2023 wrap-up: What opened, what closed & what’s next for Westfield Montgomery mall

2023 was a pretty good year for Westfield Montgomery mall, with lots of openings and quite a few renovations and expansions. Of course, there were also some losses.

TEEN SCENE:

Retailers that appeal to teens and 20-somethings saw the most action at the mall this year. Openings included:

• Teen boutiques Papaya and Lovisa
• 2 the 9s, a locally owned teen formalwear store
• Sports fan/hat store chain Lids
• Screen-printing shop Wild Custom Apparel
• Beauty product and jewelry store Kokosh, featuring Tik Tok-famous Korean brands
• Clothing retailer American Eagle stayed in place, but renovated its longtime space.
• Asian variety store Miniso, aimed at kids and teens, doubled in size.
• PacSun closed, but its space will soon be filled by sneaker chain JD Sports.
• Italian leggings/swimsuit store Calzedonia is also on the way.

OTHER RETAIL OPENINGS:

• Furniture store Arhaus relocated from Rockville Pike.
• Long-planned children’s play center Jolly Yolly Kids finally arrived.
• Virginia-based retailer Perfume World opened just before the holidays.
• South Asian clothing store Melashops relocated from Lakeforest Mall, later rebranding itself as Mela.

RENOVATING, RELOCATING AND EXPANDING:

Several longtime tenants made new commitments to Westfield Montgomery.

• Jewelry store Liljenquist & Beckstead moved next door to a newly built storefront, where it now focuses on Rolexes, other luxury watch brands and David Yurman jewelry.
• High-end crystal store Swarovski relocated to a sparkly new storefront.
• Bath-and-body shop Lush relocated and got a fresh new look.
• Swimwear store Everything But Water also got a facelift.
• American Eagle renovated its longtime space (See “Teen Scene.”)
• Asian variety store Miniso doubled in size. (See “Teen Scene.”)
• Overstock women’s clothing store Mulier moved to larger quarters.
• Tech store The Fix also moved to a larger space.
• Gift shop The Kashmir Collection upgraded from a kiosk to a storefront.

CLOSINGS:

• Luxury shoe boutique Stuart Weitzman went dark after a long run at the mall.
• Christian-themed women’s clothing store Altar’d State closed its D.C.-area stores.
• Locally owned boutique A Beautiful Closet exited the mall.
• Turkish gift shop Chaliskan closed after four years.
• Art store Wentworth Gallery closed this location.
• Covid testing center Same Day Health shut down, as did the Minte tooth-whitening shop.
• PacSun closed after a long run. (See “Teen Scene.”)
• The Children’s Place is liquidating this location.
• Longtime restaurant Tara Thai went dark at the mall, but kept its location in Rockville.
• Short-lived sister eateries Butter Me Up and HalfSmoke both closed.
• Another pair of short-lived sister eateries, Malia’s Kitchen and Adonni’s Desserts, also didn’t make it.
• Yet another short-lived closing: Greek Aroma.
• Shortest-lived of all: wine slushie bar VinoRita, which lasted just six weeks at the old Cold Stone Creamery kiosk. (Its space was just filled by newcomer Donutchew.)
• Jamaican eatery Ya Mon closed and was quickly replaced by Butter Chicken House.

MOST MISSED:

One closing that really hit home with Store Reporter readers happened on Christmas Eve, when local favorite J. Chow’s served its last Chinese chicken salads. The family-owned restaurant had been in business since 1979, starting at the White Flint Mall.