Roll by Goodyear opens in Bethesda

Roll by Goodyear, a new retail concept designed to make tire-buying easier, was welcomed to downtown Bethesda with a ribbon-cutting yesterday. The showroom is located at 4919 Elm Street in the Shoppes of Bethesda. Another Roll by Goodyear is coming to Rockville Town Square.

Lauren Oshie in the new Bethesda
Roll by Goodyear showroom

Attendees at yesterday's grand opening included Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce CEO & President, Ginnane M. Italiano, local philanthropist Lauren Oshie (wife of Washington Capitals player T.J. Oshie), Goodyear Vice President and General Manager of Company-Owned Stores Fred Thomas, and a representative of Senator Chris Van Hollen (D - Maryland). The first customers learned about the store's timesaving tire shopping services, such as simplified online ordering and mobile van service for at-home installation.

Roll by Goodyear is specifically locating stores in lifestyle centers such as Bethesda Row and Rockville Town Square, rather than traditional malls. That appears to be more of a branding and demographic-targeting effort (such as appealing to an urban apartment customer) than a practical one, as malls have the same nearby amenities like retail, restaurants and entertainment that mixed-use developments possess. The real difference is eliminating the traditional waiting rooms and providing a more-upscale experience. Shoppers can leave their keys at the store and receive an email or text when the tires are installed, have their vehicle picked up by a valet and brought back with the installed tires, or have the aforementioned mobile van install the tires right in their driveway.

Photos by Heather Ribeiro