See's Candies opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The holiday shopping season is in full swing at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. There's no better indication of that than the annual arrival of See's Candies. Look for their shop on Level 1 in the Nordstrom wing of the mall, between Anya by Vivien and Everything But Water. There's a good reason See's Candies has been around for over 100 years.

Arc'teryx opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Arc'teryx has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The outdoor apparel store is located on Level 1 of the mall, between Sleep Number and Kiehl's. Their techwear and streetwear lines are as popular with couch potato city dwellers as they are with active outdoorspeople. Operating hours for Arc'teryx are 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Pati Jinich burrito pop-up at Marriott HQ in Bethesda (Photos)

Celebrity chef and author Pati Jinich was at the MI Cafe in the Marriott International headquarters in downtown Bethesda today. The host of public television's Pati's Mexican Table and resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. was hosting a burrito pop-up in the cafe, which serves Marriott employees, but is also open to the public. The pop-up was serving breakfast and lunch burritos, aguas frescas, and desserts. 

This event was sponsored by Marriott Bonvoy, and hopefully is one of more to come. Today's event was a fantastic opportunity to try the cuisine of a celebrity chef who does not yet have restaurants in the area like Gordon Ramsay or José Andrés. But such events would also help lure more Marriott employees back to the underutilized headquarters, as well as further activate the area around the cafe and office/hotel campus.

Burrito in the bag

Dua DC Coffee expanding to Bethesda

A unique coffee shop in Washington, D.C. will soon open a Bethesda cafe. Dua DC Coffee at 923 15th Street NW opened six years ago as the first Indonesian specialty coffee shop in the nation's capital. The woman-owned business is now expanding to the Woodmont Triangle in downtown Bethesda. Dua DC Coffee will be located in the ground floor of the 4909 Auburn apartments, at 4909 Auburn Avenue. The interior fit-out for the cafe is expected to begin before the end of the year.

Coffee drinks at Dua DC Coffee employ single-origin beans from the different islands of Indonesia. Their signature beverages include the Aren Latte, the Oat Pandan Cold Brew, and the Kopi Susu Latte. You can also purchase bags of their Indonesian coffee beans, all of which are sourced directly from sustainable farms in Indonesia. Dua DC Coffee joins The Bunny Hive as the second ground floor retail tenant at the 4909 Auburn development. Two retail spaces remain available for lease.

Citibank "Bethesda Row" construction update (Photos)

Part of the interior of the new Citibank branch at 4760 Bethesda Avenue looks finished, but when you zoom out, there's still work to be done. That finished wall features a slick-looking Citibank logo sign, with the words "Bethesda Row" underneath. There's little new about the idea of referring to this area of the downtown as Bethesda, but this is the first time I've seen a company put it in official branding. The building is not actually part of the Bethesda Row development. Bethesda Row is owned, and was developed by, Federal Realty. The Flats at Bethesda Avenue, in which the Citibank branch is located, is owned by BlackRock.

Christmas tree & holiday lights lit at Bethesda Row (Photos)

The Christmas tree is lit on Bethesda Lane at Bethesda Row. In addition, other holiday light installations around the Federal Realty property have also been activated. These include the stars hung from the canopy on the new plaza outside of Anthropologie & Co. There are also vertical strips and curtains of lights on the facades of the buildings along Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues. Let's take a look as we enter Day 4 of the 2025 holiday season!

Puree Artisan Juice Bar opening Cabin John Village location

Puree Artisan Juice Bar is expanding to Potomac. The cold-pressed juice and vegan snack bar will open a new location at 7937 Tuckerman Lane at the Cabin John Village shopping center. Puree began with a flagship location at Bethesda Row in 2011. Rather than expand rapidly, the brand has slowly and strategically built on one success after another since then. Its latest move will be new shops at Cabin John and Georgetown, both of which will open in 2026.

Multiple vehicles stolen from Bethesda auto dealership

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of several vehicles from an auto dealership in Bethesda on October 21, 2025. During the early hours of that morning, police say, multiple vehicles were stolen from Jim Coleman Cadillac at 10400 Auto Park Avenue. Police have not released any surveillance camera footage from the dealership, and state that they have no suspect descriptions at this time. If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing this case, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Limon's Gems & Jewels closing in Bethesda after 105 years in business

A number of longtime Bethesda businesses have closed since I began this blog in 2006, but Limon's Gems & Jewels might just be the oldest. Owners Cliff and Robbie Limon have announced their shop at 7909 Norfolk Avenue will likely close by Thanksgiving this month. Their great grandfather, Jacob Limon, founded the business in 1920. The family has been involved in the jewelry industry even longer, 125 years. They are going to cease accepting new work sometime this week, and they will remain available after the closure to ensure any outstanding orders or work are fulfilled.

Stalled Bethesda condo project site sold to new developer

A downtown Bethesda lot that has been vacant, at best - and an eyesore at worst - for nearly a decade has now changed hands. 8011 Norfolk Avenue had been touted as the future site of The Claiborne, a boutique condominium property, since 2016. The project repeatedly stalled out, with the last attempt to revive it taking place a full three years ago. At that time, the project's approval from Montgomery County had expired.

Rock Creek Property Group has acquired the site, and is now going to explore its options, citing potential uses to include residential, commercial, or office. The new-construction condo market has all but collapsed in downtown Bethesda since The Claiborne was first announced. Nobody is building them. The last successful condo project was The Cheval, which was delivered by Duball, LLC in 2018.