Dua DC Coffee expanding to Bethesda

A unique coffee shop in Washington, D.C. will soon open a Bethesda cafe. Dua DC Coffee at 923 15th Street NW opened six years ago as the first Indonesian specialty coffee shop in the nation's capital. The woman-owned business is now expanding to the Woodmont Triangle in downtown Bethesda. Dua DC Coffee will be located in the ground floor of the 4909 Auburn apartments, at 4909 Auburn Avenue. The interior fit-out for the cafe is expected to begin before the end of the year.

Coffee drinks at Dua DC Coffee employ single-origin beans from the different islands of Indonesia. Their signature beverages include the Aren Latte, the Oat Pandan Cold Brew, and the Kopi Susu Latte. You can also purchase bags of their Indonesian coffee beans, all of which are sourced directly from sustainable farms in Indonesia. Dua DC Coffee joins The Bunny Hive as the second ground floor retail tenant at the 4909 Auburn development. Two retail spaces remain available for lease.

Citibank "Bethesda Row" construction update (Photos)

Part of the interior of the new Citibank branch at 4760 Bethesda Avenue looks finished, but when you zoom out, there's still work to be done. That finished wall features a slick-looking Citibank logo sign, with the words "Bethesda Row" underneath. There's little new about the idea of referring to this area of the downtown as Bethesda, but this is the first time I've seen a company put it in official branding. The building is not actually part of the Bethesda Row development. Bethesda Row is owned, and was developed by, Federal Realty. The Flats at Bethesda Avenue, in which the Citibank branch is located, is owned by BlackRock.

Christmas tree & holiday lights lit at Bethesda Row (Photos)

The Christmas tree is lit on Bethesda Lane at Bethesda Row. In addition, other holiday light installations around the Federal Realty property have also been activated. These include the stars hung from the canopy on the new plaza outside of Anthropologie & Co. There are also vertical strips and curtains of lights on the facades of the buildings along Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues. Let's take a look as we enter Day 4 of the 2025 holiday season!

Puree Artisan Juice Bar opening Cabin John Village location

Puree Artisan Juice Bar is expanding to Potomac. The cold-pressed juice and vegan snack bar will open a new location at 7937 Tuckerman Lane at the Cabin John Village shopping center. Puree began with a flagship location at Bethesda Row in 2011. Rather than expand rapidly, the brand has slowly and strategically built on one success after another since then. Its latest move will be new shops at Cabin John and Georgetown, both of which will open in 2026.

Multiple vehicles stolen from Bethesda auto dealership

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of several vehicles from an auto dealership in Bethesda on October 21, 2025. During the early hours of that morning, police say, multiple vehicles were stolen from Jim Coleman Cadillac at 10400 Auto Park Avenue. Police have not released any surveillance camera footage from the dealership, and state that they have no suspect descriptions at this time. If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing this case, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Limon's Gems & Jewels closing in Bethesda after 105 years in business

A number of longtime Bethesda businesses have closed since I began this blog in 2006, but Limon's Gems & Jewels might just be the oldest. Owners Cliff and Robbie Limon have announced their shop at 7909 Norfolk Avenue will likely close by Thanksgiving this month. Their great grandfather, Jacob Limon, founded the business in 1920. The family has been involved in the jewelry industry even longer, 125 years. They are going to cease accepting new work sometime this week, and they will remain available after the closure to ensure any outstanding orders or work are fulfilled.

Stalled Bethesda condo project site sold to new developer

A downtown Bethesda lot that has been vacant, at best - and an eyesore at worst - for nearly a decade has now changed hands. 8011 Norfolk Avenue had been touted as the future site of The Claiborne, a boutique condominium property, since 2016. The project repeatedly stalled out, with the last attempt to revive it taking place a full three years ago. At that time, the project's approval from Montgomery County had expired.

Rock Creek Property Group has acquired the site, and is now going to explore its options, citing potential uses to include residential, commercial, or office. The new-construction condo market has all but collapsed in downtown Bethesda since The Claiborne was first announced. Nobody is building them. The last successful condo project was The Cheval, which was delivered by Duball, LLC in 2018.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Bethesda Row (Photos)

The Christmas season was officially here, as of 12:00 AM this morning. Bethesda Row hasn't wasted a single minute. Elves from American Christmas of Mount Vernon, New York, have been busy working all day at the Bethesda development, and the main Christmas tree on Bethesda Lane has already been erected at this hour. Some decorations are new this year, such as the ornaments bouquet tacked up on the facade of Anthropologie & Co. And large stars, which are being hung from the new plaza canopy in front of that store, and hopefully light up.

Hampden Lane now open in both directions in Bethesda

Hampden Lane is open in both directions between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenues in Bethesda today. Recently, that stretch of Hampden has been reduced to one lane, ostensibly for one-way use, but without clear directional signage. Access to the road has been limited over the last two years, due to construction of the Hampden House and The Charles apartment towers on either side of the street. Vehicular access has been restored recently, as Hampden House welcomes its first residents.

Guardado's Spooky Halloween tonight in Bethesda

Guardado's at 4918 Del Ray Avenue in downtown Bethesda will be hosting a Spooky Halloween late-night happy hour tonight, October 31, 2025, from 10:00 PM to close. They'll be serving 2-for-1 draft beers, $2 off bottled beers, $2 off select cocktails, and $5 shots. Enjoy music and their late night tapas menu.

Assault at Bethesda Metro station

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at the Bethesda Metro station yesterday afternoon, October 30, 2025. The assault was reported at the station at 2:46 PM Thursday.