Walgreens closes in downtown Silver Spring (Photos)

Walgreens has closed at 8701 Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. It was open for just under a decade at this high-traffic location. Customers' pharmacy records have been transferred to the chain's store at 1329 University Boulevard E. in Takoma Park - not exactly convenient. There is a closer location at 1015 Ripley Street in Silver Spring.

This is one of the few business closures that can't be blamed on the Montgomery County Council, or the County's moribund economy. Walgreens announced in December that it would be closing 1200 stores nationwide over the next three years. 500 are expected close in 2025.

Officially, the reason is increased competition from Amazon, Walmart, and Target pharmacies. But the closures likely have more to do with a recently-announced acquisition of the chain by a private equity firm. These vampire firms are known to suck all value that can be liquidated from a company - by firing employees, closing stores, and selling off inventory and real estate - transfer the profits to investors, and then discard the husk. Such a fate has befallen Sears, Kmart, and Toys R Us in recent years, just to name a few.

3 Brothers Lounge opens in Wheaton

3 Brothers Lounge is now open at 2405 Price Avenue in Wheaton. It is the latest restaurant to take on the challenge of a building that has seen heavy turnover in the past decade. 3 Brothers Lounge describes its menu as "Italian cuisine with Latin flavor," although it looks like straight-up Italian to me. In the evenings, the restaurant offers "adult nightlife entertainment like themed nights and karaoke." Operating hours are 11:00 AM to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 AM to 2:00 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. They don't have a website, but you can see photos of the menu on Yelp.

Grocery stores take aim at antiquated Montgomery County liquor laws again

Several grocery chains in Montgomery County are once again enlisting customers in the struggle to overturn the antiquated liquor laws that prevent them from selling beer and wine in Maryland. Signage paid for by the Consumer Freedom Coalition prompts customers to contact their legislators in Annapolis to support bills that would allow grocery stores to sell beer and wine, but not liquor. However, once again, the machine is prevailing in the state capital, and those bills appear unlikely to pass during this session.

The effort had the support of Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who was eager to back a popular cause to distract from the new taxes and fees in the FY-2026 state budget, but was opposed by powerful Democrats on committees that first had to approve the bills to move them to the floor for a wider vote. Harris Teeter was the loudest advocate for the change during the administration of previous Governor Larry Hogan, but the campaign stalled when the pandemic hit, and liquor law changes became focused on assisting bars and restaurants by allowing take-out cocktails, for example. Safeway has joined Harris Teeter in the 2025 push for the bills. Yet neither major corporation has been able to influence enough Maryland Democrats to sign on to supermarket sales, and those same Democrats have yet to pay a price at the ballot box for their continued defiance of the popular will on the matter.