Signature Cigars closes in Bethesda

Signature Cigars has closed at 4919 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The shop's last day was Sunday, and there is already a for-lease sign in the window. Cigar aficionados seeking the traditional shopping experience still have the nearby Capitol Cigar & Tobacco at 4916 Del Ray Avenue. But the loss of another longtime Bethesda business still stings, as the moribund Montgomery County economy claims another victim. But, hell, let's go ahead and vote for the same people who did this to us again! "Smarter than the average bear!"

Just Salad opens in Friendship Heights

Just Salad is now open at 5300-D Wisconsin Avenue NW at what's left of Mazza Gallerie in Friendship Heights. The fast-casual salad restaurant is the latest addition to the ground-level retail spaces in what is now known as the Residences at Mazza. Reusable bowls and a large number of plant-based alternatives to meat (the real thing is also still available at Just Salad, though) are part of what the chain calls "Earth-friendly" dining. 

To celebrate the Chevy Chase opening, Just Salad is offering 50% off your first digital order. Use the code MG50 through June 30, 2026. That's a good deal in tough financial times like this in Montgomery County.

Elite Estate Antiques opens in Bethesda

Elite Estate Antiques is now open at 8121 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Founded in 1985, the business buys, sells, and appraises antiques, fine art, furniture, home decor, military collectibles and memorabilia, and estate purchases. Hours of operation are 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Saturday. They are closed on Sundays.

Austrian life sciences firm chooses Virginia over Maryland for U.S. headquarters

Austrian life sciences firm Ringana has made the United States the target of its next international expansion push, but first it needed a U.S. corporate headquarters to operate from. It has found the perfect location, and you won't be surprised to hear it is not in Montgomery County, or even within the state of Maryland. You also won't be surprised to learn that Virginia is once again the winner in this latest corporate HQ sweepstakes. That's right: 435 jobs are on the way from the Österreich to 2797 Frontage Road NW in Roanoke, Virginia. The former Johnson & Johnson site will not only house corporate offices, but also a manufacturing facility and a distribution center.

The deal was apparently secured when Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger invited Ringana corporate leadership to meet with her personally this past February. In contrast, Maryland Governor Wes Moore has failed to turn his supposedly-massive Rolodex of Wall Street, Hamptons, and Martha's Vineyard business contacts into a single major corporate headquarters win. After an awkward few months dominated by divisive partisan politics, Spanberger seems to have found the blueprint left behind by her Democratic predecessors, who have typically been as successful in attracting corporate headquarters as their Republican counterparts.

“RINGANA’s decision to establish its first U.S. facility in Virginia underscores the Commonwealth’s reputation as a welcoming, premier destination for international investment,” Spanberger said in a statement. “With our world-class workforce, strong apprenticeship and career training programs, and unwavering commitment to supporting global companies in a global marketplace, Virginia offers the ideal environment for businesses to grow and succeed in the United States. We are excited to welcome RINGANA to Roanoke and look forward to the hundreds of career opportunities this partnership will create for Virginians.”

We should take note of the site chosen by Ringana. Look how close it is to Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, which has connecting flights to Dulles International Airport. Also nearby is Interstate 81, a major freight trucking route connecting Tennessee and Canada. Once again, Virginia tax advantages join with infrastructure to hand Maryland and Montgomery County yet another economic development loss. MoCo and Maryland elected officials will tell you with clownish pride that "we don't do highways," and that they will never allow construction of the long-delayed new Potomac River crossing to the Dulles area.

Now before we get too carried away, I don't want to overhype Ringana. We should be focused on major corporations, especially on aerospace, biotech, defense, and technology firms. Ringana is not a Fortune 500 company. But it has enjoyed $245 million in annual revenue, and 30% year-over-year revenue growth. It will be investing $85 million in Virginia and its people and communities. The Roanoke Regional Partnership is already working to connect local businesses that can provide services to Ringana with the company's leadership.

Beggars can't be choosers. Montgomery County and Maryland once again are left holding their nearly-empty begging cups.

