Westfield Montgomery Mall to reopen Tuesday, June 23; Nordstrom opening early this weekend

Westfield Montgomery Mall is ready to come out of Covid hibernation. They will be reopening on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The mall's hours initially will be 11:00 AM-7:00 PM Monday-Saturday, and 12:00-6:00 PM Sundays.

But you can get an even earlier start to shopping beginning this Saturday at Nordstrom, because they'll be reopening ahead of the rest of the mall this weekend (Nordstrom has its own entrance).

Nordstrom will have special hours this Saturday and Sunday 11:00 AM-5:00 PM.  Starting Monday, Nordstrom will be open Monday-Saturday 11:00 AM-7:00 PM, and Sundays 12:00-5:00 PM.

Montgomery County's Phase 2 reopening that begins Friday at 5:00 PM requires masks to be worn, and social distancing observed, in stores. There may be restrictions on how many customers may be in a store at one time if it gets crowded.

Malls in Montgomery County will be "open for shopping, not for socializing," County Executive Marc Elrich said yesterday. "The food courts will not be opening," Elrich said. "We are not going to allow people to gather in the mall."

CHIPOTLE, CAVA MEZZE GRILL OPENING AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL IN BETHESDA

Westfield Montgomery Mall is adding two more dining options, and both are already favorites in downtown Bethesda. Chipotle and Cava Mezze Grill are the latest additions to an exploding roster of restaurants. Like last summer's addition of Starbucks, both provide mall patrons with popular brands, and should be a draw for the sizable lunch crowd from the office parks and high school nearby.

WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL ADDS UPSCALE LIGHTING, SEATING AREAS

The common spaces throughout Westfield Montgomery Mall are getting an upscale boost. New lighting fixtures and furniture are making a more inviting space for shoppers.  Here you can see for yourself the latest of the many improvements Westfield has been making over the last year at the Bethesda mall:

MIRCH MASALA INDIAN GRILL REOPENS IN NEW BETHESDA LOCATION AT MONTGOMERY MALL (PHOTOS)

The latest move in the Westfield Montgomery Mall food court is the successful relocation of Mirch Masala Indian Grill. It is now open.

This game of musical chairs is necessary to accomodate a major expansion of the mall's food court and movie theater, currently underway.

MORE RELOCATIONS INSIDE MONTGOMERY MALL IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The game of musical chairs continues inside the expanding Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.

Synergy Wellness has temporarily closed, but will reopen in a nearby new location in the mall's Old Navy wing, on August 1.

UA Salon and Day Spa has successfully reopened in its new home on the second level.

ROBBERIES REPORTED IN GROSVENOR, AT MONTGOMERY MALL

Two robberies have been reported in Bethesda since last Friday.

The first robbery occurred at Montgomery Mall on Friday, July 19.

Robbery #2 was reported in the 10100 block of Grosvenor Place on Sunday, July 21.

RAFAELLO SHOES CLOSES IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Rafaello, we hardly knew ye!

Only a few months after opening, Rafaello Shoes has abruptly vacated its store at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The black curtains have fallen on Rafaello.

EXPRESS REOPENS STORE AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Popular apparel store Express had temporarily moved to an interim location on the first level at Montgomery Mall while its redesigned space was being constructed.

Now it has reopened in that gleaming new space on the upper level, and includes a separate Express Men shop, and The Denim Lab.

SHENK AND TITTLE CLOSES AT MONTGOMERY MALL IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Shenk & Tittle, a sports apparel and accessory specialty shop at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, has closed.

The regional company says its lease ended, and it has decided to simply close its Bethesda store.

Snowboarding giant Burton is opening a store at the mall, but S&T carried much more than snowboard gear, ranging from surfing to pro football jerseys.

Shenk & Tittle has other area stores in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, including White Marsh Mall, fabulous Valley Mall in Hagerstown, and Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick.

GARAGE COLLAPSES AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL IN BETHESDA, 1 DEAD, 1 VICTIM REMOVED FOR TRANSPORT

A partial collapse of a garage at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this afternoon left one person dead, and a second victim trapped. Both were reportedly construction workers.

