Montgomery County Holiday Shopping Guide

Montgomery County has got it going on when it comes to holiday shopping.

  Patch has editors on the ground covering news all around Montgomery County. But even hard-nosed journalists have to stop to think about the holidays and what gifts to give their families and friends. Knowing the best places to shop might be seen as one of the side benefits of being a Montgomery County Patch editor who has the inside story on business and development. Plus, each Patch site has a business directory where you can find store hours, addresses, photos and user reviews. If you've made it through Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday with gifts still to buy, you've still got time left due to 2012's holiday shopping season of 32 days, perhaps the longest ever due to the way the calendar fell in 2012. We know the …

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Shop Local on Small Business Saturday

Just what is Small Business Saturday and why should you support it in your community?

Big name national retailers took the spotlight on Black Friday as their deep price cuts pulled in shoppers in droves. What about those mom-and-pop businesses in our community and beyond that are the backbone of America’s economy? Just when do they get their day? That’s basically the question that was asked back in 2010 when the concept of Small Business Saturday was born. Small Business Saturday is “a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities,” the U.S. Small Business Administration explains on its website. American Express gets the credit for founding the shopping holiday, which got its official start on Nov. 27, 2010, according to the Small Business Saturday Facebook page. Celebrating its third …

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Shop Local on Small Business Saturday

Just what is Small Business Saturday and why should you support it in Gaithersburg?

Big name national retailers take the spotlight on Black Friday as their deep price cuts pull in shoppers in droves. What about those mom-and-pop businesses all over Gaithersburg and beyond that are the backbone of America’s economy? Just when do they get their day? That’s basically the question that was asked back in 2010 when the concept of Small Business Saturday was born. Small Business Saturday is “a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities,” the U.S. Small Business Administration explains on its website. American Express gets the credit for founding the shopping holiday, which got its official start on Nov. 27, 2010, according to the Small Business Saturday Facebook page. Celebrating its …

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1 Meat, 3 Sides

Foodie News: Rockville Pop-Ups, Wine Without Anxiety

Get caught up with the latest in foodie news from Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods.

  Get caught up with the food scene in Montgomery County and adjacent Washington, DC, neighborhoods with "1 Meat, 3 Sides." This week, a pop-up concept at a Rockville cocktail bar takes center plate: One Meat: Quench, a destination cocktail bar in Rockville, is launching a new partnership program to host a series of pop-up restaurants within its walls on Sundays and Mondays to showcase new and upcoming chefs and culinary concepts.  “We’re excited to let our space highlight the visions of other rising culinary stars in the area," said Michael Holstein, owner of Quench. "We started out thinking about the days the restaurant was closed, but it transformed into an opportunity to build some real fellowship with colleagues in the restaurant …

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Same-Sex Marriage Expected to Boost Gaithersburg Wedding Business

Cake shops, wedding venues expect to see part of $90 million boost from marriage-equality provision.

  With the passage of Question 6 approving same-sex marriage, some financial analysts say believe that Maryland’s economy could see as much as a $90 million boost, according to a recent Gazette story. Mark Yost, president of the Maryland Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, quoted research from UCLA's Williams Institute that there could be $3.6 million in sales and lodging tax revenue, and $21 million per year from wedding-related businesses. A reporter for the Baltimore Business Journal spoke with Mary Alice Yetskey, the marketing director of Duff Goldman’s Charm City Cakes, who believes that her business will see a “much busier January” than normal.  The story also quotes Mark Scurti, an attorney specializing in LGBT issues at Towson’s …

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Food Truck Brings Barbecue To Gaithersburg Voters

Curley's Q food truck — featuring authentic hardwood smoked barbecue — was serving voters at Gaithersburg High School Tuesday morning.

Voters expect long lines, canvassing and a bit of small talk when they visit their local precincts Tuesday. A big, yellow barbecue truck? Probably not. David Cornblatt's "Curley's Q" food truck was parked near the main entrance for voters at Gaithersburg High School, offering hot coffee and pastries to morning voters before a planned turn to its traditional hardwood smoked barbecue around lunch time. "We were hoping there would be some long lines and see if we could get people some coffee," Cornblatt said. "But people are very edgy today." Also known as "Chef Curley," Cornblatt said he was unsure how long he would remain at Gaithersburg High School. Gaithersburg High School Chief Election Judge David Nelson said he and a few others might …

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Pritchard Music Academy To Remain At Current Main Street Location

The Kentlands business had been planning to move to a new location on Main Street.

After spending much of the summer preparing to move to another location on Main Street in the Kentlands, Pritchard Music Academy announced Wednesday it was all for naught.  "We were two days away from signing a lease agreement at a new location a few blocks from here when we had a last-minute meeting with our current landlord and were able to come to a long-term agreement," PMA Vice President Joe Pritchard said. PMA is located at 325 Main Street. An impasse in lease renewal negotiations led to the point where PMA's landlord had put a banner up over its front door saying the space was for lease, Pritchard told Patch. Despite the dispute and brief uncertainly that followed, Pritchard said he never planned to move PMA out of the Kentlands. "…

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