The Velvet Room opening June 17 in Bethesda

The Velvet Room will open at 8020 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda this Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Reservations for an opening week table at the speakeasy are now being accepted online. You can also view the cocktail menu for opening night, which includes many drinks with hyperlocal names. Operating hours will be 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM Tuesday through Thursday, 4:00 PM to midnight Friday through Sunday, and closed on Mondays.

Miniso returning to Montgomery Mall for cage match with Pop Mart

Miniso operated a store at Westfield Montgomery Mall from 2021 to 2025. But the company appears to have realized it might have made a hasty decision to exit, now that Pop Mart is preparing to open a store at the Bethesda mall. And it looks like they're reclaiming their old haunt on Level 1 near Macy's. Of course, Miniso sells a much wider variety of products than toy retailer Pop Mart, such as kitchenware, home goods, and health and fitness items. But a significant portion of its Japanese-inspired (don't tell Chairman Xi!) Chinese merchandise is dedicated to blind bag and oversized plush toys, making this a high-stakes faceoff for the toy collector's dollar at Montgomery Mall.

Sleep Number closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Sleep Number has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The showroom has been cleared out. However, it's not the end for the famous adjustable bed retailer in the immediate area. The company says the store has relocated to Rockville, in the Montrose Crossing shopping center. This is unexpectedly good news for fans of the Sleep Number Bed, as the brand is in significant financial difficulty, and has said a bankruptcy filing is not out of the question.

Assault at Montgomery Mall

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda Wednesday night, June 10, 2026. The assault was reported at the mall at 9:14 PM Wednesday. This is the fourth known assault to take place at the popular retail center so far this year. A total of twelve assaults were reported at the mall last year, so they are currently on a pace to improve on those numbers.

Armand's Pizzeria latest victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy

Armand's Pizzeria and Grille is closing at 190 Halpine Road in Rockville. After over 51 years in business, the restaurant's co-owners announced on Instagram that they will permanently shut their doors after the close of business on June 20, 2026. This is your last chance to get a slice of Armand's pizza. But it's also another chance to see what the anti-business policies of the Montgomery County Council, and the resulting moribund Montgomery County economy, have wreaked on our business community and underfilled County revenue coffers.

WTOP reporter Luke Lukert wrote that "due to financial reasons and a struggling environment for small businesses, they will have to shut their doors." Lukert interviewed Armand's co-owner Chris Sappe, who told him,"Montgomery County is a tough place to have a family-owned business with minimum wage increasing." Along with recent hikes in ingredient and fuel costs, Sappe said, they had to make the difficult decision to close.

Let's again spin one of the greatest hits recorded by Peter Gragnano of the Suburban Washington Franchise Owners Association, when he and many other business owners and advocates pleaded with the Council not to move forward with their massive minimum wage hike in June of 2016. "That's a lot of extra Slurpees to sell," Gragnano said in the quote of the night. Did the Council heed these warnings? Nope.

Remember the Council's brilliant idea to index the minimum wage to inflation beginning in 2021? Yep, that one hasn't aged well, either. One businessman warned the Council that if inflation spiked as it did in the late 1970s and early 1980s, "there won't be a way to wash a dish in a restaurant." This is the man you should now be asking to generate your lottery numbers! Inflation spike? In America? The County Council clearly does not share that businessman's Kenny Kingston-esque foresight.

Another one of the brilliant minds in the business realm of Maryland is Maddy Voytek, who in 2016 was working at the Maryland Retailers Association. She noted that Montgomery County had already lost 2141 retail jobs between 2000 and 2016. Voytek told the Council that adoption of the $15 wage would "devastate our economy."

What we've seen most recently, as all of these dire predictions came true, are more closings of older businesses. Community institutions. Businesses like Armand's or Flanagan's in Bethesda. Businesses that have survived wars, recessions, and the 2008 "Great Recession," only to be felled now by the incompetents on our County Council. Something is rotten in the County of Montgomery. Have the smelling salts reached your nostrils yet?

