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Now popular Bethesda Row hangout Barnes & Noble is having second thoughts about late nights, as well.
Starting today, the bookstore is cutting back its closing time from 11:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Monday through Thursday. Sunday and Friday-Saturday hours will remain the same, as on the now-outdated sign below. That means the store will still be open until 11:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Will the doors locking early make the small plaza less welcoming to people hanging out there at night? It seems whatever's been done so far to boost nightlife, it hasn't worked yet in Bethesda.
45 comments:
oh my god. you are suggesting a bookstore closing earlier is bad for nightlife?
Robert, you've not only jumped the shark at this point, you've jumped the whale jumping the dolphin jumping the shark.
Stop being a complete clown.
5:11 You would be the clown if you're suggesting with a straight face that late night hours at Barnes & Noble - and the plaza out front - aren't part of the "nighttime economy" in Bethesda.
Why would the plaza be closed?
Answer that one with a straight face you non-contributing zero.
Robert's right, so eat it you naysayers. On a street filled with stores and restaurants, B&N is the only non-restaurant open past early evening. Instead of them closing an hour earlier, the task force should be encouraging the other stores to stay open late, afterall that's when people are coming into Bethesda. As far as the plaza is concerned, that thing does start to go dead when B&N is closed. No idea why, it's simply the reality of it. However, I'd say cutting the hours on the bookstore is more indicative of the bad business environment for physical bookstores. We should instead thank the good lord that B&N somehow is still in business and hasn't left a giant shell on the corner of Bethesda Ave. yet. We should encourage all businesses in that area to stay open until 9-10.
It is a bad sign.
B&N is one of the few places open late in Bethesda that's not a bar. It's a meeting, studying and hang out place as much as it's a bookstore.
I really wonder how they''re doing.
We have to remember that the "night time economy" has to include stuff for those who don't drink or are under 21. Eliminating the book store and Regal would be a blow.
What the fuck! We shouldn't allow them to close this early.
Is there any legal way to make them stay open later?
Barnes & Noble's struggles are somehow Hans Riemer's fault?
Down to three stores in MoCo, and one in the District. Their flagship store in Manhattan closed over a year ago. And their floor space devoted specifically to selling books is shrinking steadily. And their primary competitor, Borders, went out of business three and a half years ago.
Dyer is so bitter and desperate.
5:50 AM - what does your first sentence have to do with the rest of your comment?
The point is that Riemer has touted the nightlife economy as his major achievement. That's not Dyer's claim, it's Reimer's.
There's nothing wrong in examining where the nightlife economy is in reality several years later.
I get that closing early doesn't help nightlife in the spot - but how is this the council's fault again?
Why is 6:21 obsessed with Riemer? Dyer didn't even mention him. Let it go.
The point is that Robert Dyer is a trolling hot take artist with no basic knowledge of government, no apparent job, no achievements, no accomplishments and all the time in the world to concoct silly and bizarre political connections to something as simple as an already failing bookstore chain trimming its hours of operations.
@ 6:41 AM -
You seriously don't know who Dyer is referring to, here?
"Montgomery County's 'Nighttime Economy' initiative has stumbled again. Some elected officials have touted the efforts to get downtown Bethesda staying up all night..."
But this is par for the course for Dyer.
In a previous thread, he tried to blame the closures of Hot Shoppes (entire chain closed), the K-B Baronet West theater (closed 17 years before site was redeveloped), Swensen's (chain closed but three USA locations several years before the site was redeveloped) and Lowen's (owner retired, building is still there) on County development policies for Bethesda.
"Hot take artist" sounds about right
6:42am: Dyer's enterprising reporting is hardly trolling.
You are the one lobbing grenades anonymously. Dyer is a life long resident and active in the community.
What is your long list of accomplishments? You're an insignificant nobody watching Dyer from the sidelines. You are anonymous for a reason and will always be an anonymous nobody.