The trapped victim was recovered by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue teams. This person was reported to be in shock. Two medevac helicopters were on scene. The patient is being transferred to a local hospital.

It is unclear what the cause of the collapse was, or whether construction taking place related to mall expansion played any role.

Fire officials and technical experts are now inspecting the scene to determine the stability and safety of the garage and nearby mall structures.

Crews on scene report that the first floor of the garage has been shored up. One worker reports "no [garage] columns showing any stressors," a positive sign, but it is way too early to speculate.

Fire officials are also concerned about the heat, requesting bottled water for firefighters. Potentially severe thunderstorms are expected to pass through the area in a few hours.

Stay tuned here, and on Twitter at @BethesdaRow for updates.

WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL GARAGE CLOSED BEHIND MACY'S HOME STORE (PHOTOS)

The parking structure behind Macy's Home Store at Westfield Montgomery Mall is now closed. An extensive renovation and mall expansion is underway. Westfield has placed signs to direct customers to additional parking as necessary. Just a heads-up if you are planning to go shopping at the mall this weekend.

PARDON OUR DUCTS: WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL FOOD COURT RENOVATION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Work is underway to create the fabulous new food court expected to open this fall at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.

A lot of it is up in the air (pun intended) right now, as you can see in these photos.

Random coincidence: My mom once talked to a repair man, who said one of his brother's proudest accomplishments was installing the original duct system at Montgomery Mall. We may be looking at some of that work in these pictures.

As a diehard fan of Montgomery Mall, the guy certainly has my respect!

AROMA ESPRESSO BAR OUTDOOR PATIO PRELIMINARY CONSTRUCTION BEGINS (PHOTOS)

Remember the images Aroma Espresso Bar unveiled of their future outdoor dining area at Westfield Montgomery Mall? The initial work is getting underway, as you can see in these photos.

Part of a general overhaul of this existing mall entrance by Westfield, the outdoor patio is going to be a great place to hang out during good weather.

HOAMGAR TO OPEN IN BETHESDA, BOUTIQUE WILL BE CHINESE LABEL'S FIRST IN AMERICA (PHOTO)

Bethesda is getting a very unique new boutique. Hoamgar is one of the best-selling fashion lines in China. For twenty years, their high-end women's apparel has been sold only in China, Mongolia and Singapore.

Now the company has decided to expand beyond Asia, and the city they've chosen above all others in the world to conquer first is...

Bethesda, Maryland!

The boutique will open this spring in Westfield Montgomery Mall.

When Hoamgar says, "exclusive high fashion," they're not kidding. You'd have to take a mighty long plane trip to get these outfits and accessories - until now.

This is another coup for Westfield, but the company is so new to America, they don't even have a website yet.

Here's another bit of interesting Hoamgar Bethesda trivia: the store employees are reportedly undergoing training for 2-3 months in China.  It sounds like the company is serious about making a good impression, and having a successful American launch, to take such a hands-on approach.

TASTY IMAGE OPENS IN BETHESDA

Tasty Image, the store that can put your face on a piece of candy, is now open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.

Talk about perfect timing - Valentine's Day is only 10 days away, and Tasty Image can create candies with custom images just for you or your chocoholic Valentine.

AROMA ESPRESSO BAR OPENING DELAYED

Aroma Espresso Bar, which finally acquired its liquor license last week, says its planned January 28 opening is being delayed.

A spokesperson said the new coffee bar and eatery - the Israeli equivalent of Starbucks - now plans to open on February 5 or 6.

Aroma is located in Bethesda at Westfield Montgomery Mall.

SAMSUNG HAPPY HOUR EVERY EVENING AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY IN BETHESDA!

Stop by the Samsung pop-up kiosk at Bethesda's Westfield Montgomery Mall between 5 and 8 PM every evening through New Year's Eve, and get a gift card!

Test out the latest gadgets from Samsung, and receive a Corner Bakery, California Pizza Kitchen or Caribou Coffee gift card.

WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY BLACK FRIDAY MIDNIGHT DOORBUSTERS - BETHESDA BLACK FRIDAY

PLUS,

I PICK THE

TOP SPOTS TO

HIT AT THE MALL

ON

BLACK FRIDAY!

