up the crumbs under Virginia's dinner table. When Youngkin made the surprising decision to reject a Ford Motor Company battery plant recently, Maryland wasn't even a serious contender to grab the jump ball. That fumble apparently happened on the watch of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and the 2018-2022 Montgomery County Council, as Michigan was quickly named as Ford's backup choice. 

King Buick GMC moving to Gaithersburg

The King Buick GMC dealership at 16200 Frederick Road will be relocating into the City of Gaithersburg. Its current property is being annexed by the City of Rockville, and will be redeveloped by EYA into a multifamily housing community. King's new location will be 953 N. Frederick Avenue, by the existing King Kia dealership.

A new 15,725 square foot showroom building will be constructed on the site for the Buick and GMC brands. The existing service center will be expanded by 19,589 square feet, as well. These proposed structural additions will be reviewed by the Gaithersburg Planning Commission at its February 2, 2022 meeting. Planning staff recommends approval of the proposal, as well as the granting of a parking waiver.