OOF! The hits just keep on coming for the already-moribund Montgomery County economy this morning. Lucky Strike has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, leaving a huge vacant space behind at the popular shopping, dining, and entertainment center. In a related move, Lucky Strike parent company Bowlero announced that its Westbard Square location at 5353 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda is being rebranded as "Lucky Strike Bethesda." The future of the Westbard location is not on solid ground, though, as its lease expires in 2027, and it will be up to Bowlero and landlord Regency Centers to agree on an extension or new lease on a site that previous Westbard developer Equity One had planned to erect a mixed-use building on.
One needs a cheat sheet to keep track of the numerous brand names the venerable Westbard bowling alley has operated under in its five decades in business. Strike Bethesda! Bowlmor! Bowlero! But for longtime residents, 5353 Westbard will always be Bowl America, where thousands cheer. And where thousands ate the best hot dog in Bethesda, and real men pumped quarters into real arcade games while wearing rented shoes several years past their recommended replacement date.
Interestingly, but predictably, Lucky Strike at Montgomery Mall is our second victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy and virulently anti-business policies of the County Council this morning. Lucky Strike is not closing other locations around the country, just Bethesda. Here in MoCo, it faced the same perfect storm that has sunk many a business vessel in recent years, including government-mandated high minimum wages, the highest tax and fee burden in the region, and the requirement to buy all of its alcoholic beverages from the County government liquor sales monopoly.
With the average income of the County trending downward, as the wealthy depart and are replaced by low-income residents who are the majority of the inflow population, there was also the obstacle that fewer and fewer were left who could afford a pricey night out at an upscale bowling alley. Even one that looked like it had taken possession of the den bookshelves of George Plimpton's 541 East 72nd Street duplex. But thanks to the County cartel gaining control of the Council in 2002, a rapidly-dwindling number of Montgomery County residents in 2026 could even tell you who George Plimpton was.
Heckuva job, Brownie!
38 comments:
The line of eager bowlers is forming across the street on Zenith Overlook. . .
Just go back to Bowl America minus the hot dogs that stayed on the carousel for weeks at a time. Bowling alleys are struggling no question but man, are they a huge improvement from the aforementioned Bowl America days.
Bowling alley should stay. There needs to be some local entertainment options at Westbard. Bowling appeals to all ages.
You would be surprised at how busy good bowling alleys get. They are printing money
I personally look forward to riding the (top secret) expanded Purple Line to Westbard and joining a league at the Lucky Strike Bethesda. I of course wouldn’t dare parking in the Westbard parking deck…
What’s next!? A POOL HALL?
I still miss River Bowl.
4:52 The "cherry blossom" art installation at the Bethesda Purple Line station is a nice nod to the extension to Westbard. That will take riders on a scenic tour of Kenwood 's famous blossoms.
As they scout out which houses look easiest to break into?
Wheaton Plaza is getting a new bowling alley. Maybe it’s just Montgomery Mall that’s “moribund”, not Montgomery County?
I think the art-in-transit installation is very creative and by far the best artwork on the entire Purple Line. The installation will have a mural that shows cherry blossom opening as the trains enter the station. A vertical screen will allow only 25% of the mural to be seen at one time, so the four different images of the blossoms will appear to bloom as viewed from the slowly moving train. Very clever!
Lucky no bullet strikes.
No 716 a Billiards Parlor.
Yet you want to be a MABA and return to Bowl America old.
I’m new to the area. What’s the “County cartel”?
Blah blah moribund blah blah cartel blah blah. Maybe do some investigative reporting and find out the reason for the closing.
5:03: I did thoroughly investigate, and the clear result was that it was a localized financial matter caused by the moribund Montgomery County economy, and declining average income resulting from the exodus of the wealthy and their replacement by low-income new arrivals. Occam's razor.
4:54: A coalition of County real estate development corporations, labor unions, and non-profits who fund County political campaigns in exchange for political control of those seats, policies that financially benefit them, and direct financial kickbacks of taxpayer funds. They seized power with a majority of Council seats in 2002 under the End Gridlock slate, and have expanded to full control of every Council seat today.
