Hurry in as the final hours of a historic Bethesda institution wind down. Sure, Bruce Variety may reopen elsewhere, but it's hard to think of a location as convenient or accessible as the Bradley Shopping Center. The owners and positive feelings of the community will surely transfer to the new store, but it just won't be the same. It's unlikely to have the floor space or storage area of today's location, and - let's face it - when you go to the same store your whole life, it's not easy to make the change.
Life goes on, and Bethesda and Bruce Variety will manage to survive. But thanks to the Montgomery County Council's new zoning code causing old businesses to be forced out of shopping centers developers would like to tear down, we'll always wonder if this outcome was ever necessary to begin with.
