Paint Nail Bar space offered for lease in Bethesda

One of the ground floor retail spaces at the 8001 Woodmont apartment tower in downtown Bethesda is now being marketed for lease. Currently home to Paint Nail Bar, the 1,931-square-foot space will be available for move-in on November 1, suggesting that the nail salon will be closing by the end of this month if a new tenant is found that quickly. Paint Nail Bar opened here in August 2023, joining anchor tenant Trader Joe's, Orangetheory, and Pure Green. 

This could be a second chance to get a fast-casual, takeout-oriented restaurant at the development. The pedestrian promenade that provides a mid-block cut-through between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenues was originally conceived as an active public space with outdoor dining potential. It has not fully achieved that goal due to the current mix of tenants. According to the online listing, the monthly rent amount is available upon request, and the term of the lease is negotiable.

Fairmont Grill out before even opening in Bethesda

The long-awaited Fairmont Grill Dry Aged Kitchen won't be opening after all, at least not at 4940 Fairmont Avenue. A For Lease sign has now appeared in the window, before the restaurant even served its first steak. It's been 23 months since the Fairmont Grill announced it would be opening in this spot. With window coverings obscuring the interior all that time, it's unclear what construction work was performed, if any.

Pike El Diamante, Smoke BBQ buildings marketed for lease in Bethesda [UPDATED]

UPDATE - 7:39 PM: The CEO of Pike El Diamante provided the following statement:

"Pike El Diamante is not closed and will be operating as usual. We value the support we have received throughout these two years and look forward to continue serving the community.

If you're looking for a great way to spend your evening, join us tonight 06/26/2026 starting at 6:00 PM for our $7 Margaritas special. We'd be delighted to welcome you in for great food, drinks, and hospitality.

Mario Terrazas

CEO

Pike El Diamante"

Original story:

One restaurant has closed in downtown Bethesda, and the future of a second is undetermined. Pike El Diamante has shut down at 4906 St. Elmo Avenue. The property owner has posted signs warning the business ownership or other parties not to attempt to gain entry to the building, in which the contents of the restaurant remain under lock and key. An online listing indicates the space is available for lease immediately.

Also being marketed as available for "immediate" lease is the building at 4858 Cordell Avenue. That is currently home to Smoke BBQ, which is still open for business at last check. Both properties have not had much difficulty attracting tenants, as both are highly visible storefronts in the Woodmont Triangle with lots of lunch and after-work foot traffic.

Teas Me bubble tea shop space marketed for lease in Bethesda

The space currently occupied by Teas Me at 5017 Wilson Lane in downtown Bethesda is now being marketed for lease. Teas Me, a bubble tea shop, opened here in July 2023. According to the online listing, the space is available "now." Teas Me remains open for business at this time.

Image courtesy AMR Commercial, LLC via LoopNet

Former Bethesda movie theater available for lease

A former Bethesda movie theater space-turned-gym is now on the market for lease. The K-B Theatres Georgetown Square Twin building at 10400 Old Georgetown Road has sat vacant for over two years, after New York Sports Club moved out. According to the Cinema Treasures website, some structural or architectural remnants of the theater remain inside the 14000-square-foot building, but not having been a member of the gym, I cannot confirm this. The KB chain opened this two-screen cinema on December 21, 1973. Another reminder of the golden age of neighborhood movie theaters, which crumbled to dust by the end of the 1980s. 

I used to think their demise was a real estate developer scheme, but it turned out that the biggest theater chains colluded with the major studios to make the profit splits so high for blockbusters, and the commitment of weeks to show them so long, that 1-and 2-screen cinemas like Georgetown Square couldn't remain financially viable and still obtain first-run movies. You had to have enough screens to A) show the movie a sufficient number of times per day to recoup enough money from ticket sales and snack bar concessions, and B) move the blockbuster into a smaller auditorium, if moviegoer interest in that flick began to wane prior to the 4-to-6 week commitment the studios demanded, and thereby have room for the next major release simultaneously.

