Mon Dieu! Here's a shocker: Ladurée has suddenly closed at 4808 Bethesda Avenue at Bethesda Row. Signage has been removed from above the storefront. The French cafe appears to be the latest victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy, and the flight of the rich to lower-tax jurisdictions in the area, as I can find no news reports of the Paris-based chain engaging in any mass closure of its locations elsewhere. Ladurée opened here in 2022.
24 comments:
I'm not surprised at all. If Paul couldn't make it, I didn't see hope for Ladurée.
That's ok. There's a French cafe opening every other week.
Is this the 98% leased Bethesda Row moribund economy that you are describing? The downtown Bethesda that now has 7 urban format grocery stories? The one with six high-rise hotels, an eight-plex movie theater and three performing arts centers? Is this the moribund Bethesda that was recently rated as the second safest suburb located between 15 and 45 minutes from a major city by Smart Assets in the United States? The moribund Bethesda with a heavy rail station, soon with north and south entrances, future light rail and BRT stations, free circulator buses, Ride On buses, Metro Buses, multiple daily Mega Buses to NYC? The moribund Bethesda with dozens of county parks, privately owned public spaces and three massive new green spaces in the pipeline? The moribund Bethesda with a 425 space, two-story bike parking garage under construction adjacent to the Capital Crescent Trail connecting Bethesda to Georgetown and soon to Silver Spring? The moribund Bethesda with massive expansions to NIH and Walter Reed Military Medical Center under construction? The moribund Bethesda with over 30 high-rise offices and multifamily housing projects fully or partially approved, or in the pipeline for approval. I’m not seeing anything close to morbidity at least in downtown Bethesda.
Literally 2 out of your last 4 posts are about bakeries opening in Montgomery County! A chain that charges over $4 per tiny macaron closes (when they are surrounded by Levain, Maman, Chip City, Fresh Baguette, Georgetown Cupcake- with Tout de Sweet just a short distance away) and it's the sad, pathetic moribund economy framing. You need a new act, man.
5:48: Yep, that's the one. Even The Washington Post, Gov. Wes Moore, and former County Council staffer Adam Pagnucco now admit our economy is moribund. Not a single new major corporate HQ has opened in Montgomery County in over 25 years.
Do I need a new act when Wes Moore and the Washington Post are on stage with me, now saying what I've been reporting for over a decade?
I think you can make an argument about how poorly the MoCo economy has been doing, but from my perspective at least, downtown Bethesda is thriving. Many new stores and restaurants are opening every week it seems. Yes there is always some churn in retail, but for the most part, a very stable and booming downtown.
Agree with 7:15’s comments about the store itself. Went in, got a $4 macaroon and was unimpressed. When the store only has two types of bakery options (those and some other kind of rectangular bar) you’re not going to get a lot of repeat customers. At least with somewhere like tout de sweet there are a variety of options that make you want to come back for more!
7:12: I think what has happened is that some landlords such as Federal Realty have made smart adjustments to the new market, such as emphasizing home design retail over dining and nightlife. The Council cratered the "nighttime economy," which is now virtually non-existent. Bethesda is stable for older, settled-in-life folks, but not so much for the younger people who bring vitality to a place.
As someone who is older, and as you say “settled in life”, I appreciate the stability of downtown Bethesda, and find it a very lively and kinetic urban place for what I want to do. You seem to long for the days of nightclubs, dive bars, dance halls and live music venues open way past midnight. You also seem to pine for the days of large suburban shopping malls that have decimated downtowns across America. I find the way that downtown Bethesda has matured to be exactly what most folks want.
Paul, ICYDK, now only has two remaining locations in the DMV, and those are hanging on by a thread.
Does any of those bakeries sell moribundt cake?
I'm shocked it lasted this long!
I think this site is great for documenting every new store opening and closing, but it's funny that every closing is due to the moribund montgomery county economy, yet every store opening is just a list of the facts (business opening, expected opening date, etc.). If the economy was so moribund, wouldn't it all just be store closings and no store openings? Yet, every day this site lists several new businesses opening.
8:28: I think the reason is that every business opens for the same reason - the owner has a concept they think can be profitable. As a journalist, you can't really analyze why a business is opening.
In contrast, businesses close for many different reasons, and an analysis can be made from the information that is available. Sometimes the owner is old and retiring. A chain may have filed for bankruptcy. Or, when only the Montgomery County location is closing, we can surmise it was due to local factors, such as the anti-business policies of the County Council, and the moribund County economy.
That is just a patently untrue statement. If you can "surmise" a business is closing due to the moribund County economy (even though it is far more likely because there are competing businesses actually doing much better and this specific location just can't compete), then you can "surmise" a business is opening because that they think that same local economy is doing very well...unless it is a business such as a pawn shop that wants a bad local economy.
As others have pointed out, there are numerous French cafes that are doing very well in Bethesda so it's clear this specific cafe has closed because it just can't compete. It is also a very niche shop with limited appeal.
Or maybe (just maybe) we were not impressed by those stale Parisian macarons shipped in from Switzerland (yes, they ship them in from CH: https://www.laduree.us/faq). Folks in Bethesda are quite discriminating and will spend their money at quality locations (e.g., Tout de Sweet, FB, GC, etc.).
1:34: Only a ghost town or rust belt town where the factory closed doesn't have restaurants and shops opening. Wes Moore and The Washington Post have both belatedly joined me in recognizing the Montgomery County economy is moribund. The Laduree concept seems to be "competing" at all of its other locations, so we have to look at the County-specific issues, such as the higher cost of doing business here, the Council's many anti-business policies, and the moribund local economy that can't support expensive macarons anymore.
It's hysterical how a macaroon shop is somehow a litmus test of the overall economy of a region. Laduree also closed its shop in Beverly Hills. I guess all the movie stars and millionaires and billionaires are also fleeing BH...what other explanation could there possibly be.
BaaaZinga!
It's not just the macaroon shop - Bethesda Row is pretty much dead during summer evenings this year.
There is some activity around the ice cream shops on Elm Street.
All the women's beauty, jewelry and clothing stores are closed early and the few restaurants left don't draw like in the past. Barnes and Noble would still draw people, alas they left.
Odd, given all the new apartments,.you'd think *more* people would be out and about!
12:51 - Yes. As has been said before, you're correct about the area being dead or at least not buzzing. Every corner in the downtown sector is a huge, multi-use building with luxury units and yet it's a ghost town. How many restaurants are packed except Houston's Woodmont Grill? It's interesting for sure. Purple Line? That's not a plus but a huge minus. Won't help energize the area at all. I'm fact, it may worsen it.
4:43am other than the Apple store, I don't know what the draw in Bethesda would be if I lived in downtown Silver Spring. You have an IMAX movie theater, the Fillmore, Silver Theater, good restaurants, a real dive bar, more lively nightlife, a brewery, etc. More likely Bethesda residents will head out to silver spring.
3:37 should either lay off the waterpipe or head over to SS after dark. Just walk down Fenton Street south of Wayne Ave past the library to the 7-11 and let us know how it goes.
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