Bradley Liberty gas station to reopen Friday in Bethesda

The Bradley Liberty gas station at 5001 Bradley Boulevard at the Bradley Shopping Center in downtown Bethesda will reopen tomorrow, Friday, June 12, 2026. It has been temporarily closed for major renovations. However, construction fencing has finally been taken down at the family-owned service station. Just in time for summer travel!

Assault at Westbard Giant in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at the Giant grocery store at 5320 Zenith Overlook at Westbard Square Monday afternoon, June 8, 2026. The assault was reported at the store at 4:50 PM Monday. This is the third known assault to take place at the supermarket this year, with the first two taking place in January.

Virtual meeting on Cheltenham Bikeway in Bethesda tonight at 6:30 PM

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation will host a virtual public meeting regarding the proposed Cheltenham Drive Bikeway project in downtown Bethesda tonight, June 10, 2026, at 6:30 PM. MCDOT will present the project design, estimated cost, and timeline. The agency will also provide an opportunity for public testimony and questions. In its meeting announcement, MCDOT stresses that the final project design can still be altered based upon the feedback it receives from the public tonight. 

Residents and other stakeholders who cannot participate tonight may still submit written testimony by this Friday, June 12. Written testimony will be given the same weight as oral testimony. To find out how to join tonight's meeting, or to submit written comments, visit the meeting announcement website online.

On second thought...Woodmont Avenue closure postponed in Bethesda

A potentially devastating street closure near Bethesda Row has been postponed. Cryptic signs referring to an unidentified segment of Woodmont Avenue closing appeared last week. Eventually, the segment was identified as being located between Strathmore Street and Wisconsin Avenue, and it was to remain closed from June 8 through August 31, 2026. Now the electronic sign boards are advising "Work Delayed" and "Road Open."

2 the 9s to reopen July 15 at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

2 the 9s has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. However, the owner says the fashion boutique is changing hands, and is being remodeled by the new owner. The shop will reopen July 15 "with a fresh look." 2 the 9s opened here on Level 2 of the mall in the spring of 2023.

Montgomery County Republican Club endorses Ed Hale for Maryland governor

Baltimore businessman Ed Hale has received the endorsement of the Montgomery County Republican Club in the GOP primary race for Maryland governor. The club was founded in 1970, and counts former Governor Bob Ehrlich among its Advisory Board members. This morning, the club's Board of Directors announced its endorsements in County and State contests, headlined by its backing of Hale for governor. 

"At the top of the ticket, the Club has thrown its support behind Ed Hale for Governor of Maryland," the Board said in a statement this morning. "A businessman and entrepreneur, Hale has built his campaign around lowering the state’s tax burden, reducing regulatory obstacles to commerce, and restoring an economic climate in which job creators can thrive. The Club presents Hale’s real-world experience as a decisive credential for Maryland’s executive office."

The Board's argument in favor of Hale centers on his business resume, which includes having been a major employer and catalyst for growth at the Port of Baltimore. He served as president of the Bank of Baltimore, and was the founder of 1st Mariner Bank, credentials that Hale has pointed to as evidence he is well-positioned to tackle the state's mounting fiscal crisis. Hale was also the successful developer of Canton Crossing, which transformed a severely-contaminated oil refinery site in Baltimore into a vibrant mixed-use development.

"Honored and grateful to receive the official endorsement of the Montgomery County Republican Club!" Hale wrote on social media this morning. "Maryland is ready for a leader with real-world business experience who knows what it takes to lower the tax burden, cut through regulatory red tape, and restore a thriving economic climate where job creators and families can truly flourish. Thank you to the Club and all of its members for throwing your support behind our mission to bring decisive leadership to Annapolis. Together, we are going to build a stronger, more prosperous Maryland!"

Shake Shack opening in downtown Bethesda on June 24

Shake Shack has set an opening date for its newest Bethesda location at 7535 Old Georgetown Road in the ground floor of the Element 28 apartment tower. The fast-casual hamburger restaurant will open June 24, 2026, according to Google. This is the second Shake Shack to open in Bethesda, with the first being located in the Dining Terrace food court at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Here's another sneak peek at the construction progress inside the downtown Bethesda store.

