"We had discussions with the property owner in hopes of agreeing to an extension of the lease," Deason said in a statement this morning, "but unfortunately, we were unable to come to an agreement." He said the North Bethesda store at Montrose Crossing will remain open.
The closing will be a severe blow to downtown Bethesda, and to foot traffic around Bethesda Row. It has served as everything from a meeting place, to a place to charge your gadgets during power outages. With a cafe upstairs, and a plaza out front, the bookstore has served as quasi-public space for the last two decades. Whoever the next tenant is will almost certainly not allow people to just hang out inside the store. Barnes & Noble has also been a symbol of Bethesda's highly-educated population, where you were as likely to bump into David Brooks or a CNN anchorman as you were your neighbor.
While the store had cut back nighttime hours in the aftermath of Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer's disastrous "nighttime economy" initiative, the collapse of downtown Bethesda's nighttime economy that initiative triggered is not believed to be the reason for the closure.
20 comments:
18 hours, 30 minutes.
6:33: Argle Bargle.
Wow huge news thanks for being first to report
Dyer, stop blaming everything on Riemer you silly birdbrain. It's clear you have an unhealthy obsession with him. People just aren't shopping at brick and mortar bookstores anymore. Anyone with half a brain could see this coming no matter where the store was!
I guess you'll need to find another place to creep on people.
"While the store had cut back nighttime hours in the aftermath of Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer's disastrous "nighttime economy" initiative, the collapse of downtown Bethesda's nighttime economy that initiative triggered is not believed to be the reason for the closure."
Translation: "This has nothing to do with Hans Riemer. But I will make a gratuitous shot at him anyway. Plus, it increases my word count."
Dyer @ 6:38 - Thanks for confirming that several "anonymous" comments this week were in fact made by you.
Baba Booey.
How come you still can't get the timestamps to show the correct time? You don't have this problem with EastMucus and RockvilleNutz.
The walls are really collapsing around Dyer's fantasy world
In other news, Venezuela is in a political crisis as its Supreme Court seizes power from its legislature. Is this the fault of Hans Reimer? Well I'll say this, it's not *not* the fault of Hans Reimer!
Other places post second - Dyer: Other places keep plagarizing off me.
Dyer posts second - Dyer: argle bargle
9:26: Cash me outside how bou dat
If a bookstore can't survive, and flourish, in the most educated and literate city in the country, then where can they exist?
10:59 AM Only in your web Charlotte, only in your web, so hush, hush.
It has little to do with Montgomery County policies and a lot to do with people not buying books in bookstores and paying much less on Amazon.com and the link (and getting them delivered sometimes the same day).
and the like, not link
There was a big uproar when Blockbuster video closed on Bethesda Avenue too.
Things change.
Big, big loss.
Bring back Second Story Books!
This place should be transformed into an Eatery containing Hot Shoppes, Hot Shoppes Jr., Gino's, Tastee Diner, Gifford's, Shakey's, McDonalds, Bish Thompson's, O'Donnell's, and of course McDonald's Raw Bar!
Merchants in the the area should be concerned, big time. Really, is anybody going to hang out in "downtown" Bethesda to buy a pair of sneakers? Malls come, malls go. The management company should take a look at the story in the Sunday New York Times.
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