Dyer's little toady. LOL
6:21 - not sure what you don't understand. Simply telling Robert-haters to go suck a lemon, then I went on and supported the concerns that Robert mentions. But Robert, as an aside, what the heck is up with your timestamps for comments? is this hosted on the West Coast?
7:06 am: What are you babbling about? Most people reading this weren't even born when those places closed. Stay on topic.
Barnes & Noble--a bookstore chain clearly struggling to stay afloat--closing an hour earlier is indication of failure of the "Nighttime Economy Taskforce?"
LOL. This blog is priceless. Really grasping at straws now.
7:37 AM -
Dyer was the one who brought them up, not I, a few threads down. I simply called him on his BS, and I mentioned it here because his BS in this article follows the same pattern.
http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2015/01/white-flint-mall-sign-goes-dark-after.html
8:50AM You're the one posting crap on here. Everyone in Bethesda reads this blog and they are all laughing at your negative comments.
Come on man, the Council doesn't bat 1.000 on everything.
"Everyone in Bethesda reads this blog"
[citation needed]
LOL
"Come on man, the Council doesn't bat 1.000 on everything."
Your comment should be directed at Dyer, not @ 8:50 AM. He's the one who seems to think that they can't do anything right.
Is dyer even a real person?
I believe he is a FASLE FLAG event. There is no dyer, never was dyer and NEVER WILL BE A DYER!
I'm feasting on lobscicles for lunch while you fools argue with Dyer about a book store.
LOL @ 10:08. :-)
i say: close everything early. I'm old now (39) and the wife and I only go out drinking heavily on Friday nights. So I don't need this "nighttime economy" foolishness. That's what Adam's Morgon is for.
Lol. And the next Bethesda closing in 3, 2.....
Is Dyer a democrat plant to make look Republicans look crazy?!
@ 10:40 PM -
It sure seems that way. I mean, why would anyone else run as a Republican from District 16?
How do we make Dyer look crazier than he is?
We can't actually "make him look crazier than he is", however, we can get him to reveal the level of craziness that he's trying to hide.
10:01: Best comment ever.
11:09: I'm not sure "trying to hide" is a fair assessment, or else he's doing the worst job of it that is possible. I mean, Tarnation Bob, for fuck's sake.
8:04: Yes, along with several nightclub closures (don't tell me, "nightclubs are struggling across America,"?), it shows the Task Force and initiative have failed to stimulate the "nighttime economy."
11:56: And this is supposed to be valid criticism coming from an Anonymous commenter using handle "G. Money?" Under your rules, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Will Ferrell and Sen. Franken would all have to retire immediately.
I'm still waiting for Dyer to cite the actual decline in numbers of nightclubs in downtown Bethesda. As well as the "90% loss of food trucks".
I suppose I will be waiting for quite a long time.
I'm also hoping how he can explain how the Nightlife Task Force could have prevented Barnes & Noble from cutting back their hours.
I suspect I will be waiting for that explanation for quite a long time, too.
"Under your rules, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Will Ferrell and Sen. Franken would all have to retire immediately."
Your reference is unclear.
There once was a man named Dyer
He lied so much his pants caught on fire
So he ran for local government
Got no votes, smelled like peppermint
Now he thinks he's the messiah
Bethesda Row would be a dull place without Barnes & Noble.
B&N is the heart of Bethesda Row.
2:27: Actually it was George Leventhal who lied, when he told a county women's organization, "we're not tearing down garden apartments."
1:28: Dyer, you have failed to associate yourself with the correct celebrity crowd. You are more in the David Liebe-Hart / James Quall spectrum. Except those guys don't have hyperlocal blogs or run for office (as far as I know) so they aren't as fun.
It's going to be interesting to see if we get a real 24 hour grocery when Harris teeter opens. Give us the real 24 hour deal.
Robert Dyer I dislike you immensely. Please stop existing in my plane of reality.
Thank you.
10:36: "Anger and victimization at the loss of absolute power to control your message." - Jon Stewart
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