Hammer and Nails opening August 1 in Bethesda

Hammer and Nails has set the opening date for its new downtown Bethesda location at 7712 Woodmont Avenue at the Lionsgate condominiums. The "Grooming Shop for Guys" will open on August 1, 2026. As you can see, the sign is up over the storefront, and is already lit up at night. Founding Memberships are still available. The company is referring to this as the "Woodmont" location, which makes me wonder if there might be additional Bethesda locations in the works. Stay tuned!

Bethesda office building for sale

An office building in downtown Bethesda is for sale, but looks can be deceiving. 4709 Maple Avenue looks like a residential home, and probably started its life that way when it was constructed in 1937. But in its modified form today, you might be surprised to learn that there are eight individual offices inside there, as well as a conference room, a reception area, a kitchen, and three bathrooms. Oh, I forgot to mention the fireplace. The asking price? $1,600,000, according to the online sale listing. 

Images courtesy AMR Commercial, LLC via LoopNet

Marriott International HQ plaza in Bethesda is closed for repairs in Bethesda

Marriott International's downtown headquarters has only been open a few years, and its plaza is already in need of repairs. The promenade between the Marriott HQ and the Marriott Bethesda Downtown hotel at 7707 Woodmont Avenue was closed to the public last night. "Plaza closed for repairs," read a sandwich board sign. It was not immediately clear which aspects of the gathering space were in need of repair. But we know the menus in these buildings are. Bring back the original recipe Mighty Mo Burger, Teen Twist, Orange Freeze, and chicken noodle soup with the round noodles!

Samsung chooses Texas over Maryland for new U.S. corporate headquarters

Maryland dropped the ball - and dropped the call - on one of the biggest corporate headquarters relocation sweepstakes of 2026. South Korean technology giant Samsung is fleeing New Jersey after locating its U.S. headquarters there nearly 40 years ago. Up for grabs were not only the prestige of having the HQ of a conglomerate with fifth-highest brand value of any company in the world, but also 1000 high-wage jobs. You would expect Maryland, which hasn't attracted a single new major corporate headquarters in over a quarter century, to pull out all the stops to lure Samsung to the state. But you would be wrong: Samsung is instead moving its HQ to Plano, Texas.

How hard did Montgomery County and Maryland try to win the game? We don't know, because neither discussed their desire or strategy to win over Samsung publicly. We know Maryland Governor Wes Moore was in touch with executives of a Samsung biotech division when he traveled to South Korea on a trade mission in 2025. Those conversations played a role in Samsung Biologics agreeing to take over a Montgomery County manufacturing facility that was likely to close otherwise. Was Moore able to tap into those contacts during this year's HQ competition? We don't know.

What we do know, is that Montgomery County and Maryland again reaped the whirlwind of failing to get themselves into fighting shape for economic development. While the Maryland tax burden is less than New Jersey's, it cannot remotely compete with Samsung's choice of Texas. The Lone Star State has no individual or corporate income tax. Maryland, whose leaders chose to close 8 power plants and implement "clean" power mandates and a Communist EmPOWER surcharge on electric bills, can no longer generate enough power and is forced to import electricity at higher "boardwalk prices." As a result, energy costs in Texas are literally half of those in Maryland. 

Those two factors alone were likely enough to convince any intelligent executive to choose Texas over Maryland. But wait - there's more.

Texas has superior highway and air travel infrastructure. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is closer by car to Plano than Montgomery County is to Dulles International Airport, thanks to Montgomery County and Maryland officials actively blocking construction of a long-planned Potomac River crossing to the Dulles area. 

