The Cordell "coming soon" to downtown Bethesda

New "coming soon" signage has been posted at The Cordell, opening soon at 4865 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The "unique event venue" is filling the space formerly home to Grapeseed and Lucy. It has been over four years since Lucy closed at the height of the pandemic. The Cordell is anticipated to open before the end of the year.

UNIQLO opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

UNIQLO is coming to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The Japanese casual wear retailer will be located on Level 2, in the space just vacated by Express and Express Men. That's quite an upgrade, in my opinion. UNIQLO will probably join J.Crew as the most productive apparel-shopping destinations at the mall - for men, at least - along with Macy's and Nordstrom. Will UNIQLO open in time for Black Friday? Stay tuned!

Montgomery County Council pushing plastic bag ban

The Montgomery County Council has only done three things this century: raise taxes, drive business away from and out of the county, and ban stuff. You won't be surprised to hear that they are at it again, with another new law that will do all three. As a body that only copies legislation from other jurisdictions around the country, they're actually a bit late to the table on this one, but they're going to try and ban plastic bags. That goes for grocery stores, and restaurant takeout.

The ban also includes a new tax. There's already a tax on each bag you receive at a business. The deceptively-titled Bring Your Own Bag Bill will ban plastic bags altogether, and place a 10-cent tax on paper bags. They'll say you won't have to pay it, if you remember to bring your stained and germ-ridden reusable shopping bags with you. The press release falsely claims that the bill will create "a more sustainable future for the County," and "improve the effectiveness of the carryout bag tax law." 

If you ask yourself - or anyone outside of the small world of the Montgomery County cartel - to name one thing the Council has done to improve the quality of life since 2000, good luck getting an answer. They haven't. They've just raised taxes, driven business away, and banned stuff. To be fair, they've also jacked up your health insurance premiums with the ambulance fee, and your auto insurance premiums by defunding the police, leading to skyrocketing auto theft and stolen auto parts. Heckuva job, Brownie!

The faces change, but the Council stays the same since the cartel seized control of it in 2002. Smug, arrogant, and corrupt, with delusions of innovation, while plagiarizing the dumbest legislation from Eugene, Oregon to Sacramento, California. Your taxes go up, and so do their salaries, just like Bell, California. They said a bag tax would save the environment, just like they claimed natural gas was the solution to global warming. Lies, all lies, that evaporated as quickly as the Council-mandated paper straw does in your iced coffee. Incompetence combined with autocratic power is a recipe for failure, which is all we've seen in Montgomery County this century. 

But this is what a majority of Montgomery County voters continue to vote for, and they're getting exactly what they wanted. As the writer from another Maryland jurisdiction where voters don't have the heart to punish the elected officials who reliably fail them once wrote, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.”

More data collection devices popping up in downtown Bethesda

These traffic data collection devices that first appeared on Woodmont Avenue, near the Bethesda Metro Center, are now popping up in the Woodmont Triangle. Here is more equipment that has just been installed near the intersection of Woodmont and Cordell Avenue. Exactly what type of data is being collected, and for what purpose, is so far unclear.

New tenants, new art continue revitalization of The Collection at Chevy Chase

A trio of new tenants has opened for business at The Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights. Porsche Studio, Brooks Brothers, and Bright Horizons have joined the roster of retailers, restaurants, and services at this shopping destination, which has undergone a high-budget transformation to restore the luster to what was once called "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive." Most efforts to turn around the fortunes of Friendship Heights have been on the D.C. side of the border, but Collection owner The Chevy Chase Land Company and developer Donohoe are in an ongoing process of making major investments on the Maryland side.

The crown jewel of the Collection's additions is the Porsche Studio. A departure from traditional dealerships, this sleek and modern showroom is designed to immerse visitors in the world of Porsche. With its state-of-the-art touchpoints and immersive atmosphere, the Studio is more than just a place to buy a car; it's an experience. This is the German automaker's entry into the niche of showroom established by Tesla, where Elon Musk revolutionized a pivot from Spartan sales-desk warehouses and sprawling lots to an art gallery aesthetic, with placement in urban storefronts and suburban malls.