Westfield Montgomery Mall is the place to be in Bethesda for Black Friday, without question.

To make up for the lack of Walmart and Target-style "giant flatscreen for $50" doorbusters, Westfield uses its advantage of sheer number of high-quality tenants.  Beyond the significant doorbuster savings, Westfield also tries to enhance the Black Friday experience with food and fun as the hours go by.

The full list is below, but I recall that last year there were lots of surprises and giveaways around the mall that were not announced in advance.

Finally, what's about to take place defies the nutty claims by some "experts," who want to convince us
that the great American indoor mall is a dinosaur of the past, and that the suburbs are dying, etc., etc.

Obviously, those folks weren't at Westfield Montgomery last Black Friday, where there were huge crowds and delays just trying to park the car. Or at Milestone Shopping Center in Germantown, where every single space was taken in their massive parking lot.  Those are the same geniuses who say both retail meccas have "too much parking."  Uh, OK guys, if you say so.  But I hope you're ready to join the rest of us in the real world some day again soon.

Westfield continues to do a great job managing the mall, and this Black Friday is the perfect time to show your support for this classic American shopping mall.

Here's the complete list of Black Friday specials for the Midnight opening (don't forget, Sears opens right after Thanksgiving dinner at 8 PM!).  My picks are in bold:

Midnight to 8am: Enter to win a $500 Shopping Spree. Hourly giveaways.

American Apparel - 12am - 6am: 25% off entire store with a purchase of 4 items or more.

Arden B - 12am - 10am: Buy 1, get 1 free; 10am - 10pm: Buy 1, get 1 for $5.

Banana Republic - 40% off entire store.

Banner's Hallmark - 12am - 9am: 25% off entire store. Excludes Gift Cards, Stamps, Sale, Past Purchases.

Bare Minerals - Get the Royal Treatment for $49, regularly $85.

Bath and Body Works - See store for details.

BCBGMAXAZRIA - 30%-50% off select items.

Bebe - See store for details.

Body Shop, The - See store for details.

Bose - Savings on SoundDock 10 Series, Lifestyle Home Theatre, Bose Audio Headphones and more.
Plus, Wave Music System and Multi-Disc Changer special.

Brookstone - 12am - 10am: Save $25 on Active Sport Massager; save $100 on Pure Ion Air Cleaner; Save $70 on a 3-piece luggage set.

Brow Art - 8am-10pm: $20 for a full face threading.

Bubbles Salon - 9am - 2pm: Half off all blow dry's and men's haircuts.

Build-a-Bear Workshop - Door Buster: $5 Snow Boy and Snow Girl. While supplies last.

Candy World - 10% off bulk candy.

Caribou Coffee - Stay Awake for Midnight Madness opening 10pm on 11/22/12

Champs - See store for details.

Chick-fil-A - Enter to win Chick-fil-A for a year. Submit entry at the store.

Children's Place - 30-50% off entire store.

California Pizza Kitchen - 8am - 10am: Yummy Breakfast Pizza; 8am - 10pm: buy a $100 gift card, get a $40 gift card for free.

Crabtree & Evelyn - Gardeners 250 ml Hand Sanitizer $4.99; select 50ml Hand Sanitizer $5.

Dollar Store Plus - 12am-8am: 1 free roll of Christmas wrapping for the first 100 customers with minimum $5 purchase.

Express - 12am - 12pm: 50% off entire store; 12pm-10pm: 40% off entire store.

Fire & Ice - 12am - 12pm: $25 Fire and Ice gift card with $75 purchase; 12pm-10pm: 20% off entire store; All day get a free ornament with $100 purchase, while supplies last.

Forever 21 - See store for details

Furnish @ the Mall - $100 off on every $1,000 purchase; free delivery on every $2,000 purchase or more (offers and deals cannot be combined); 90 days same as cash option financing available with no interest and no credit check; free lay-a-way available.

Gap - 12am - 12pm; Door Buster Event: Select Styles - Mens & Womens $19, Gap Body PJ Sets $19, Gap Kids & Baby Gap $5 graphic tees.

Godiva - See store for details.

