Many people have suggested the former Safeway space at 7625 Old Georgetown Road at Bethesda Place would be ideal for Aldi or Lidl. The theory is now becoming reality. Lidl will open its newest Montgomery County store at Bethesda Place, according to the building's leasing firm. Attracting the increasingly popular German grocer caps off a major renovation of the mixed-use Polinger property. This is certainly good news for the residents of Bethesda Place and the many other nearby residential buildings within close walking distance, who have had to go farther since the Safeway closed five years ago.
69 comments:
Awful news. Sorry. Around 80% of what Lidl carries comes from its own private label, Preferred Selection. Mostly generic is not what this area wants needs or desires. Publix, yes. Kroger, yes. Even another Teeter would be better than this place. Pass.
Wow this is great news for downtown Bethesda.
That's good news. Glad to see another market open in that space. I've always liked Lidl.
Good for residents that there are many different chains to choose from.
Learning
This will fill a big retail vacancy in the epicenter of downtown.
Let's hope that Barnes & Noble moves into the other big vacant space, the former Modell's on Wisconson. Seems like a perfect high-visibility, high-traffic location on Wisconsin Avenue, across the street from the new Bethesda Metro entrance and Purple Line Station coming soon. Books seem like a good retail item near transit, that can easily be carried by hand, unlike groceries. Lots of available covered outdoor dining spaces for the cafes that are common in new B&N Stores. That location would have both underground parking under the store and is only one block from the large county parking lot (or future underground deck) behind the Farm Women's Market, which itself might become a large food hall in the future. Even the Capital Crescent Trail and their new two story high, 425 bike parking deck is just across the street, for a bike ride and book purchase.
The site is also across the street from the large retail space in the Hampden House, currently under construction. Renderings for that caper showed a two story high store with tall glass on three sides and an Apple logo facing Wisconsin Avenue. This likely is just wishful marketing by the developer, but seems like a great place for a smaller flagship Apple Store for the same reasons. If you look at the floor plans, they look very similar to Apple prototype stores of this size, with a center mezzanine and space for a dedicated internal elevator.
Bethesda Row is already a great shopping and dining destination, but the area around the new transit entrances, adjacent to and just east of Bethesda Row, will hopefully attract some nice destination retail shops and cafes. This would extend the Bethesda Row district from Arlington to Wisconsin, especially with the two new mixed-use multi-family towers proposed flanking Wisconsin at Bethesda Avenue, which also include large retail components in the bases.
This Metropolitan resident says, Yayyyy! About time! Great news!!!
It figures that JAC would be unhappy about the Lidl news, since I'm always on the opposite side of any argument involving JAC. I love Lidl and frequent the Glenmont branch. I think Bethesda apartment/condo dwellers will be delighted by the option of a reasonable alternative to Giant, Safeway, and Harris Teeter. If Lidl is opening in Bethesda, can Aldi's be far behind?
So, let me get this straight. They let a cut rate discount grocery store in to Downtown Bethesda but they won’t allow any Fast Food Restaurants in to Bethesda (except for the McDonalds on River Rd that’s grandfathered in). I was about to really go on but I see most people on this thread are happy about LIDL coming in………….ok then………
It figures that 12:26 would feel unhappy about someone's opinion they disagree with since they're always on the opposite side of logic.
Take a closer look at the some of the products carried by Lidl/Aldi and a majority of items are definitely lower quality than store brands, (especially TJ's which is just a couple of blocks away). I'm glad you're a fan but do a little research before following the ancient proverb by "removing all doubt".
Good news. Solid grocer and several dozen new jobs. Or course JAC whines. Jesus what is up with that guy? He doesn't even live here and all he does is complain about everything that happens.
The guy who called Jose Andres conceited a few posts ago just spoke for everyone in Bethesda.
JAC h-ass proclaimed that Lidl is not "what this area wants needs or desires."
Please, JAC off-er how you determined everyone's 'wants needs and desires'. Or do you just mean you and your cat.
Sounds pretty conceited of you to speak for anyone but yourself.