True Food Kitchen space being marketed as available for lease in Bethesda

Is True Food Kitchen on the way out in Bethesda? The restaurant's space at 7100 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda is now being marketed for lease, with immediate availability. True Food Kitchen opened there, in the ground floor of the Solaire Bethesda apartment tower, in June of 2017. Assuming a 10-year lease, this is a year short of the termination date. The proposed monthly rent for the 6500-square-foot space is available upon request, according to the online listing. True Food Kitchen remains open for business at this time.

Former Limon's retail space in Bethesda now available for lease

The investor who recently purchased the former Limon's Gems & Jewels building at 7909 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda has wasted no time in getting the property on the market for lease. A sign advertising the availability of the building, and the contact phone number, has been posted in the storefront window. The property was sold a couple of weeks ago for $1.1 million. Limon's closed last fall after 105 years in business.

Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel searching for Starbucks replacement

A for-lease listing online confirms that the closure of the Starbucks in the Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel at 1 Bethesda Metro Center was a Starbucks corporate decision, not a Hyatt decision. That's because the listing is marketing the former Starbucks space as ideal for a coffee shop tenant. It certainly would be a score for a coffee operation to take advantage of Starbucks' expensive and high-quality interior fit-out at no cost - or minimal modification, if the brand-name is big enough. I'd like to suggest a few up-and-coming chains, but most of the fastest-growing companies are focused on drive-thru sales, which aren't possible at this location.

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.

Bethesda office building to be "entirely transformed" by 2026

A 40-year-old office building in downtown Bethesda is about to be "entirely transformed," Transwestern and the Ronald D. Paul Companies have announced. 7830 Old Georgetown Road will be getting a facelift and renovations to better position it for today's tough office market. The building has been particularly popular with medical professionals, and the the updates will retain suites suitable for medical use, as well as general office suites. 7830 Old Georgetown has 30 covered parking spaces, which are leased by the month. The renovations and upgrades will be completed by next year, if all goes according to schedule. Hickok Cole is the architectural contractor for the project.

Woodmont Crescent 2nd-floor available for lease in Bethesda

The Woodmont Crescent building at 7770 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda has recently completed major renovations and upgrades to the property. These include the addition of an elevator and elevator lobby, which have created a modern and alternative access to the 2nd floor beyond the existing staircase. The updates to the building have attracted new tenants to fill the ground floor retail spaces: Hardwood Artisans, and Max's Best Ice Cream. They join longtime anchor tenant Starbucks at street level. Now the ownership is marketing the second floor office space, part of which was once occupied by the offices of Bethesda Magazine. They're also noting that signage can be installed for second-floor tenants, at this high-visibility intersection.

Wyrd Ryds space for lease in Bethesda

The storefront currently occupied by Wyrd Ryds at 4825 Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda is now being marketed as available for lease. An e-bike and scooter sales and repair business, Wyrd Ryds opened here in December 2023. Bethesda-based AMR Commercial is marketing the space, which is next to the popular Z-Burger restaurant, and looks out onto Veterans Park. Wyrd Ryds has another location across the river at the Old Town Center in Ashburn. 

Hardwood Artisans space for lease in Bethesda

Hardwood Artisans appears to be on the way out in the Woodmont Triangle - at least from its current showroom. Their ground-level space at 4828 St. Elmo Avenue is now listed as becoming available for lease on July 1, 2025. They've had a good 9-year run, which is tough for any business to accomplish in downtown Bethesda. Hardwood Artisans remains open for business.

This is "the best corner in Woodmont Triangle," according to Dochter & Alexander Retail Advisors, which is marketing the property. It's also best remembered as the home of Johnny Rockets way back in the 1990s. One point of interest in the online listing for the space is that it retains a kitchen exhaust shaft for restaurant use. A restaurant would certainly do more to liven up that corner than retail that closes at night.

