Monday, December 30, 2019

Lilly Pulitzer closes at Bethesda Row

Lilly Pulitzer has closed at Bethesda Row. Formerly The Pink Palm, the store has been cleared out. It was an abrupt closure without a closing liquidation, but has been in the works for some time.
Last August, a source told me Lilly Pulitzer would be closing. A store employee told me at that time that there were no plans to close.
While we never saw the "Store Closing!" and "Everything Must Go!" signs now ubiquitous across moribund Montgomery County, it's troubling to see a popular and enduring brand store closing in what was once a target market. The rapid flight of the rich from Montgomery County to lower-tax jurisdictions in our region seems to have impacted their favored stores as much as it has the County's collapsing tax revenue haul.



29 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:17 AM

    Lilly clothes look great if you're a size 2. Beyond that, you look like an acid-tripping relic of the '60s threw up all over you. Bethesda women are still spending plenty on clothes, Robert, Just not hers. Bye, Felicia.

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  2. Mystery Shopper5:43 AM

    Lilly is extremely popular.
    Their collection at Target sold out almost immediately this year.

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  3. Anonymous5:45 AM

    Perhaps they closed because, you know, they have another store 3 miles away from this one...

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  4. 5:17: Of course not everyone has the same taste in clothes, but I know from reporting on both Lilly stores over the years that the brand has had a very enthusiastic following in Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac. It was good enough for Jackie Kennedy, after all. Few would question her style choices, I think.

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  5. Anonymous6:20 AM

    (Jackie Kennedy died 25 years ago, old sport)

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  6. 6:20: And your point is?

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  7. I think A@6:20 wonders if Jackie O. has much influence in today's world.

    Especially since 2020 will be the first year with more millennial voting than baby boomers.

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  8. Anonymous7:19 AM

    I am past millennial age and I don't remember Jackie O's clothes. I'm sure she was fabulous but her influence was a long time ago.

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  9. Anonymous7:28 AM

    Bethesda Row is nearly 100% leased, so I wouldn’t be to worried about the health of retail in the southern part of downtown. Retail churn is a natural occurrence in the business. Some landlords even kick out the bottom performing 10% of their tenants at lease renewal time, just to keep things fresh. I’m not sure if Federal Realty has such a policy, but it makes sense to make sure all tenants are performing well as a group.

    For example, I bet the new LensCrafters has more foot traffic than the aging Lebanese Taverna. If you loved their food, it is a big loss. If you want to cross shop eyeglasses, maybe you prefer the new store, and space for another tenant on Arlington.

    Aging Redwood vs. the upcoming new Asian Street Food and a new furniture store. These new offerings should also draw many more folks to Bethesda Row.

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  10. Anonymous7:36 AM

    Hello
    I've waited here for you
    Everlong
    Tonight I throw myself in two
    Out of the red
    Out of her head she sang
    Come down and waste away with me
    Down with me
    Slow, how you wanted it to be
    I'm over my head
    Out of her head she sang
    And I wonder
    When I sing along with you
    If everything could ever feel this real forever
    If anything could ever be this good again
    The only thing I'll ever ask of you
    You've got to promise not to stop when I say when
    She sang
    Breathe out
    So I can breathe you in
    Hold you in
    And now
    I know you've always been
    Out of your head
    Out of my head I sang
    And I wonder
    When I sing along with you
    If everything could ever feel this real forever
    If anything could ever be this…

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  11. Anonymous7:42 AM

    This article raises the usual series of questions.

    1) Why is that in reports on store/restaurant/nightspot closures at Bethesda Row, the landlord, Federal Realty, is never mentioned? The same holds for their other properties such as Pike & Rose, Montrose Crossing, Congressional Plaza, and Rockville Town Square.

    2) When a new tenant opens at this site in the coming months, will Dyer backtrack on his claim that the previous closure was due to "the flight of the rich from moribund Montgomery County"? Or will he avoid any mention of the previous tenant, and delete any comments that do mention it?

    3) Has Robert Dyer been to Cleveland Park recently? As many as one-third of the properties there are currently vacant.

    4) I noted that Little Helper mentioned (at 11:15 PM Sunday) the closure of Barney's at The Collection recently. As usual, the fact that Barney's is "massively insolvent" has closed 15 of their 22 stores and the chain was sold two months ago was avoided.

    https://nypost.com/2019/12/27/barneys-is-massively-insolvent-still-owes-vendors-millions-court-docs/

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  12. Anonymous7:44 AM

    Does Robbie cross shop for eyeglasses?

    Because he always looks cross-eyed in his YouTube videos.

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  13. Anonymous7:44 AM

    7:42 AM Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.

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  14. 7:28 AM Lebanese Taverna must have really been doing badly if the eyeglass store has more traffic.

    You'd buy glasses at most once a year.

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  15. Anonymous7:56 AM

    Jackie O would have been 90, and as a member of the Greatest Generation, would have been one, two, three, FOUR generations removed from the Coveted Millennials.

    And she left the Washington area no later than 1968.

    Who wrote this article, Dyer? Your grandmother?

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  16. Anonymous7:57 AM

    7:44 AM (2nd of 2) - You forgot to sign as "Dole".

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  17. Blake Kightlinger8:00 AM

    Wonder if amazon will expand into the vacant spot.

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  18. Anonymous8:02 AM

    One thing is certain- Robert's troll shouldn't be a source of fashion advice.

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  19. Anonymous8:52 AM

    An Amazon Books expansion would be a great idea, and give them frontage on the pedestrian walkway and would be across and visible from the new Asian Street Food. At other locations, this restaurant often has massive lines in the evenings.

    I went into Amazon Books just before Christmas, and they were incredibly busy, and with very little stock on the shelves. A real buying frenzy. Maybe they could even add a small cafe or Amazon Go store.

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  20. Anonymous9:00 AM

    8:52 they closed the cafe at the Amazon Books in Georgetown :( ... I would guess they aren't going to include them in any new books location.

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. Anonymous12:54 PM

    "Jackie O"

    "Wunnerful, Wunnerful"

    "Missed it by that much"

    "Master plan highways"

    "Comsat and Fairchild headquarters"

    Ever notice that Robert Dyer is hopelessly stuck in the 1960s?

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    Replies
    1. Roald4:01 PM

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel
      Pretty much this
      Sadly he wouldn’t be so lonely if he took ownership of his own behavior and stopped be such a jack ass

      Delete
  23. Anonymous2:54 PM

    Robert lives in the past because he has no present and no future. Really what does he have? Not much. What does he have to look forward to? Again more of the same.
    With no job, social or family life he really has little more that his bitter angry self for company.
    He talks about the “good old days” because his current life sucks.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:53 PM

      2:54pm wow, you've demeaned all the Bethesda back in the day members in one stroke. Fools stuck in the past, according to you.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous4:33 PM

    Dyer, you need to block all NEGATIVE COMMENTS and TROLLING COMMENTS on your blog. You provide great information for MoCo, and the trolls will never understand the hard work you do as a news reporter.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous6:11 PM

    Bobby with the BB shout out.

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  26. Anonymous7:39 PM

    Jackie O also wore a beehive.

    Things change.

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  27. 7:39: She didn't wear one every day, and she is still a gold standard fashion icon, most famously proven by the media's obsession with comparing Michelle Obama to her.

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