3:35 - Not conceited at all actually. This is not the demographic for a mostly genetic grocer. You are allowed to simply disagree.
3:32 - Not complaining at all. Lidl is a cheap, generic grocery chain that, while popular, I don't think is a fit here at all. I would say the same about Giant and Safeway which are old, tired and uninteresting. I've suggested Kroger, the largest in the nation and Publix. What have you offered? Offer an idea that's all. Or simply disagree
3:03 - Correct. I was stating essentially the same but get excoriated for it.
3:32 - it's not a whine or complaint but rather an educated opinion. you've offered no opinion.
Jose andres is conceited. He’s full of hot air and expects everyone to worship him!
Hopefully Bethesda can get TJ Maxx (recently closed in Mazza Gallerie) and/or Marshall’s (soon to close in Friendship Center. As well as Barnes & Noble.
JAC tells people to "simply disagree". TELLS PEOPLE how to speak, while he himself says whatever he would like.
I simply think you're an a'hole JAC. Don't tell me what to do, you old angry sad loser.
@4:46 *Genetic* grocer?? I simply disagree and I also think you're a conceited a'hole.
JAC has now determined Bethesda's "demographic" as his to determine. And it isn't within his liking for a mostly "genetic" grocer. Think you mean generic, JACass.
I can simply disagree if I'd like, and I can call you a flaming a'hole if I'd like. I choose the latter.
You are a joke, an old bitter angry man who needs a life outside his keyboard. You're not being excoriated, you're shaming yourself.
Arrogant.
Completely agree. Awful.
What you’re saying isn’t even controversial. Not sure why you are being attacked. /shrug
Although I begrudgingly agree with JAC, on this one topic: it's unfair to paint anyone's opinion as speaking for everyone, only an idiot would try to discount JAC's opinion by saying 'he thinks he speaks for everyone.'
Where JAC is wrong, and maybe the root of the problem is that he or she doesn't live here and has an inflated idea of how upscale and tony, and ritzy and otherwise wonderful Bethesda is. It might have been on that trajectory when JAC was here, but it's not that way today, IMHO. I'm a life long resident except for brief periods and see Bethesda becoming more like Silver Spring everyday. We simply do not have the fortitude, discipline, and foresight to avoid bad practices we brought on 'ourselves ' by making poor political and economic decisions. This country will be indistinguishable from PG in a matter of a few years. Lidl, Aldi, dollar stores, hookah lounges, Mercados, street sports, crime and litter are in our future much bigger than Wegmans, Meijer, and Pilates and lacrosse.
B and N where Modells was isn't a good fit. Maybe better than none, but the panache surrounding B and N evolves around 'a gathering area,' not on a main thoroughfare. Could be coordinated between with pro business politicians, which we didn't elect. Elrich shoulda seen that as an incumbent he really lost any credibility with such a small and dubious margin.
4:59 - Prepare to be electronically whipped for saying that. I said about the same and got lashed. Hilarious!
Just because you do t want it doesn’t mean others agree. Go to Trader Joe’s and boycott lidl. Lidl is very affordable so many will love this great new addition.
JAC @ 4:50 PM -
There are no Kroger-branded stores in this region.
But perhaps you were unaware that Kroger owns Harris-Teeter, since 2013, 3 years before their store opened in Bethesda?
I actually thought you better informed than this.
To JAC: You suggested that Kroger or Publix would be a better choice to move into the old Safeway space. Kroger owns Harris-Teeter, so it would seem unlikely that Kroger would move into the old Safeway slot when it already has a part of its operation only five blocks away at Harris Teeter. The closest Publix store is about 50 miles away in Stafford VA, which it got when it purchased a number of Martin's stores in the Richmond area. Supply lines would be long to a single store in Bethesda. Publix has indicated that its current expansion plans are for Kentucky, especially the Louisville area. Lidl is better than nothing. Many of the people living in the MPDUs in all the new Bethesda high-rise apartment buildings may well appreciate Lidl.
