The new Bethesda Market opened yesterday at the Shops at Sumner Place on Sangamore Road.
This week, the beer and wine sections are open, just in time for nearby residents to get ready for holiday parties and dinners.
Owner Vijay Mhera told me their Deli section will open next week, as soon as Montgomery County issues the permits.
So, if you live nearby, it's beverages this week, and lunches next week.
Bethesda Market owner Vijay Mhera tells me their grand opening is now scheduled for late next week. The exact date will be announced as the opening approaches.
As you know, this all-new market is opening in the space that previously housed the original Bethesda Market until 2011, at the Shops at Sumner Place on Sangamore Road.
Mhera says the new market will offer craft beers, fine wine, freshly-prepared deli sandwiches, and will be using premium Boar's Head deli meats. He adds that customers will also enjoy many tastings at the store, to help familiarize them with the high-quality product lines the market will carry.
There's a lot of excitement about the market opening among nearby residents, who have had to drive way out of the neighborhood to buy beer and wine for the last year. It will also be a new lunch option for employees at the federal intelligence campus across the street.
Stay tuned for the exact opening date.
The new Bethesda Market is getting pretty close to opening in the space that housed the old Bethesda Market, in the Shops at Sumner Place.
Remember my report on the liquor license application, which listed "Bethesda Market" as the name of the future beer, wine and deli market? The new ownership confirms that they are indeed keeping the Bethesda Market name, which is well known in the community.
Why is this big news for residents of Sumner, Fort Sumner, and Glen Echo Heights?
Because they have gone for over a year without a beer and wine retailer in their neighborhood. Many residents, most especially those living in the apartment complexes surrounding Sumner Place, will be able to take a short walk over to the market for beer and wine.
Another target audience is across the street: employees of the intelligence campus on Sangamore Road, whose numbers will only increase in the coming years.
Bethesda Market is also remembered as a host of many beer and wine tastings, another welcome option in the neighborhood.
Last night, a lighted Budweiser and St. Pauli Girl sign were installed on the storefront windows, above the window covering.
A third sign will interest the unemployed in Bethesda: one on the front that read, "Hiring!"