Porsche Studio is a sensory overload of sleek European lines, modernist furnishings, and polished chrome. It's like stepping into a Bond villain's lair, only without the henchmen and the world domination plot. A custom Maryland-themed mural will have auto enthusiasts looking around for the container of Old Bay. Porsche Studio is not a competitor to Porsche Bethesda up the Pike at Pike & Rose; they share an owner, Sonic Automotive, Inc.

Brooks Brothers has been a familiar sight on this stretch of Wisconsin Avenue for many years. It has now made a short move across the street to the Collection, as its former location is being redeveloped into a mixed-use residential building by Donohoe. The new Brooks Brothers is a 5722-square-foot temple of traditional American style, transporting you back to an era when men wore suits with panache, and women dressed to impress. Being forced back to the office? It's time to go back to Brooks Brothers, a one-stop shop for those aspiring to the sartorial elite.

Bright Horizons is the most practical-minded of the new additions at the Collection. Its 11,638-square-foot space at 17 Wisconsin Circle offers full-day, full-year early education and care for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old at the care center. Amenities and security measures include an onsite outdoor playground, secure entryways, supported by extensive health and safety policies and procedures. Bright Horizons is not only targeted towards parents who live nearby, but also to the employees of the many offices that surround it.

"Our commitment has been to create a strategic mix of retail and services to accommodate the daily 'needs and wants' of shoppers, diners, visitors, neighbors, and office workers in a central location," John Ziegenhein, CEO of The Chevy Chase Land Company, said in a statement. "Adding Bright Horizons here is a benefit for parents seeking childcare near to where they work and live, and we’re proud to keep Brooks Brothers on the same block as they move from just across the street. We have the excitement of the Porsche Studio adding to the lineup of incredible restaurants and retail at The Collection."

Two other new additions augment the Collection's growing collections of public art. New murals adorn the building facade above Hunter's Hound, and above the new Dunkin' Donuts kiosk at 2 Wisconsin Circle. Artist Cory Bernat is a local muralist and veritable Renaissance woman who defines herself as "an original thinker and astute observer," and lists her resume bullet points as "designer, creative director, content strategist, professor, curator, food historian, and former disguise technician." The Dunkin' kiosk pictured above is the chain's first such walk-up-window-only store model in Maryland.

Photo credits: 1,2,3,7, courtesy Collection at Chevy Chase; 4,5,6 Robert Dyer

Westbard Square U.S. Post Office update

Another sign has been installed at the new U.S. Post Office at 5364 Westbard Avenue at Westbard Square in Bethesda. The lighted blade sign was already lit up last night, much like the previously-installed main sign over the storefront. This post office was meant to replace the one demolished on Arlington Road, albeit a decade behind schedule. Will it open in time to mail your ballot for the election? Stay tuned!

Traffic count underway on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda

Traffic count equipment has been set up on Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. It is on the stretch of Woodmont near The Chase and The Edge behind the Bethesda Metro Center. There's more than just a rubber strip across the road, however. More sophisticated equipment can collect data on traffic volume, direction, speed, turning counts, and vehicle classification.

Kapow Buddy soft opening October 15-19 at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Kapow Buddy is gearing up to serve its first customers at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda starting tomorrow, October 15, 2024. A soft-opening will be held from Tuesday through Saturday, October 19, with prices 50%-off, according to a sign posted on the gate of the fast casual Thai restaurant. Another permanent sign inside gives the inside scoop on Kapow Buddy's "secret ingredient," Holy Basil Leaves. As you can see in the photos below, they will also have easy touchscreen ordering. Look for Kapow Buddy starting tomorrow on Level 1, in the Old Navy wing of the mall.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe Westbard Square update (Photos)

Construction is now far advanced inside the future Tatte Bakery & Cafe at the new Westbard Square development in Bethesda. The interior aesthetic will look fairly familiar to anyone who has been to their existing downtown Bethesda location, except here you have a sign on the wall that reads "Westbard" instead of "Bethesda." Believe it or not, this Tatte will be approximately 55-square-feet larger than their 7272 Wisconsin space. An opening date has not yet been announced for the Westbard Square location.