The original article below incorrectly stating the closure was permanent was based on the statement from the previous business owner:
Yogiberry has closed at Bethesda Row. The frozen yogurt shop on Elm Street should have been celebrating the end of another successful summer, but has instead closed its doors permanently.
Yogiberry had been open for ten years, and is only the latest victim of the closures of the Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10 and Barnes and Noble, which have taken out many longtime businesses around the Row in the last year alone. The Montgomery County Council declined to require the developer of the Regal's site to provide a replacement cineplex at 7272 Wisconsin, which has reduced foot traffic in downtown Bethesda by about 20,000 people per weekend, according to a study on the impact of cineplexes on downtown areas.
This loss can easily be seen in the lighter sidewalk traffic, hundreds of vacant parking spaces in the two Bethesda Row-area public garages, and little-to-no people on the once-crowded plaza outside Anthropologie & Co. Of course, the twin closures follow the collapse of Montgomery County's nighttime economy, as a result of the County Council's disastrous "Nighttime Economy Task Force" debacle, which resulted in 17 nightspots closing in downtown Bethesda alone.
46 comments:
"This loss can easily be seen in the lighter sidewalk traffic, hundreds of vacant parking spaces in the two Bethesda Row-area public garages, and little-to-no people on the once-crowded plaza outside Anthropologie & Co."
Sure, that's what it seems like to someone who is doomed to wander the streets after midnight.
But Bethesda Row was packed on Sunday afternoon.
I suppose if you repeat the same unsupported claim about those 20,000 movie patrons enough times, it will become a fact! Once again, prove it with a link to a valid report, or stop making this absurd claim. You must realize how ridiculous this makes you seem.
Reminder: The last of three Barnes & Noble stores in the District closed in 2015. Their flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan closed in 2014.
Bethesda now has Amazon Books.
5:18: First off, Sunday afternoon isn't nighttime. Second of all, even at peak dinner hours - height of summer, and yep, even Sunday afternoons - the garages have hundreds of vacant parking spaces. That was not the case just 3 years ago.
Again, the plaza had little to no people in the 9 and 10 PM hours this summer. Not "midnight." Those used to be prime time hours a few years back. Now they're dead, along with nightlife.
This is all well-known to anyone who frequents downtown Bethesda and Bethesda Row on a regular basis, and cannot be negated by one comment on a website. The Force doesn't work that way.
The Purple Line station and office building that will replace the site of the old theater will bring 15,000 passengers a day, and 360,000 sq. ft. of offices.
@ 5:25 AM - And Amazon Books has no stores in Virginia.
Things change. Go with them or be left behind.
Sorry you’re mad that the world doesn’t revolve around you. Let me pour you a tall glass of get over it.
5:25: Amazon Books is primarily a vanity project for Jeff Bezos, much like the Washington Post (although not nearly as useful for business promotion, PR and lobbying purposes as The Post). He's losing millions on both.
Amazon Books is dead or closed whenever I go by at night. It doesn't even have a coffee shop.
5:23: It was not only in the study, but it's also clearly confirmed by anyone who counts crowds around Bethesda Row and elsewhere.
5:29: You sound like your heroes, Stalin and Mao. Bravo.
"The garages have hundreds of vacant parking spaces. That was not the case just 3 years ago."
People slowly started using the Capital Crescent Garage instead of the small, congested Bethesda-Elm Garage, which opened one year before the theater closed.
5:29: We have many more traveling through the existing Metro station, and that whole vicinity has been declared dead. So why not double down on dead, right?
5:31: "Survey says.....BRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTT."
FACT CHECK: The Capital Crescent Garage has not increased usage, it has always had hundreds of available spaces (it just takes longer to get through thanks to the Commie alignment-wrecking speed bumps that were installed). The Bethesda-Elm garage, which used to be FULL at prime dinner hours, now also has hundreds of available spaces.
Calling someone a Communist for counseling others to not get lost in the past and wishing good things for the future because that's what normal people do.
5:48: No, it's just an urbane and witty way of pointing out that very bad things are often referred to as "progress," and your own repeated pronouncements of your radical political ideology. A 2 for 1, old sport.
Seems like Robert is trying to come up with a coherent reason why Yogiberry has closed. His claim, supported by evidence he provided, that there is twenty thousand less people walking the streets of Bethesda Row at night, seems to make some sense. Are you folks going to come up with a alternative explanation why retail in Bethesda is collapsing (the reason he provides here could be one of many) or are you just going to attack him for reporting it?
"hundreds of vacant parking spaces in the two Bethesda Row-area public garages"
And if there weren't hundreds of vacant spaces, Dyer would be attacking the county for not building enough parking lol
Yogiberry used to be packed. Obviously it isn't anymore given that it is closing.
The ice cream rolls place across the street and Regal closing didn't help certainly. The Regal crowd is the Yogiberry customer.
