Dawson’s Market, a staple of Rockville Town Square for the past 12 years, is planning to relocate following the store’s announced closing at the end of June, according to owner Bart Yablonsky.
“We are pursuing a new location for Dawson’s,” Yablonsky said Tuesday in an email to MoCo360.
The specialty grocery store at 225 N. Washington St. announced May 23 that it would be closing its doors permanently at the end of June due to the termination of its lease.
The store also briefly closed in October 2018 and later reopened that December under Yablonsky’s ownership. Upon reopening, Yablonsky, the store’s former general manager, received $400,000 in annual assistance over five years—a total of $2 million–from the City of Rockville’s Small Business Impact Fund. But the five-year grant has reached its end date.
Dawson’s is among a handful of businesses that are closing or have recently closed at Rockville Town Square, a development of housing, stores and restaurants in the heart of downtown Rockville. Since December, three other ventures–Town Square Jewelers, Èkó House, and Knits Etc.–also closed their doors, according to Store Reporter.
But the trade-off involving the development’s departures and arrivals appears to be fairly equal.
Three new restaurants are set to open in the coming months–Little Miner Taco, Dirty Dough and Kusshi Sushi, according to Amanda Bosland, marketing and communications director for Rockville Economic Development Inc. (REDI).
The purpose of REDI is to “retain existing businesses, help existing businesses grow, and attract new businesses to the city thereby creating, retaining, and attracting jobs as well as capital investment in the city,” according to its website.
Bosland said Tuesday that Little Miner Taco is expected to open June 28 while the other two eateries have not announced opening dates.
“There are some more businesses that are coming in that we are excited to see, but in addition to that, REDI itself has been working on exciting programs and projects–specifically Global Bites Fest,” she said, referring to a dining festival scheduled to run from June 22 to July 6. “That’s one good example of bringing activity [and] economic impact as far as bringing people into Rockville Town Square and within the area to spend money … shop, dine, etc.”
Canadian developer Morguard bought the Rockville Town Square development from Federal Realty Investment Trust in 2022. While Morguard did not return a MoCo360 voicemail left Tuesday, City of Rockville councilmember Adam Van Grack said Morguard has a plan for the future of the town square development.
“They’ve assured us that there is a plan … for what’s going to be happening in that Dawson’s storefront,” he told MoCo360 on Tuesday. “My office, where I actually work, aside from City Hall, is directly across the street from Dawson’s, so I’m clearly disappointed that I’m not going to be able to go across the street to get coffee or smoothies.”
Van Grack added that opportunity beckons despite the upcoming closure.
“By the same vein, I know that Morguard is working closely with other potential stores to allow the residents who would be utilizing Dawson’s, when it’s no longer there, to have an option that’s going to be–if not equal to, then even better than the options that [are] there now,” he said.
The pending market closure has rippled through the community, with Reddit users under the Rockville subreddit sharing their thoughts online.
One user said he was “disappointed” with the decision, and that “losing a community business like Dawson’s is saddening.”
Another user expressed similar dismay, asking: “What is going on at [Rockville Town Square] and has the new ownership made it worse? It’s like a ghost town.”
With rumors swirling on Reddit and neighborhood website Nextdoor that discount grocer Aldi could take over the Dawson’s space, Van Grack did not reveal details about a possible future tenant.
“I’ve heard the same rumors, and I don’t believe it’s in the city’s best interest to push or prod with regard to what a commercial landlord is specifically doing with [Dawson’s Market],” he said. “All I can say is they’ve assured the city that they have a plan with regard to the space and the storefronts.
“I can neither confirm nor deny any specific issues, because my job is to support Morguard,” Van Grack continued. “Their job is to bring in the best shops, restaurants and stores that they believe will be in the best interest of the city.”
Yablonsky said he doesn’t know who will move in once Dawson’s moves out.
“I can’t speak to any plans once we leave, [and] I have no idea what the plan is for our space,” he said.
Bosland said she also was disappointed by the pending closure but remains optimistic. In addition to the Rockville location, a second Dawson’s Market store is located at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.
“We’re sad to see them go,” she said. “We are hoping whatever new tenant comes in replaces that need not only for groceries but helps bring more vibrancy to Rockville Town Square.”
Meanwhile, Bosland said REDI initiatives to bolster the city’s economy include Explore Rockville, a tourism website with information about local businesses and a business directory; and the Rockville Rewards card, a longstanding program that REDI acquired from the Rockville Chamber of Commerce about a year ago. The rewards card provides free marketing for Rockville businesses.
“We promote it for free and sell a small dining discount card–proceeds of the card go to support local nonprofits,” Bosland said. “We, in turn, advertise the benefits of the card and the savings so it’s a circular kind of economy to help businesses and community shoppers.”