Nail Supply Bethesda space back on market for lease

Nail Supply Bethesda's prominent corner space at 7891 Old Georgetown Road is now available for lease, according to signage posted in the window. The nail and beauty supply shop moved in this past spring. Perhaps the limited hours of the store - 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays only, according to the posted schedule - cut out potential customers who are at work during that time. The building is at one of the busiest intersections in downtown Bethesda, making it a prime spot for the right tenant.

Former Pitango space now available for lease in Bethesda

The corner space recently vacated by Pitango Gelato at 4901-A Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda is now available for lease. Signage has been posted by property owner Greenhill Companies. Pitango was the second tenant since the former Blackfinn bar space was subdivided into smaller storefronts, following Tapabar. It remains a high-visibility, high-traffic location in the Woodmont Triangle for the right dining or retail concept.

Gateway Newsstand space available for lease at Bethesda Metro Center

The vacant space previously home to Gateway Newsstand (or "Newstand," as the sign spells it) in the Bethesda Metro Center bus bays area is now being marketed for lease. Despite the name, and the sound logic of a newsstand located at a subway station, the business was more of a coffee bar and convenience store than a newsstand. The space continues to be a great location if you have a product or service of interest to morning and evening commuters. 

I would like to see a real newsstand here. But just as the opening of new fast food restaurants in Bethesda has apparently been banned by Montgomery County government, so too has the opening or operation of any place where you can purchase print editions of major newspapers from cities around the United States or the world. This is less surprising when you learn that the vandalism-style paint around the rim of the plaza at the Metro Center is what passes for "art" in our time. We are a civilization in decline.

Forbright Bank available for lease in Bethesda

The vacant Forbright Bank space in downtown Bethesda is now being marketed for lease. Forbright's Bethesda branch at 4801 Montgomery Lane closed earlier this year. Washington, D.C. real estate firm Miller Walker is the broker for the property, which is steps away from the Bethesda Metro station but has limited redevelopment potential, being hemmed in by 2 Bethesda Metro Center and East Lane. Chevy Chase-based Forbright Bank is still in business, with full service branches in Potomac, Rockville, and Herndon. Its headquarters is located at 4445 Willard Avenue in Friendship Heights.

Bethesda's "Clark Building" gets new marketing push

The recently remodeled office building at 7500 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda has new branding, and a new marketing push to attract tenants seeking Class-A office space atop a Metro station. Known locally as the "Clark Building," for former owner Clark Construction, the property has been rebranded as 7500 OGR by new owner In-Rel Properties. A large banner has been placed on the building with leasing information. Here is a video in which In-Rel principal Jackson Siegal gives a brief look at the building's new lobby and amenity additions.

Tia Queta building for sale in Bethesda

The building that has been the longtime home of popular Mexican restaurant Tia Queta at 4839 Del Ray Avenue in Bethesda is now on the market. It is available for sale, or for lease, according to the online real estate listing. The building has a feature that continues to be a rarity in downtown Bethesda: an open-air rooftop level. A roof canopy provides more weather flexibility than a standard rooftop deck.

H&R Retail's listing does not mention the asking price, lease rate, or date of availability. Developers have coveted this property for many years, but the family-owned business was not inclined to sell up to this point. Tia Queta remains open for business at this time.

Woodmont Crescent shifts marketing strategy for vacant storefronts in Bethesda

The ownership of the Woodmont Crescent building has turned to Bethesda-based H&R Retail to market its empty storefronts at 7766 and 7770 Norfolk Avenue for lease. New signage from the commercial real estate firm has been posted in the windows of the ground floor spaces. Previous signage from a different leasing firm had shown renderings of a possible restaurant use. The building lost longtime tenants The Blue House and Random Harvest in recent years, as well as the offices of MoCo360, which relocated to North Bethesda. Major renovations and improvements have been undertaken at the property in the time since, including the installation of an elevator. More remodeling is ahead inside Starbucks, which is the anchor tenant of the building.