@3:32 - Spot on! He's waaay off the right end of the stage and thinks he speaks for "all" of Bethesda, which shows just how much he knows about the demographics of the area. Lidl will perfectly serve the needs of the working class residents who can't afford the pricey grocers the Mr. Off desires. He can continue wasting his coins on the hi-end Giant, Safeway, Balducci's, etc, while those who need to watch their wallets prosper. Oh, and btw, if he were so informed, he'd know that Kroger owns HT, and you will not see the former in this area. Another indicator that this poster is a foreign element.
"I don't think is a fit here at all."
JAC once again speaking as if he's king of the neighborhood when he doesn't even live here. What on earth could possibly be bad about downtown having several different options to choose from? Good grief. First the guy ruins the BB comments section to the point where they literally had to close them down and now he's doing it here.
How can the area support two Trader Joe's, Teeters, Giant, and now Lidl? And another Giant and Balducci's a few miles up the road.
10:43 - Oh yes, I have that kind of power. Yes, it's my fault that a private company decided to remove its comment forum all the while never
10:43 - All the while never once violating their comment guidelines. Yeah, that must have been the reason they shut it down.
6:55 - yeah, I'm aware of the Kroger/Teeter relationship. It was merely an example of what would fit well in this space especially as it was speced out for a full size grocery. Yeah, something better than an empty space I agree there.
9:22 - your anger is showing
All completely false and just nasty but that's what keyboard assassins do they throw bombs.
This is great news. There are large apartment and condominiums buildings close by. The residents can walk across the street and get their groceries without getting in their car. Their items are good enough for me and affordable.
MPDU's = Enter Lidl
6:19 - yes, I did know that. It was merely an example of what would better suit that space in my opinion
1:41 - absolutely perfectly stated. by the way, no one knows where someone lives or doesn't live. how in the world does anyone on a comment site know where I live? I no longer live in the area? how can anyone say that without actually knowing cause they don't.
9:08 - ever make a typo? that's just juvenile and ad hominem rubbish. so simply stating a strong opinion causes someone to call another an awful name? no wonder people are moving.
12:20 - Who, me? Tell me about it. That's what I'd like to know. So everyone else who posted here saying that they don't think Lidl is a fit be ready to get attacked. That would be fair an equitable right?
9:05 - all caps equals yelling. Why so angry? Another bomb thrower. No differing opinion presented.
1:41 : 100% agree. Bethesda becoming just like SS!
Does anyone know if it's possible to block JAC's comments? It's insane how often he posts. Alternatively, does anyone know how we might convince him to get a life and do something better with his time than shake his fist at grocery stores?
I went thru great pains to explain to my brother than Bethesda is a “cut above” Silver Spring when I picked Bethesda to live in. Silver Spring still has some nice residential areas left over from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s mainly along colesville rd north of downtown, but it’s downtown core is going downhill fast………I don’t want Bethesda to suffer the same fate !! That’s why Lidl coming in worries me a bit.
7:24 - Does anyone know if there's a way to block every other person posting here who makes a comment that doesn't follow the group? I'd like to know that. Problem is, most comment under "anonymous". Why?
I completely agree, the Nike store even has me a bit concerned.
6:27 - Well, the Nike store could be a really nice addition. We shall see.
JAC said: "Does anyone know if there's a way to block every other person posting here who makes a comment that doesn't follow the group?"
Says the guy who just posted 16 out of 48 comments here in the past two days. Self-Awareness FAIL.
If there is such a feature, then I and many others will quickly add YOU to their lists of Ignored Users.
@7:24pm if you don't like Jac's comments close your eyes or don't read them.
Bethesda is already suffering the same fate as SS... Barnes gone, Nike coming, Lidl... what's next?
This thread is definitely going in the pantheon of "why everyone else hates Bethesdians." Y'all are a walking meme.
@5:54 No one attacks people saying their opinion. People respond to YOU because you say your opinion as if you speak for the entire Bethesda population. Maybe just once, just one little time, say "I think blah blah stupid blah..." rather than "Mostly generic is not what this area wants needs or desires."
Who are you to speak for what others want, need, and desire? Are you too dim to see the difference between stating your own opinion versus stating your own stupid and wrong ideas as absolutes?