Saith Dyer: "Survey says.....BRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTT."
One could just as easily say that about your repeated, unsubstantiated claim that a cineplex "will bring 20,000 to the area".
Saith Dyer: "It's just an urbane and witty way of pointing out that very bad things are often referred to as "progress," and your own repeated pronouncements of your radical political ideology. A 2 for 1, old sport."
That's like saying the closure of the theater is the moral equivalent of the Holocaust or the Gulags.
And not many Bethesdians associate the word "urbane" with Robert Dyer.
Saith Dyer: "FACT CHECK: It just takes longer to get through [the Capital Crescent Garage] thanks to the Commie alignment-wrecking speed bumps that were installed."
You're incoherent, Dyer. Get some help for your problem. And don't drive so fast in the garage.
Meanwhile, you missed some slightly-yuuuge traffic news on the north end of the Triangle yesterday morning.
Saith #Dyer'sLittleHelper: "His claim, supported by evidence he provided, that there is [sic] twenty thousand [sic] less people walking the streets of Bethesda Row at night."
Wrong.
Driving so fast in a parking garage over a Commie speed bump that you wreck your car's alignment doesn't sound very "urbane", Old Sport.
NOT YOGIBERRY .... NOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo
So the last two paragraphs of this article seem even more silly now.
Does the troll really want to bring up Sears? LOL
Multiple sites claimed they were closing a year before they actually did. Dyer broke the news on the correct closing date.
That's why Dyer is Mayor of Bethesda.
7:56: They're still totally accurate regarding why the previous owner closed.
7:42: You've obviously never been in the garage - those bumps will damage your car at any speed above 1 MPH.
So basically you posted this without having the full story. You claimed it closed because the Regal left. And you were wrong. But no matter. A serious journalist such as yourself doesn’t need to fact check or provide meaningful and accurate information.
Doing a heck of a job there Scoops you really are the best journalist ever.
Speaking of scoops, Chase was forced to turn their big blue light bulb off.
Also, Dyer should have waited more than a minute after the Little Helper posted.
8:09am So, I thought the Chase bank blue light was a non story according to you last week. LOL
Good to see the legacy media outlets catching up. Better late than never.
Where would folks get Bethesda news if not for Robert Dyer?
8:07am need more haterade?
Instead of conjecture, here is a link to a parking analysis for downtown Bethesda from October, 2017, about 2 years ago. It does not show parking usage over time, but does analyze existing and projected parking demand for street spaces, parking lots and decks.
Spoiler alert, the report shows that Bethesda has and will have adequate but reducing amounts of available parking. The only area that is considered stressed, is the central part of downtown, and only during weekday peaks. Of course this will be made worse when Marriott takes over the large public deck downtown near their new HQ. They do mention that the temporary loss of lot 24 and 10 near the FWM, and the reduction of street parking for new separated bike lanes, will impact Bethesda Row parking availability.
When 4747 Bethesda, the Elm, the Wilson, the Avocet Tower and the new AC Hotel open, available public parking in Parking Deck 31 will surely be reduced. Even now during weekdays, Parking Deck 31 is usually full on levels G, G1 and G2, with parking only available three or four levels below grade on Levels G3 and G4. Some are likely being used by construction workers on the nearby high-rises. I would guess that in two years, when three high-rise fives and anew hotel are open, few spaces will be available during peak weekdays times.
The good news is that this massive deck, combined the new 300 space underground deck at Parking Lot 24 will make it easy to find a space around Bethesda Row and the future Bethesda Market in the evening or on weekends.
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-Parking/Resources/Files/Bethesda%20Parking%20Study_1017.pdf
8:30: Uh, the whole point I've made is that there is already plenty of spaces in the garages at Bethesda Row, because the theater and B&N closed.
8:09: I broke the story. The story was picked up on by another media outlet, which did not cite me as the source. That's not my problem.
8:07: You just made a fool of yourself, old sport. The store has closed. The current ownership was impacted by the factors I detailed in the original story.
Now I have received word from Federal Realty that a new owner will reopen the store. I've updated the story with this new information not provided by the old owner.
I broke the story, then I updated the scoop with new information. Obviously, with an IQ lower than your belt size, this is a challenging concept, but forge on.
#scooped
As you read some unhinged comments from Robert's stalker/troll here (and other posts), it's important to remember that these types of comments are sadly common towards journalists in general.
Oh bless your little heart Scoops. You think you are witty.
And not even a full minute apart this time.
"Now I have received word from Federal Realty that a new owner will reopen the store."
Were they "livid" when they called you?
Other local sites could learn from this post: update, don't delete the original article and publish new one (pretending the original never published). #Sears
Jacob Cassell, 17, of Bethesda, was riding south on the sidewalk of Old Georgetown Road when he fell off the sidewalk and into the road, he died from his injuries a week later. This blog site BETRAYED the community by not reporting this tragic event.
