Editor’s note: This story, originally published at 11:49 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2025, was updated at 4:16 p.m. on Feb. 14, 2025, to include comments from the owner of The Cottage Monet about the rebrand.
Rockville Town Square has changed its name to “The Square” as part of a rebranding that the development’s owners and city officials hope will revitalize the shopping and dining destination, according to a press release from Morguard Management Co., which owns and manages the property.
Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton told Bethesda Today on Wednesday the city government has “long been awaiting” the rebrand. “It’s not just a new name, it’s a new approach and more activity and engagement,” she said.
Ashton also said the new name would help clarify the area that encompasses The Square, a mixed-use development that is primarily owned by Morguard. The Square is bounded by East Middle Lane, North Washington Street, Rockville Pike and Beall Avenue.
The Square is anchored by the Rockville Memorial Library and is home to a variety of businesses and nonprofits including VisArts and the Rockville Science Center. Restaurants in The Square include Little Miner Taco, First Watch, Lebanese Taverna, Bon Chon, Buffalo Wild Wings and Paris Baguette. A handful of residential buildings also surround the square including the Fenestra Apartments, which was acquired by Morguard in 2017.
“There’s been confusion in the past about Rockville Town Center, Rockville Town Square. One is part of the other,” she said. “Rockville Town Center is the broader region. … The Square is truly the area where we have a city park and Morguard has the commercial area around it.”
The mixed-use development of housing, stores and restaurants has experienced business turnover in recent years, leading to empty storefronts. Departing businesses include the Town Square Cleaners at 130 Gibbs St., which permanently closed its store in December, according to a sign posted to its door.
Dawson’s Market, a staple of Rockville Town Square for 12 years, announced in June 2024 that it was closing. Trader Joe’s, a California-based grocery store chain, is expected to open this spring in the space at 225 N. Washington St., according to the press release. Dawson’s was among a handful of businesses that are closed in 2024 at Rockville Town Square, while the development also saw the opening of eateries Little Miner Taco and Dirty Dough.
According to a press release, Morguard frames the rebranding as the “first step in a series of enhancements designed to breathe new life” into the downtown area that is known as Rockville Town Square.
The enhancements include plans to attract new retailers to enrich the shopping, dining and entertainment experiences in The Square. According to Ashton, residents can also look forward to more events at The Square such as a summer concert series and the Hometown Holidays festival in May, which was previously held at RedGate Park.
‘Dress up the square’
Çaya Cagri, owner of boutique lifestyle and gift shop The Cottage Monet, told Bethesda Today on Friday the rebranding was an “excellent idea.”
“There’s always been confusion about what is the town square. What is it that you’re trying to emulate?” Cagri said.
She noted she particularly liked the use of bright and pastel colors in the new branding as well as the plans to host more events in The Square.
The Cottage Monet, which moved from its original Kensington location to Rockville in 2008, has seen “the ups and the downs and the challenges” of operating in The Square, Cagri said. Having weathered the impacts of the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, Cagri said she has watched businesses come and go and has had plenty of ideas about what could make The Square better.
As one of a few retailers in The Square, Cagri would like to see more retail shops and notes that leasing to national brands could help “bring people in.”
In addition, aesthetic changes such as more lighting and street decorations could make a big difference, she said.
“You need to dress up the square,” she said. “Perhaps hang flowers during summer and poinsettias in the winter. And make sure that people feel like they’re part of a community. It comes down to leasing, frankly, and bringing in things that people want to go to. But the rebranding is a great start.”
A desire for more retail and events
The rebranding also comes on the heels of an update to the Rockville Town Center Master Plan that was adopted by the mayor and Rockville City Council on Jan. 27, according to the City of Rockville website.
Through community engagement, city planners learned that residents’ desires for the downtown area are primarily focused on more retail and restaurants, better pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, more housing and density and more events held in The Square, according to the 2025 Rockville Town Center Master Plan.
The new Trader Joe’s store would be the second one in the Rockville area; another store is nearly 3 miles away at 12268-H Rockville Pike in the Federal Plaza shopping center.
Ashton said she looked forward to the opening of the new Trader Joe’s store, which she noted will be within walking distance for nearby residents and also is expected to bring other shoppers to the area. She said a couple of other businesses are in lease negotiations about moving to The Square as well, but she declined to identify them.
“So we’re seeing where there was a slowdown after COVID, we’re seeing business come back into The Square,” Ashton said. “We’re seeing people coming back into The Square. We’re seeing more activities and events. So I think there is renewed energy in Rockville Town Center that we’re super excited about.”
In the coming months, residents and visitors can expect murals and more signage to show up around The Square, according to Ashton.
Posted signs and maps with the old “Rockville Town Square” name are still installed around The Square and just a few signs and window clings with the new name and branding have been placed. Employees and managers at some businesses in The Square seemed unaware of the rebranding when a Bethesda Today reporter visited Thursday morning.
According to the release, the “transformation” of The Square is currently underway, and residents can expect to see changes by May.
“This is just the start of an exciting new chapter,” Joshua Nolan, manager of The Square and an associate vice president at Morguard Management Co., said in the release. “We’re focused on creating a lively and welcoming space where people can come together, make memories, and enjoy new experiences.”