There's also no contest when it comes to private jet travel. Business executives can travel to international destinations like London and Mexico City from Addison Airport, located only 12-17 minutes from Plano. Such jaunts are not possible from the Montgomery County Airpark, which cannot accommodate larger business jets. Addison has customs facilities; Montgomery County Airpark does not. Addison boasts 3 Fixed-Base Operators providing fueling, minor maintenance, deicing, and baggage handling; flight crew resources and facilities such as flight plan and weather rooms and crew lounges; and luxury VIP passenger lounges, secure parking, and corporate sedan/limousine ground transportation coordination. MCA has one FBO, which is limited to fueling and hangar storage, and does not offer luxury facilities or amenities.

Finally, Texas is a Right to Work state and has a far-cheaper cost of living than Maryland. This means lower overall labor costs, and the lower cost of housing and everything else helps to attract the best and brightest to Texas.

Texas has a whopping 57 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. Maryland has...3. Womp womp.

"Texas is the undisputed headquarters of headquarters," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a (under)statement earlier this week. 

Teas Me bubble tea shop space marketed for lease in Bethesda

The space currently occupied by Teas Me at 5017 Wilson Lane in downtown Bethesda is now being marketed for lease. Teas Me, a bubble tea shop, opened here in July 2023. According to the online listing, the space is available "now." Teas Me remains open for business at this time.

Image courtesy AMR Commercial, LLC via LoopNet

Woodmont Ave. to close between Strathmore St. & Wisconsin Ave. June 8 - August 31 in Bethesda

There's finally an explanation for those cryptic "Woodmont to close" signs placed at Bethesda Row recently. Several commenters had suggested it might be for an upcoming WSSC water utility project, and it turns out that this is indeed the case. It's a major project to replace a 54" large-valve vault under Leland Street, a project so big it will take from June until October 2026 to complete. The work will require Woodmont Avenue to close between Strathmore Street and Wisconsin Avenue from June 8 to August 31.

Street access will be for residents and affected businesses only during that period. WSSC expects all work to be completed during business hours on weekdays, and between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM on weekends. Nighttime work will be performed only if determined to be necessary, and, of course, dates could move if there are extended periods of bad weather between now and October. WSSC promises to restore pavement conditions to what they were or better, after the project is completed. Needless to say, along with the loss of two lanes of Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda through the end of August, our traffic nightmares will soon be reaching Freddy Krueger proportions.

Another corporate headquarters leaving Bethesda for Virginia

Just weeks before the primary election, Montgomery County has lost yet another corporate headquarters to Northern Virginia. Spatial Front, a defense contracting firm, has announced it will be relocating from Bethesda to Crystal City. It will take 450 high-wage jobs with it. Spatial Front is a privately held firm founded in 2008 that specializes in artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial technologies, cloud services, and digital modernization for U.S. federal agencies.

Beyond the incredible tax advantages and superior infrastructure of Virginia, and the moribund economies of Montgomery County and Maryland, a person in the defense contracting field tells me that the new Maryland IT services tax may have been the last straw for Spatial Front. Beginning last July, Maryland’s Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025 instituted a 3% sales and use tax on data processing, computer systems design, and software publishing. As the Fort Meade Alliance warned Maryland elected officials, the IT tax could have the result of driving what's left of the defense contracting business out of the state to Northern Virginia. That's partly because the tax wallops companies operating under the NAICS 5415 code (Computer Systems Design), the industry group said, and could wipe out profit margins.

The Spatial Front departure again confirms all that I've been saying for years. Montgomery County and Maryland do not have competitive tax policies. In fact, Montgomery County has the largest total tax and fee burden in the Washington D.C. Metro area. All Northern Virginia counties enjoy direct access to Dulles International Airport, the only airport in the region that offers the frequency of flights to the largest variety of destinations that international businesspeople demand. Montgomery County, by contrast, has steadfastly refused to build the new Potomac River crossing that would extend I-370 to the Dulles area, an own-goal of increasingly-catastrophic proportions. And we also see the magnetism of winning these corporate headquarters. Crystal City has the Amazon HQ2, and companies want to be where the energy is.