9:09: It was a tragic event, and quickly and shamefully exploited for political gain by some on the County Council. But I am the editor, not you, the last time I checked. The story was well played out across TV. My readers already knew about it.
8:46: No, unlike you, they are very professional.
After Federal Realty was called and asked about it, it seems they then contacted Dyer.
9:27: No, they actually read my website.
Everyone reads Dyer.
8:40 AM
And my point was that the surplus of parking near Bethesda Row, and near the Metro Center are both short lived, at least during the weekday peaks, and will be greatly reduced as soon as 9500 more office workers show up. The parking system is purposefully designed to meet the weekday peak, and therefore the amount of available parking in the decks during weeknights and weekends is a meaningless metric to get all upset about. Bethesda will always be way over-served for this type of off-peak use, at least if a mega-cineplex doesn’t show up and demand 1000 parking spaces in the evening and weekends, as you seem to think would be a silver-bullit for downtown.
In fact, multifamily housing is also a perfect reciprocal use that can easily share structured parking with offices uses, as they have nearly opposite peak usages. Of course folks paying high apartment rent, much prefer to have secure, dedicated parking spaces under their buildings.
One could argue that the real parking story should be about how existing offices and shops m4ar the Metro Center (that are open during weekdays), will soon lack available and plentiful parking, as Marriott consumes all the daytime parking near their HQ. One of the consequences of the deal that the county needed to strike with Marriott to retain their HQ in MoCo, and to get them to move to downtown Bethesda, and sign a very long lease with a developer. Exactly the type of technique that you espouse the county to exercise to lure other Fortune 500 companies to stay or move to MoCo.
Thanks for correcting the posting with an update! Good to hear they might continue with a new owner, in the same location. I noted today that they have removed all the self-serve machines from the store, leaving large holes in the serving area, so it seems something weird is going on...
I've got a strange feeling!
Saith Dyer: "It was a tragic event, and quickly and shamefully exploited for political gain by some on the County Council."
Wrong. It was used to show how we need to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. If this results in changes to our traffic laws and transportation facilities to improve safety, then the boy's death will not have been in vain.
9:02pm feel free to submit an opinion piece to Dyer if you want him to publish your ideas. I'm sure he'll review it and get back to you.
Much of what you post should just be taken offline with Dyer.
9:02: If any relevant "changes" are made, they would be to our trash collection system. He went off the curb trying to maneuver around trash cans left on the sidewalk by the collectors. If that was the case, are you now going to scream as loud to return to trash collectors coming to the sides of houses to pick it up like the old days? Hint: No, because it doesn't fit your political crusade against cars.
8:16: I've screen-captured your comment for law enforcement. Yet another threatening, cyberbullying, stalking comment that has you in the express lane to federal prison.
1:30: So how do you figure the garage at Bethesda Row was full JUST THREE YEARS AGO, without all of those phantom workers who may or may not actually arrive in the future?
You can't count workers for companies that don't even exist yet to hire them.
I would guess that three years ago, right after Parking Garage 31 had just opened, many folks were unaware of the available new spaces. I know that when they closed the surface parking lots at Lot 31 and 31A for the construction of the Flats and the Darcy, there was a tremendous load on the deck near Bethesda Lane. It takes folks awhile to discover alternative parking options. I think that many folks going to Bethesda Row by car, preferred to park on the street or in the above ground deck, at least until they recently learn how easy it is to use Parking Deck 31, and thus reducing the load on the older deck.
And yes of course the closing of three large restaurants at Redwood, Kapnos and Lebanese Taverna are likely are reducing the parking demand.
On that subject, any news on Kapnos? I see from the Federal Realty Leasing Plan for Bethesda Row, that the Kapnos space is now listed as “available”. I read somewhere that Mike Isabella’s partners were trying to reopen without him, but have not heard any recent news. I’m sure that Hawkers will have a huge following. I have read that some of their other restaurants have 2 hour long lines out the door on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The Capital Crescent Garage gets much higher ratings on Yelp than the Bethesda Elm Garage.
Capital Crescent Garage 31: Yelp rating 3.5
https://www.yelp.com/biz/capital-crescent-garage-public-parking-garage-31-bethesda
Bethesda Elm Garage 57: Yelp rating 2.5
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bethesda-elm-garage-bethesda
"This garage's patrons drive me up the wall. Imagine, the sign says there are 312 parking spaces available. And an obese donut of a person insists on waiting for a parking space right on the first level ramp, all while blocking traffic from entering the garage. Are some of these people just stupid!?"
"Every time I use it I get hassled by some one saying they are homeless and " I'm HUNGRY"! Little does he know we have seen him ( my co workers and I) get out of a nice vehicle parked in the same garage . Garage is clean and well attended. Just send the beggars away."
"This is definitely a one star garage. Seems it was built decades ago and never upgraded..."
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