Gold Palace - 12am - 6am: 40% off silver (select styles); free fashion earrings with any purchase ($6 value); free watch with any $25 purchase; watch battery change $5 and up; buy 1, get 1 free any body jewelry; free jewelry cleaning

Guess - 30% off entire purchase (some restrictions apply).

Gymboree - See store for details.

Haagen-Dazs - 12am - 4am: Buy any Dazzler and get a 2nd 50% off, including the new Peppermint Bark flavor; 4am - 8am: $1 off any Smoothie or Baristo frozen beverage. One discount per person, not valid with any other offer.

House of Hoops by Footlocker - See store for details.

Icing By Claires - Free cell phone stylus with any $20 purchase, pre-tax. While supplies last.

Janie and Jack - See store for details.

J.Crew - 25% off your entire purchase.

Keurig - Opening at 11pm on Thursday with Coffee Samples.

Laila Rowe - 12am - 6am: Buy 1 get 1 50% off” ALL DAY and 20% off all mark downs.

Leather Store, The - Rimona Luggage $100 off; 20% off Bagatelle, and Women's Lodis briefcases and
wallets; 15% off Werks Collection Victorinox Luggage; $50 off every $350 purchsae of Briggs and Riley
luggage.

Lucky Brand Jeans: 12am - 10am: 30% off entire store.

Lids - Buy 1, get 1 50% off, promotional Nationals and Redskins hats.

Macy's - Savings throughout the store.

Marbles: The Brain Store - Free Marbles Colorfall with $250 purchase, limit one per customer; Free Geek Box with $100 purchase.

McDonald's - 12am - 8am: Buy an extra value meal and receive a free large regular coffee.

Michael Kors - 12am - 10am: 25% off sale merchandise and other select items.

Mirch Masala - 12am - 2am: Get $2 off purchase of $10.

Naartjie Kids - Buy 1, get 1 50% off girls dresses and boys tops. Extra 40% off clearance items.

Old Navy - 12am - 4am: $5 fleece half-zips, $15 jeans, $12 adoraboots; 4am - 8am: Disney/Pixar DVD and Graphic-T $15; 8am - 12pm: Sherpa Hoodie $15.

Pandora: Limited Edition Mystery Bead Release, while supplies last.

Papyrus: 50% off pre-wrapped gifts; Holiday boxed cards, buy 2, get 1 free.

Payless Shoesource - Up to 50% off select items.

Pen Boutique - 12am - 12pm: 25% off entire purchase (some restrictions apply); Parker Insignia Ball
Point Pen 50% off or free with any $50 purchase; Parker Jotter Ball Point Pen free with any purchase.

Qdoba Mesixan Grill: Buy 1 entree, get 1 free. Limit one per customer.

Radio Shack - Buy a Galaxy Siii with upgrade or 2-year new line and get a $50 Google Play gift card. Galaxy Siii is $99.99.

Sears - Doorbusters and savings throughout the store.

Sephora - Special items starting at $10.

Shenk & Tittle - 50% off all Reebok NFL apparel; 50% off selected snowboards, boots & bindings; 40% off selected snow sports outerwear.

Services Plus - Gatorade/Powerade- 2 for $2 (20oz), 2 for $5 (32oz); Red Bull 2 for $4 (8oz), 2 for $5 (12oz).

Soma Intimates - 10% off when you purchase Soma Sensualities; First customer to donate gently used bra for "Soma Bra Donation-Ending Domestic Violence" will receive a free bra of their choice.

Steve Madden - Scratch off sale - see store for scratch off card with instant special offer.

Sunglass Hut - 70% off select Vogue styles; Buy select styles and get 1 free; Purchase a full price item 
of $150 or more and get a $50 off coupon reward.

Things Remembered - Select Jewelry buy 1, get 1 free; Spend $100 and get $20 credit toward a
December purchase; Five items (see store) are free when you engrave them for $6 or more.

Under Armour - Get a $20 gift card for every $100 you spend on select styles.

Urban Outfitters: 50% Sale items. See store for details.

Vans - Free Vans phone case for iPhone 4/4S with purchase of $100 or more (while supplies last)

Verdict - 20% off any 1 item; 30% off 2 or more items; Fall Fashion Sale up to 50% off plus an extra 50%.