To top off the irony of the loss, Spatial Front is moving into 2231 Crystal Drive, a building owned by Bethesda-based JBG Smith! "As Governor, I am proud that Spatial Front is moving its headquarters to Arlington," Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger said in a celebratory press release announcing the victory. "The decision to relocate and bring hundreds of high-quality jobs to the Commonwealth reaffirms Virginia’s status as the nation’s premier location for defense and technology innovation. I remain focused on working with state and local partners to bolster that reputation, strengthen our business climate, and cement Virginia as the top state for talent so we can continue to openly welcome growing and expanding companies in every industry."

While Spanberger was closing the deal with Spatial Front, the Montgomery County Council was raising multiple taxes on its residential and business constituents, attending conferences at Hawaiian resorts, advancing a moratorium on data centers and an unconstitutional gun control bill, and passing a bill on the use of masks by law enforcement that violates the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause. Doh!

Remember when Tennessee was sealing the deal after wooing Discovery away from Silver Spring, and the Montgomery County Council was simultaneously debating a ban on circus animals? Wow. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Vehicle capacity reduced by 33% overnight on Wisconsin Ave. in Bethesda with bus lanes

Hiding behind Maryland and WMATA transit agency officials, the Montgomery County Council implemented a 33% reduction in vehicle capacity on Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) in downtown Bethesda overnight. Trucks loudly roared up and down Wisconsin all night long, applying striping and lettering for bus-only lanes in both directions. The Trojan horse plan mimics the one utilized to get similar bus lanes long-sought by the Council on Georgia Avenue a few years ago. Using the identical gimmick of an insane, long-term closure of multiple Red Line subway stations between Glenmont and downtown Silver Spring in 2024, the Council stiff-armed Maryland Department of Transportation officials into suddenly declaring the bus lanes permanent. The Trojan horse is rolling down the west side of the Red Line this summer, as the Bethesda, Medical Center, and Grosvenor Metro stations will be closed from July 6 to September 6, 2026.

You can be sure that a similar announcement will be made by County, Maryland, and WMATA officials as the station reopening date approaches. The bus lanes plan is publicly sold - minus any public input - as a way to speed shuttle buses between the White Flint and Friendship Heights stations during the closure. In reality, it is a devious scheme to implement by fiat the Council's radical War-on-Cars agenda. Once again, our Marxist totalitarian-left Council is incapable of controlling its dictatorial impulses - but it is very capable of controlling your commute to work. And once again, we see the politicization of MDOT that began during the Larry Hogan administration. Twenty years ago, MDOT would have laughed about the idea of reducing Wisconsin Avenue - the most heavily traveled commuter route in the state - to two lanes in each direction, and dismissed such a proposal outright as total insanity. Post-Martin O'Malley administration, MDOT is amenable to any wacky scheme to advance a local political agenda or developer profit, no matter how contrary to engineering best practices it may be. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Ideal Image closes at Bethesda Row

Ideal Image has closed at 4930 Elm Street at Bethesda Row. The medspa is the first of a wave of similar businesses along Elm Street to fail. Heyday, OVME Medical Spa, and Prime IV Hydration Wellness are still going strong. Ideal Image started the trend when it signed a lease for the former Boloco space in December 2019, and Heyday and OVME followed in early 2020. All four businesses remained surprisingly resilient in opening and thriving amid the pandemic. Ideal Image has ceased to exist as a corporation, but it has tried to sell its individual clinics to new operators where possible, and that apparently wasn't in the cards here.

Sense of Thai opens in Bethesda

Sense of Thai has opened at 5314 Zenith Overlook at Westbard Square in Bethesda. The restaurant is holding a soft opening all this week. Of the restaurants to open so far at the new Regency Centers development, Sense of Thai has arguably the most elaborate interior design and ambiance. The menu is dominated by spicy entrees, but there are a number of milder dishes for the heat-averse. Operating hours are 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

The restaurant held a blessing ceremony with Buddhist monks earlier this week. Early diners have given the menu and service rave reviews. Although the local chain has existing locations in Virginia, it's possible we could see a review by the Washington Post restaurant critic, as he is relatively new in the position and hasn't had a chance to write about the older Sense of Thai locations. So why not start with Westbard?