The new Sophia Bethesda mixed-use development at 4924 St. Elmo Avenue has signed the first tenant for its ground floor retail space. Paris Baguette Bakery Cafe will be located in a 3000-square-foot corner space fronting onto Fairmont Avenue and the pedestrian paseo between the Sophia and the Bainbridge Bethesda apartment tower. Sophia development partner Duball, LLC believes the cafe will help to activate the paseo, which has previously struggled to realize its potential. The paseo has now been widened, and will have an improved design once construction is completed. Two retail spaces, measuring 930 SF and 950 SF, remain available for lease.
Exciting news. I guess the target audience is downtown workers? 3000 sq ft sounds like a lot. Maybe this company bakes/manufactures stuff locally that also gets distributed to retailers for an additional revenue stream?
ReplyDeleteThe Rockville Town Square location is nearly 3K sqft and doesn't feel very big. I believe it has maybe 8 tables. A lot of the sqft goes towards an impressive display area, so I imagine much of their business is to-go rather than sit-down.
ReplyDeleteWhat downtown workers? Lol the Woodmont Triangle is like a ghost town during the week. Their rent is most likely too expensive to allow for a wholesale portion of the business.
ReplyDeleteThere was construction going on in the vacant Satsuma Thursday evening - is that authorized?
ReplyDeleteIf Marriott required their staff in office, we'd see a greater base of daytime workers.
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