Dawson’s Market to serve food at Universities at Shady Grove

Announcement follows news of Rockville store’s upcoming end-of-June closure

June 19, 2024 3:31 p.m.

Popular Rockville specialty organic grocery store Dawson’s Market will now serve prepared foods at the Universities of Shady Grove (USG), following the announcement that its Rockville Town Square storefront will close at the end of the month, according to a news release.

“Starting this summer, Dawson’s Market will provide catering services and manage the cafeteria and coffee bar operations on campus, offering students, faculty, and staff a wide variety of healthy, delicious, and sustainably sourced dining options,” the release said about the store’s partnership with USG, which is located on Gudelsky Drive in Rockville.

Nine public Maryland universities offer programs at USG, and has
more than 2,700 undergraduate students and more than 1,700 graduate students enrolled, according to the University System of Maryland.

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Owner Bart Yablonsky told MoCo360 earlier this month that he was pursuing a new location for the specialty grocery store, which has been located in Rockville Town Square for 12 years.

The 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.

“This partnership allows us to expand our reach and support the well-being of the USG community by offering fresh, locally-sourced meals and snacks that align with our commitment to sustainability and health,” Yablonsky said in the news release.

According to the release, Dawson’s will also provide vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dining options as well as catering for USG events.

“This partnership provides an opportunity to collaborate with local businesses and organizations to keep talent and wealth in our community and to strengthen it,” Anne Khademian, executive director of The Universities at Shady Grove, said in the release.

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Dawson’s Market 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.

However, the trade-off involving the development’s departures and arrivals appears to be fairly equal, with three new restaurants set to open in the coming months, including Little Miner Taco, Dirty Dough and Kusshi Sushi.

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