It's your conceited and braindead pompous posts that get responses you call 'angry', not simply that you have a differing opinion. I don't see anyone else getting "attacked" for their opinions, though you keep telling them they're going to.
7:24 must be a former Twitter employee whose feelings supercede facts. I actually enjoy reading leftist ramblings as their "facts" couldn't find water if they fell out of a boat.
Will prospective customers be required to get down on one knee before entering that Nike© store?
Barnes & Noble is gone from Georgetown, and their store there became the Nike Store, which just closed last month. There are no Barnes & Noble stores left in the District, but Bethesda is reportedly getting a new store soon, in addition to the Nike store.
And Bethesda poached Pottery Barn from the dying Mazza Gallerie mall several years ago, along with Pampillona Jewelers.
Yet people are all up-in-arms about the prospect of less expensive groceries? Typical snobs.
8:47 - still waiting for the vitriolic comments toward the many others here who aren't part of the group think. MoCo mantra now is fair and equitable. So fairness would be lobbing attacks at those posters as well. Angry keyboard cowboys no doubt.
3:50 - Shocking. Everything I say is obviously my opinion because I'm saying it. My gosh, how daft. So many angry folks. Don't like what I say, move on. Many others have commented as well that they don't believe Lidl is the right fit for downtown Bethesda. Please make sure you excoriate them equally and I'll be the first to thank you.
Was hoping for a Whole Foods! Any chance of one moving into downtown Bethesda?
And three more Orange B's are added, bringing the total to 20 out of the 58 comments posted here, keeping the ratio at just over one-third.
"The Troll is in his manic phase."
This is excellent news for us "poor" people who live within 2 blocks of Bethesda place. Although schlepping to Trader Joe's, Giant, or Harris Teeter has not been far, this will be far more convenient. My preference would have been an Asian supermarket to create real diversity in the neighborhood. An H-Mart would have been amazing, but alas, Downtown Bethesda is not ready for that kind of diversity yet. My real concern is whether or not Downtown Bethesda has enough density to support another supermarket. Most of what I purchase from supermarkets are commodities, like vegetables, fruits, proteins, eggs, and dairy, so no frill brands really do not affect me. The reality is most supermarkets get their products from the same producers, your Whole Foods produce is not necessarily sourced differently than a Giant, but is selected and curated better. With that said, can another supermarket make it in Downtown Bethesda at current real estate prices? I am sure Lidl received an anchor tenant deal in the 30s to 40s per square foot, but at 40,000 square feet, they are still looking at 100,000 a month in rent at a minimum. Retail and restaurants in Downtown Bethesda are not surviving at $50 a square feet, I questioned if Lidl can.
When JAC is opposed to Robert...you know things are completely upside down.
Who would have guessed the opening of a Lidl would be the most commented story on this blog.
@7:44 Almost...
https://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2022/06/maryland-gov-larry-hogan-reacts-to.html
I'm much more concerned with Nike than I am with lidl.
What’s wrong with Nike or lidl? How does new stores opening mean Bethesda is going “down hill”?
Bethesda might be a good place for $300 dollar Feragamos, but not so good for $200 basketball shoes. I doubt that even the local Landon crowd buys into that.
Nike had a lot of security issues at their, now closed, Georgetown store.
I grew up in Bethesda. “Back in the day,” Bethesda was truly a decent place. Unfortunately, with the increased criminal activity throughout the area, it is on its way to becoming Wheaton/Silver Spring. Not opinion; just facts. And to that reference to Harris-Teeter, why would THAT store go there when HT is a couple blocks away on Battery Lane?!
I just came across this post accidentally. Having lived in Europe before coming to US and having shopped at LIDL/Aldi, it is not necessarily about the price, they have unique products from Germany and other places that I could find and brought back fond memories. individual labels are put on the same products to cater to different grocery stores all the time in every area so I don't find that to be a negative factor. Instead of going to Wheaton or Gaithersburg, I can just go locally here as I live in Bethesda. Besides judging from the crowds in both these stores with their business models, they certainly are giving the other bigger stores a run for their money as there is quite a price differential. Hope this helps.
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