Dawson's Market Makes A Comeback After Closing In October

ROCKVILLE, MD — Less than two months after closing, Dawson's Market in Rockville Town Square will reopen its doors Saturday under new ownership. The independent grocery store will be run by former director of operations Bart Yablonsky.

Yablonsky said the community has been very supportive of his decision to reopen Dawson's Market and is excited for what's to come.

"It's clear that the community feels strongly about having a quality, specialty grocer in downtown Rockville. I'm very excited about the next chapter of Dawson's and look forward to maintaining strong community partnerships," Yablonsky said.

While Dawson's Market will stay true to its local, organic selection, it will expand its product mix to include bigger brands.

"We're gonna make some changes in the product mix — just to broaden it a bit to be more attractive to the local customer base," Yablonsky said.

According to Yablonsky, customers told him they couldn't do a full grocery run at Dawson's Market because it didn't stock national brands.

In addition to offering nationally recognized brands, Dawson's Market will carry household items and have an expanded wine, beer, and prepared food selection.

Yablonsky said there will be a soft opening for the store on Saturday, Dec. 15 and a grand-reopening on Thursday, Dec. 20.

Federal Realty Investment Trust, the company that owns Rockville Town Square, said it is excited to continue offering residents a local, community-focused grocery store option.

"We are thrilled to continue to offer the convenience of a grocer at Rockville Town Square whose vision is aligned with the community's," said Deirdre Johnson, vice president of asset management for Federal Realty Investment Trust. "We are especially pleased to see Dawson's under a local ownership who is engaged with customers on a personal and daily basis."

Dawson's Market is located at 225 N. Washington St, in the heart of Rockville Town Square, a mixed-use development.

The development has struggled to keep retailers in business. About a dozen small businesses have closed over the past couple of years, according to a Washington Business Journal article. The latest casualty was Dawson's Market, which shut its doors on Oct. 27.

Rockville recently unveiled a new pilot program that would provide financial assistance to some struggling small- and medium-sized businesses in the city. The program, called the Rockville Small Business Impact Fund, would give grants and loans to businesses that lack the capital to sustain growth in areas like Rockville Town Center and Twinbrook Metro Performance District.

Yablonsky told Patch that he had applied to the program.

Main image via Google Maps

Article image via Dawson's Market