BETHESDA MARKET

CLOSED

Bethesda Market, located in the Shops at Sumner Place on Sangamore Road, has paper over the windows, and a "For Lease" sign is posted.

This is a surprise, and a shame.

Sumner Place - Little Falls Mall, to longtime residents - has been hit hard by the recent move of the Geospatial Intelligence Agency to Northern Virginia. The lunch and after work crowds have been greatly reduced.

Still, I'm very surprised that the store would close. There are a number of apartment and condo buildings which surround the Sumner Place property.

The market also had a menu of soups, sandwiches and cookies. One sandwich was appropriately called, "The Sangamore."

If the market isn't reopening elsewhere, it's also a shame. Bethesda Market had an on-premises license, which meant that a customer could sample a beer or wine before buying, in many cases.

I still think Sumner Place is a great location, and it is currently well-suited for investors who are taking a long-term approach. While business has slowed temporarily, it won't be that long before the new, top-secret employees move into the former "mapping agency" campus.

While the government isn't saying who or what will be going in there, one thing's for sure: those folks are going to have to eat lunch and dinner, and Sumner Place is the only dining spot in walking distance.

There will also be a market for a great Happy Hour spot when that day comes.

Until then, the neighborhood is being hit hard by the closures of the market, Jerry's Subs and Pizza, Potomac Video and Ritz Camera.

After all, where can one buy Gifford's Ice Cream and Tuppers' beer under one roof in Montgomery County?

Alas, not at Bethesda Market anymore...