Déjà vu!
You must be the cartel's public relations officer. . .
Funny how all of your “investigations” come up with the same conclusion.
After asking for many years, I finally got you to explain who you fictitious “cartel” is. You fell for my question. I agree that the council is the hands of the developers but what proof do you have of financial kickbacks? If it’s true (I don’t think so) that would be big news.
“They seized power with a majority of Council seats in 2002 under the End Gridlock slate, and have expanded to full control of every Council seat today.”
The Council members were elected by the voters of Montgomery County in the primary and general elections. No one “seized” anything. There is no “Cartel”.
And WTF does George Plimpton have to do with anything, and why should anyone be expected to know who he was, a quarter century after his death? That is an utterly bizarre digression.
5:39: I've actually answered that many times. The cartel is hardly fictitious. It's quite out in the open for anyone who bothers to take a close look to see.
There are indeed kickbacks. Some are under the table that you'll never see, until the FBI investigates. Others can be traced, such as the scheme where Councilmembers receive a campaign check from a nonprofit, the member then votes to approve funding of that nonprofit, the nonprofit director draws a larger salary from that new pot of money, and the nonprofit director then writes an even larger check to the Councilmember. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
5:30: Kind of like the County Council, the Planning Department, the Post, WAMU, Greater Greater Washington, and others always declare the solution to every problem is building more luxury apartments. The difference is, I have statistics and evidence to back up my conclusions.
6:38: There is a cartel, and anyone can see their donations and endorsements of the End Gridlock candidates up through today's Council in the campaign finance database of Maryland, and in whichever old Post and Gazette articles haven't been removed from the internet. We're seeing it again now with Andrew Friedson. He had zero name recognition in his first campaign, but mysteriously defeated well known opponents like Ana Sol Gutierrez and Peter Fosselman. If we put the possibility of fraud aside for a moment, it's clear that the massive donations Friedson received from the cartel made the difference, and almost certainly will ensure the still unknown Friedson becomes our next County Executive.
Most erudite, literate, and well educated people are aware of George Plimpton and his writing career and exploits.
The aforementioned promising County Executive has an email address that
is "write only." IAW do not expect a response in the foreseeable future.
The County Cartel's seminal achievement has to be the installation of
Flexible Delineator Striped Round Posts along River Road's commercial
strip, impeding the prospective customers and creating traffic hazards..
10:11 - Not to mention Old Georgetown Road and other area roadways that have been ruined. Bike lanes with no bikers. Great! And don't forget the bag tax. Was that county or state or both? No matter, horse of the same color.
Robert Dyer:
@ 7:21 PM: "Declining average income resulting from the exodus of the wealthy and their replacement by low-income new arrivals."
@ 6:49 AM: "The difference is, I have statistics and evidence to back up my conclusions."
Put up or shut up.
1:05: I've published the data on the jurisdictions where people fled to from Montgomery County, and the dollar amounts of how much revenue they took with them. Likewise, the County and federal data clearly show the exodus of wealth and the inflow of low-income residents.
@JAC The never ending story of ingenious innovations:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-dte/projects/tuckermanlane/index.html
As a due paying member the , Cartel exists for sure. Unfortunately sometimes our money finds its way to the idiotic bike lanes. Not sure who the clown behind those is. PS there is no question that Elrich the most inept and worst CE in MOCO history has done nothing to help.
3:46 - Of course. There was a council member on TV not long ago who said the quiet part out loud which is that the MoCo cabal intends to put bike lanes everywhere. It's not the politicians fault but rather those who elect them.
11:26 - The never-ending taxpayer bike lane boondoggle that few bikers ever use nor asked for. Glad to know you're speaking out on that. You'll be chastised here for that so get ready. Marc Elrich has never had a real job and never will. He's furious at Robin Ficker for his successful term limit campaign. He'll be right back on the council after his term so we'll never be fully rid of him.
Can he even ride a bike?
Can you name the obscure East Asian nation where
the MoCO online property tax service portal is located?
Maleficent Obsession!!!
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