Norfolk Avenue retail space now available for lease in Bethesda (Photos)

7929 Norfolk Avenue was recently gutted inside, and is now available for lease. The former restaurant building is being marketed by Dochter & Alexander, a Washington, D.C. commercial real estate agency. Most recently home to several restaurant concepts by Chef Ashish Alfred, most memorably Duck Duck Goose, the building was acquired by The Greenhill Companies of Bethesda this past April. The building is in a prime spot in the Woodmont Triangle, with windows facing onto a heavily-traveled intersection.

Lidl opens in Bethesda (Video + Photos)

Lidl has opened at 7625 Old Georgetown Road at Bethesda Place in downtown Bethesda. There were free German pretzels in the bakery, and many Supermarket Finds-worthy products to be found in the store's middle aisle area. T-shirts, underwear, and even $12 sneakers can be acquired there, as well as an outdoor projector and a screen to project onto. A comparison chart shows that you could save over $20 shopping at Lidl over Giant, based on the basket of common items they selected. Of course, the trade-off is that the selection of brands and food items is much larger at Giant. Low prices, a tight inventory, and seasonal German items are the top draws at Lidl, now finally here in Bethesda.

Renovations at historic Bethesda Community Store (Photos)

The Bethesda Community Store and Deli at 8804 Old Georgetown Road has been closed for nearly a decade. Plans to renovate the historic structure have been floating around nearly as long, but are finally moving forward. Those plans included a rear addition to the building, which was in poor condition. You can see the building now extends much further back than the original store. The parking lot had hosted food truck tenants in recent years - most recently Call Your Mother Deli, which is now opening a bricks-and-mortar location in downtown Bethesda. As had been the idea all along, the building renovations and addition are designed to make the property more appealing to a prospective future tenant. 

The original, one-room store was built in 1921, when a trolley line ran along today's Old Georgetown Road to Rockville. That line originally terminated at Bethesda Park, a 50-acre amusement park on the west side of Old Georgetown Road, between today's streets Greentree Road and Cedar Lane. By the time the store was built, Bethesda Park had long ago burned down, and streetcars were running all the way to Rockville. You can travel a large segment of the old trolley route today, on foot or via bicycle, using the Bethesda Trolley Trail.

Waymo robotaxi charging at Westbard Square in Bethesda during DC test phase (Photos)

A Waymo robotaxi was spotted charging in the parking garage at Westbard Square at 5400 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda last night. It was using the EVgo fast-charging system. Waymo's self-driving Jaguar robotaxis are not yet allowed to operate in Montgomery County or Washington, D.C. without a Waymo technician at the controls. The company is testing the vehicles in the District right now, for a proposed launch of autonomous service within the borders of D.C. next year. That can only happen if the D.C. City Council passes a bill allowing driverless vehicles to operate in the City. Such a bill is now before the Council.

Urban Outfitters relocating at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

This may be the biggest tenant game of musical chairs yet at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Amid all of the reshuffling of spots at the popular retail center, Urban Outfitters is now preparing for a move. The "lifestyle retailer" is currently located on Level 1 in the Nordstrom wing. Signage posted at their future location indicates Urban Outfitters will stay on Level 1, but move around the corner to the vacant space between Calzedonia and KICKZ.

Resurfacing project begins on Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda (Photos)

A Maryland State Highway Administration contractor has begun a resurfacing project on Bradley Boulevard (MD 191) in Bethesda. The work area will run from 6421 Bradley Boulevard to Bradmoor Drive, and resurface both directions of the road. Work hours will be 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM, Monday through Friday. The project is expected to be completed by mid-September, if the weather cooperates.

Warby Parker coming soon to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Warby Parker is opening a new location at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The eyewear boutique will open this fall. It will be located next to L'Occitane en Provence on Level 1 in the Nordstrom wing of the mall. Warby Parker has an existing Bethesda location at 4821 Bethesda Avenue at Bethesda Row.

Trial scheduled for Westbard shooting suspect

A scheduling hearing was finally held last Friday, July 25, 2025, for the trial of the lone suspect arrested so far in the March 29, 2025 shooting on Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. The three-day jury trial of Devon Edwards, 22, is now scheduled for January 7, 2026, in the courtroom of Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge J. Bradford McCullough. Edwards is facing charges of felony 1st-degree assault, reckless endangerment, loaded handgun on person, and discharging a firearm in an urban area in the shooting outside of the Bowlero bowling alley at 5353 Westbard Avenue at Westbard Square. He is being held without bond at the County jail in Clarksburg. Two people were injured in the shootout, and one or more additional alleged shooters have outwitted capture and still remain at-large.

Miniso closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

Miniso has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. It turns out that even popular concepts from rapidly-growing companies are not immune to the moribund Montgomery County economy. Miniso's revenue grew 9.1% in mainland China, and 30.3% overseas during the first quarter of this year, the Chinese company announced in May. Employees are boxing up the contents of the store. The anti-business Montgomery County Council never met a slim profit margin it couldn't shrink even further. Heckuva job, Brownie!