Monday, March 06, 2017

Last Radio Shack in Bethesda says, "Everything must go!!!" + 2 more closures at Westfield Montgomery Mall

Say it ain't so! The last RadioShack in Bethesda - and one of the last in Montgomery County - appears to be on the way out. Signs in the front windows scream, "Everything must go!" and, "Entire store on sale!"
20% off sale items at
RadioShack Sunday
don't reflect true
liquidation prices
What's happening here? Several ominous signs are suddenly on the horizon for the venerable electronics retailer. Bloomberg reports that the company that only recently bought RadioShack is preparing to file for bankruptcy itself.

Despite no public plans to close additional stores, now there is word that at least two other RadioShack locations will close March 10, in Murray, Kentucky and Ann Arbor, Michigan. In recent weeks, stores have already closed in Bucksport, Maine; Keene, New Hampshire; and Spencer, Iowa. All have displayed the same signs that are now in the windows at the Westfield Montgomery Mall store.

Unless it's just a cheap ploy to get people to come in the door, it doesn't sound good right now for RadioShack.
Core is walled-off
on Level 2
In other sad news from the mall, Core has closed almost precisely two years to the day it opened in 2015. And with winter departing the area, so too does the seasonal Sheepskin and Alpaca Too.
The doors have closed until
next winter at
Sheepskin and Alpaca Too
For some positive news from the mall, Lucky Strike opened this weekend - check out my report from the VIP grand opening party.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Say it ain't so! One of the last enclosed malls in Montgomery County appears to be on the way out. Signs in store windows scream, "Everything must go!' and, 'Entire store on sale!'

"What's happening here? Several ominous signs are suddenly on the horizon for the venerable shopping center.

"Despite no public plans to close additional stores, now there is word that at least two other stores will close at Westfield Montgomery Mall.

"Unless it's just a cheap ploy to get people to come in the door, it doesn't sound good right now for Montgomery Mall."

Anonymous said...

Lucky Strike may be great but their taking up a good amount of the first-floor garage parking on that side of the mall for their own valet SUCKS. Going to the movies on the weekend just took on a whole new level of pain-in-the-ass. For a dying mall, there sure are a ton of people in the parking lots on Friday and Saturday nights.

Anonymous said...

@6:59 Are you talking about the level one below the food court, or at food court level? Is it that way on weekdays too?

I haven't been there in about 2 weeks, but we use the lowest level garage all the time since the elevator gives direct access to the food court.

Anonymous said...

Rockville Mall 1972 - 1995

Black Flint 1972 - 2002

White Flint 1977 - 2015

Montgomery Mall 1968 - 2018

Anonymous said...

Radio Shack is venerable? Oh, please.

Radio Shack has been pushing customers away for at least a decade. For *years* you couldn't complete a purchase without giving them a phone number for even the most trivial things. Then they couldn't decide if they were a hobbyist store (selling the parts to make electronics) or an electronics store (selling tvs, phones, etc), or a warranty store (had one sales person ask me if I wanted a warranty on a spool of solder...hah). The only surprise here is that they didn't go out of business years ago.

Anonymous said...

Also stopped going to radio shack and ordering electronics supplies online when you couldn't buy anything there without the clerk asking you what phone you had and trying to sell you an upgrade. Nothing of value lost.

Anonymous said...

7:06 Please explain yourself! What the H is "Black Flint"? Your attempt at humor?

I remember Giffords said...

Remember, back in the day, the Battery Club cards at Radio Shack?

Anonymous said...

7:32AM - I'm not sure, but in other deadmall posts Landover Mall is mentioned. Dunno why, since wasn't a MC mall.

Anonymous said...

Sears will be next. Could care less about Sears except for Craftsman. Online and Amazon are great but when you need a tool, Sears was always there. I just hope the entire Craftsman line ends up at Strosnider (they have some Craftsman already) or HD.

Anonymous said...

@ 1:58 PM - Sears is in negotiation to sell Craftsman Tools to Stanley Black & Decker.

They also may spin off their auto stores under the DieHard brand.

Anonymous said...

I forgot about the Black and Decker deal. Just hope the entire Craftsman line will be available in retail. Thanks!