Baruch Cafe closes in Bethesda

Baruch Cafe has closed at 4841 Del Ray Avenue in the ground floor of the Gallery Bethesda apartment tower. The restaurant opened in December 2024, replacing the convenience store that had occupied the space since the building opened a decade earlier. It's a double whammy of a closure, as Lifestyle Corner had begun operating out of the cafe just a few months ago. Hopefully the new attention to the Gallery Bethesda plaza generated by the recently-opened BabyCat Brewery will help draw another winning tenant to this space.

Lifestyle Corner opens inside Baruch Cafe in Bethesda

Lifestyle Corner has opened at 4841 Del Ray Avenue inside Baruch Cafe in the ground floor of the Gallery Bethesda apartment tower. Its corner space carries new and pre-owned apparel and shoes, as well as Coco Street ready-to-drink coconut juice in the shell. This is super convenient for residents of the Gallery I and II, who can now buy clothes without leaving the premises. Baruch Cafe is also currently offering "endless pancakes" on Sundays for $9.99 (toppings are extra for $1 each). 

Baruch Cafe Express opens in downtown Bethesda

Baruch Cafe Express has opened at 4841 Del Ray Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The coffee shop, bakery, and mini-mart is located in the ground floor of the Gallery Bethesda apartment tower. On the menu are croissant sandwiches, salteñas (a Bolivian specialty similar to an empanada), "crookies," and even pizza. Beer and wine are for sale, and there is comfortable seating inside. Operating hours are 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday, and 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekends.

Baruch Cafe Express construction advances in Bethesda

Signage has been installed at Baruch Cafe Express, opening soon at 4800 Auburn Avenue, in the Gallery Bethesda development. One sign depicts a croissant and a piping-hot beverage. Construction has advanced to the point where kitchen and counter equipment have been installed, and interior seating has been brought in. Obviously, it will be a few months before the cafe can take full advantage of its outdoor seating space on the plaza between Gallery's two apartment towers. 

BabyCat Brewery, Baruch Cafe Express opening in Bethesda

The pedestrian plaza at The Donohoe Companies' Gallery Bethesda development may finally achieve its potential with the addition of BabyCat Brewery and Baruch Cafe Express. Both have leased ground floor spaces at the Gallery Bethesda II apartment tower. Kensington-based BabyCat Brewery announced yesterday on social media that it would open a Bethesda location in early 2025 at 4829 Rugby Avenue. "Coming soon" signage has been posted in the storefront windows.

Also coming soon is Baruch Cafe Express. The coffee shop is promising "the best experience in Bethesda." It had a liquor license hearing on Thursday, according to a sign posted in the front window. Both the brewery and cafe will offer outdoor seating, which could finally provide the catalyst for sustained pedestrian and after-business-hours activity that could activate the plaza between Gallery I and II.

"BabyCat is a fantastic addition to our building and the neighborhood," Donohoe's Don Konz said in a statement. "Ownership is excited to welcome a MoCo-born craft brewer to Bethesda and think this store will be a huge hit with our residents and locals alike."

Former convenience store space being cleared out at Gallery Bethesda (Photos)

The ground floor space at the Gallery Bethesda apartment tower at 4800 Auburn Avenue that was home to a convenience store for a decade is now being emptied out. Aria Beer Wine & Deli closed this past January, and was the anchor retail tenant when the building opened in 2014. The store had been ordered closed and secured by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the State of Maryland. Business entity Prosperity Partners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 2, 2023. Reminders of some of the most popular features of the store can still be seen inside, such as the signage for "gourmet sandwich," and the dry cleaning area.

Aria Beer Wine & Deli closes in Bethesda

Aria Beer Wine & Deli has closed at 4800 Auburn Avenue in the ground floor of the Gallery Bethesda apartment tower. The store has been ordered closed and secured by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the State of Maryland. Business entity Prosperity Partners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 2, 2023, according to court records. Aria opened in July 2014.

The closure is a major blow for the residents of both Gallery Bethesda towers. Aria made it possible to buy all essential grocery and convenience store items without leaving the premises (and even without going outside of the building, in the case of the Gallery I). It also offered dry cleaning services, and its deli was highly-rated on Yelp and Google. A cellar's worth of fine wines can be seen still sitting on the store's shelves inside the darkened space.

Having the highest-traffic retail tenant close doesn't help the Gallery development achieve the yet-unrealized potential of its pedestrian plaza area. Expectations of restaurants and bars moving into the ground floor spaces on either side of the plaza, to help activate this sleepy northern end of the Woodmont Triangle, have not yet come to fruition. Perhaps this anchor space can be used to attract such a tenant, or a new convenience store operator who could more strongly emphasize the dining offerings beyond the "if-you-know-you-know" insider buzz Aria's sandwiches and breakfast burritos created.

F45 Training gym cleared out in Bethesda

F45 Training has been cleared out at 4800 Auburn Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The fitness facility opened at the Gallery Bethesda apartment tower in 2016. I've seen no reports that the Mark Wahlberg-backed chain of gyms is closing any significant number of locations, In fact, the company successfully went public two weeks ago, and is opening a new location in downtown Silver Spring this year.

First residents move into Gallery Bethesda II apartment tower

The Gallery Bethesda II apartment tower has officially opened at 4850 Rugby Avenue in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood of Bethesda. After receiving their occupancy permit from Montgomery County a few weeks ago, property manager Vantage Management welcomed the building's first residents over the holidays. Gallery II was developed and constructed by Bethesda-based Donohoe, and joins sister tower Gallery Bethesda on a shared public plaza that connects Auburn and Del Ray Avenues.

Donohoe brands Woodmont Triangle pedestrian plaza as Gallery Lane (Photos)

A pedestrian plaza developer The Donohoe Companies has aimed to be the next Bethesda Lane is getting similar branding. The art-filled public plaza between the Gallery Bethesda and soon-to-deliver Gallery Bethesda 2 luxury apartment tower has just been officially named "Gallery Lane."

While the plaza itself - and the lighted sculptures inspired by the Twist & Shout nightclub that once stood in the vicinity of both buildings - were completed in 2014, Donohoe's vision for the space is only now about to become reality.

The ground floor tenants in the earlier Gallery Bethesda building have been tenant-focused businesses like a convenience store with dry cleaning, and a fitness studio. Donohoe has planned all along that the ground floor spaces in the new Gallery Bethesda 2 tower would include at least one restaurant, as well as shops, that would draw non-resident foot traffic to the site. With decorative lamps strung across overhead, the plaza is designed to be a destination for outdoor diners and window shoppers - and art aficionados.

Aria Beer, Wine & Deli appears to be for sale

Aria Beer, Wine & Deli, located in the ground floor of the Gallery Bethesda apartment tower at 4800 Auburn Avenue, appears to be for sale. The convenience store, which has a high 4.5 star rating on Yelp, is still in operation.

According to an online listing, the asking price for the business is $250,000. The rent is $3000 a month, the listing says, but will increase to $6000 after the Gallery Bethesda II tower across from the store reaches 50% occupancy. Rent was reduced to $3000 to compensate the business for the disruptive construction of that sister building, the listing notes.

This would seem like a good business opportunity. The store is convenient to multiple residential buildings and offices, and has offered a surprisingly-large selection of high-quality fresh food items for lunch and dinner. There's even a residents-only entrance inside the Gallery Bethesda, which makes it the ideal destination for occupants seeking general groceries, Budweiser or a quick snack in bad weather.

With a second tower of equal height opening next month across from the store, there's a lot of potential for this store to do brisk business.