Vera Bradley - Holiday Tote - free with a $100 purchase (while supplies last); Holiday Sale - 25% off
select colors and styles.

Victoria's Secret - Free tote bag with $65 purchase. While supplies last.

VIP Outdoor Apparel - 10% - 50% off The North Face, Spyder, Kelly Hansen, Patagonia, and Mountain Hardware

Vitamin World - Mix and match, buy 1 get, 1 50% off all Vitamin World and Precision Engineered brand Items (excludes spectacular values).

Washington Redskins - Earbuds, $7.95; DJ Headphones, $29.95; iDock, $39.95, while supplies last.

Walking Company, The: Free Cozy Scarf from Zealand, a $20 value, with any regular priced footwear purchase before 9 am. While supplies last.

White House Black Market 25% off entire purchase; Free tote with purchase, while supplies last.

The following restaurants will open at Midnight:

Auntie Anne's
Bistro Sensations
Candy World
Caribou Coffee (opening at 10pm on Thursday, November 22)
Charley's Grilled Subs
Chick-fil-A (see special offer)
Dairy Queen
Dippin' Dots
Dumpling Dojo
Godiva (see special offer)
Haagen-Dazs (see special offer)
Jamba Juice
J.Chow's Chicken & Rib
McDonald's (see special offer)
Mirch Masala
Panda Express
Popeyes
Qdoba Mexican Grill (see special offer)
Ruby Thai
Sbarro Italian Grill
Sarku Japan
Subway
YoCake

SEARS BLACK THURSDAY AND BLACK FRIDAY IN BETHESDA 2012

Sears at Bethesda's Westfield Montgomery Mall is one of those stores opening on what's starting to be called Black Thursday.  Sears spokesman Brian Hanover spent much of Monday telling reporter after reporter that Sears customers will "drop their drumsticks and pick up doorbusters" this Thanksgiving night.

Is this new trend intruding on the most American of holidays, or is it the epitome of American free enterprise at work?  You decide!  Although I feel bad for the workers who have to miss Thanksgiving dinner, I have to admit that Black Thursday and Friday are pretty exciting.

But in Bethesda, the first Black Friday rule is to admit that, well, the most exciting Black Thursday/Friday action is taking place well north of our town.  Walmart at Milestone is probably ground zero, and the place to be to experience a real Black Thursday or Friday.  Last year, the parking lot was filled to the brim.  You had to drive around and around and around.

Target, Best Buy, Kmart... you know the drill.

All are out of our reach because the county has banned big box stores in Bethesda.  Even when Hechingers tried to open a sizable location at what is now the Kenwood Station shopping center years ago, the "powers that be" went ballistic.

So there, we've acknowledged that we don't have the best of Black Thursday in Bethesda.  But having said that, Sears will have a few deals that night right here at Westfield Montgomery Mall.

Opening at 8 PM on Thanksgiving, the Bethesda Sears will be offering a 32" HDTV for $97.  A ProScan DVD player for $9.99 (yes, that decimal point is in the right place).  2 carat diamond jewelry for $99.  And a 27 cubic foot Kenmore refrigerator for $1299.99.

Then, get some sleep, and come back at 4:00 AM.  They'll have a Craftsman 18 volt drill for 29.99, and a Kenmore Elite washer or steam dryer for $649.99 each.

Where are the iPads, and the killer flatscreens, and all that other stuff worth jumping up from the Thanksgiving dinner table for?

That's why I had to let you down easy.  You'll find plenty of deals and fun at Westfield Montgomery for Black Thursday and Friday.  They have different things and giveaways around the clock, if it's like last year.  But those super-duper, colossal doorbusters worth busting the doors for?  Plot a course for points north.  And rest assured, the wise politicians have put your best interests first by banning big boxes in Bethesda.  There are no politics involved in that decision whatsoever.

And if you believe that, I've got a bridge doorbuster to sell you.

URBAN OUTFITTERS BETHESDA GRAND OPENING (PHOTOS)

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS

FROM LONG-AWAITED

OPENING AT

WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY

MALL

Urban Outfitters opened Friday at Bethesda's Westfield Montgomery Mall.  Here are some photos from opening day: