Junction Bistro & Bar to open next month in Friendship Heights

Junction Bistro & Bar had been expected to open last fall at 5471 Wisconsin Avenue at the Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights. The latest I've heard from an employee at another of the local chain's locations is that it is now on-target to open in February 2022. A liquor license hearing for the restaurant is scheduled for February 17. They are currently hiring a sous chef, line cooks and dishwashers.

8K Barber Shop update (Photos)

Interior fit-out of the new 8K Barber Shop location at 7830 Wisconsin Avenue appears to be in the late stages. Barber chairs and sinks have been installed. 8K will be moving here from its namesake current location at 8000 Wisconsin.

7316 Wisconsin Avenue demolition update (Photos)

The demolition of the office building at 7316 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda continues methodically. Now, the adjacent two-story portion of 4800 Hampden Lane is also coming down. Both are being removed to clear the way for B.F. Saul's Hampden House development.

Existing Bethesda Trader Joe's insists it is "here to stay" even as new one nears completion blocks away

One of the biggest questions since I broke the story of the new Trader Joe's grocery store planned for 7900 Wisconsin Avenue in 2014 has been, will the existing store at 6831 Wisconsin remain open once the new one begins operation? The Trader Joe's corporate office has not made an official announcement either way. But the management of the current store has now erected a sign proclaiming, "We're here to stay!" To operate both stores would indicate Trader Joe's is experimenting with more of a CVS Pharmacy or Starbucks model, where several stores are located within blocks of each other.

AMC Theatres taking over shuttered ArcLight Cinemas at Montgomery Mall

AMC Theatres is officially taking over the shuttered ArcLight Cinemas movie theater at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The chain will revive the abandoned cineplex as AMC Montgomery 16. This will be a major shot in the arm for the mall, especially after Spider-Man: No Way Home proved that moviegoers will return to theaters when studios give them a reason to, despite the ongoing pandemic that caused ArcLight to permanently close its theaters nearly a year ago.

3 downtown Bethesda businesses burglarized in 23 minutes

Break-ins at three downtown Bethesda businesses early yesterday morning appear to be related. The three shops are in close proximity, and all three crimes were perpetrated in a 23-minute period of time. It does not appear that any suspects were caught in the act, as records show no one was arrested for burglary in Montgomery County yesterday.

A beer and wine store in the 8100 block of Wisconsin Avenue was broken into at 4:54 AM on Friday, January 28, 2022. At 5:09 AM, a shop in the 4800 block of Fairmont Avenue was burglarized. Eight minutes later, another beer & wine store in the 7900 block of Norfolk Avenue was broken into. All were cases of forced entry, according to crime data.

Pedestrian island ravaged on Woodmont Avenue (Photos)

A crosswalk pedestrian refuge island on Woodmont Avenue near Fairmont Avenue has been heavily damaged. The pedestrian island is located by Veterans Park, which the crosswalk connects to the eastern sidewalk of Woodmont, near its intersection with Fairmont. It has taken similar damage since it was constructed in 2013, the first time only 48 hours after it was opened to the public. 

A sign on the island directing drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk is damaged and bent to the ground. There used to be two, but one destroyed previously was never replaced. Two bollards are also gone. It is currently unclear how the island was damaged, but it appears to have occurred since the snowstorm began Friday.

Arrest at scene of house burglary on Whittier Boulevard in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded in force to a burglary call on Whittier Boulevard in Bethesda on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. A burglary without forced entry was reported to police at 12:25 PM in the 7600 block of Whittier, according to crime data. A reader who witnessed the aftermath around 12:45 PM reports that seven police cruisers were at the scene, and an adult male suspect was being handcuffed by an officer.

Warby Parker to open store at Pike & Rose

Warby Parker, the eyeglass retailer known for online sales but growing larger on the bricks-and-mortar front, will open a new store at Pike & Rose this year. It will be located at 11811 Grand Park Avenue. The company says the store will open this summer. Warby Parker already has locations at Bethesda Row and Downtown Crown. 

Marriott hotel signage installed as illegal construction parking continues on Woodmont Avenue

New signage has been installed on the Marriott Bethesda Downtown hotel at 7707 Woodmont Avenue, and is now lit at night. But while interior construction continues, so does the illegal parking by Marriott contractors in the only northbound travel lane on Woodmont in front of the Marriott property. Yesterday afternoon, there were 4 or 5 contractor vehicles entirely blocking the northbound lane, forcing traffic heading north to veer into oncoming cars in the center turning lane to get past. 

Montgomery County continues to allow this illegal parking and dangerous traffic obstacle at the Marriott site, while claiming it is a Vision Zero jurisdiction, the height of hypocrisy. Again, if you parked your car in the only eastbound travel lane of Bethesda Avenue, turned off the motor, and went into Five Guys for an hour...how many minutes do you think would pass before your vehicle was ticketed and towed? We are under a two-tier enforcement and justice system, it appears. Also spotted on Woodmont yesterday: the flaws of an unprotected bike lane, as a car used the new bikeway on that block as a right turn lane.

New Bethesda Trader Joe's sign lights up (Photos)

The exterior sign at the new Trader Joe's grocery store at 7900 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda was lit for the first time last night. In addition to the logo lighting up the night, it appears there will be parking for the store underneath the building. Yesterday afternoon, the parking garage door on the Woodmont Avenue side of the building was left in the open position. A large sign just inside the entrance of the garage says, "Welcome," a message not often found on resident-only garages.

Stairs blocked off at Bethesda Metro Center by Clark Building

The stairs by the Clark Building at 7500 Old Georgetown Road at the Bethesda Metro Center have been fenced off. No information regarding the reason for the closure was posted.

Demolition permit notices posted at Westwood Center II in Bethesda (Video+Photos)

The end is nigh for the Westwood Center II mini-mall at 5110 Ridgefield Road in the Westbard area of Bethesda. Notices have been posted at the property indicating that demolition permits have bee requested. Most tenants are now out of the building, most having relocated in the area. An assisted-living development and a realigned Westbard Avenue will take its place in the coming years.

Westwood Center II has always been an underrated building, but struggled with a lack of high-profile tenants and questionable decisions regarding parking. It seems like the building should have been extended down as far as possible towards River Road, so that a better configuration of garage parking could have been designed. Instead, there was a small, cramped surface lot and a small, cramped garage. The architecture was quite nice, however, with the interior often aping classic American indoor mall designs on a smaller scale.

Westwood Center II opened in 1983. Original tenants included The Candy Bar, Chase Gifts, Chelsea Florists, Citizens Bank, Gallery Petalouth Ltd., Kenwood Jewelry, Kenwood Custom Tailors, Pier Donati of Roma, the Adjustable Bed Co., Laurie's of Westwood, The Lemon Twist, Martin Design Group, Nita's, Razi Studio, Sunshine Hair Studio, VIP Travel, West River Deli, the Spa Lady and the Safe Depository of Washington.

Notable past tenants in the office spaces included a local Burger King franchisee, and Dynasty Construction, which gained notoriety as an absurdly-unexpected bit player in the scandal of Backstreet Boys/N'SYNC mogul Lou Pearlman. Domino's Pizza was the biggest name in the building's history, until its recent closure. Other memorable tenants were the once-ubiquitous video rental store, Kim's Yirasai Sushi (which will reopen in Park Potomac next month), Westwood Cleaners (which has relocated to the Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights), and the West River Deli that closed in 2013.

The atmosphere at Westwood Center II was always one of unrealized potential. Or a red flag that there just isn't much demand for retail in that spot. New property owner Regency Centers appears to have taken it as a warning sign that retail on that site isn't viable, handing it off to an assisted-living developer. Let's take what might be our last look at this classic building in these photos and video:

DoorDash to bring DashMart convenience store service to Montgomery County

DashMart items awaiting orders via
virtual convenience store service

Montgomery County DoorDash users will get access to the company's DashMart convenience store service in the coming months. Much like the "ghost kitchens" that serve a variety of menus from one restaurant - or a remote kitchen that isn't in a restaurant at all - DashMart functions as a ghost convenience store. DoorDash drivers will pick up your order from a central warehouse in Rockville, including anything from milk and eggs to ice cream, soda and potato chips. DashMart also partners with local businesses who wish to sell their packaged food items, artisan wares and home goods through the delivery service.

Photo courtesy DoorDash

FYE to open toy store at Montgomery Mall

Retailer FYE is making a return to Montgomery County, but not with its traditional store model. The chain plans to open a new-concept toy store at Westfield Montgomery Mall later this year on Level 1. When we last saw FYE in the county, it was also at a Westfield property, Wheaton Plaza mall. FYE was acquired by a Canadian company in 2020.

Larger sign installed at Tacombi in Bethesda

Construction on the interior of Tacombi at 4749 Bethesda Avenue has stalled out since October 2021. But a new, larger sign was installed over the storefront last Thursday. It looks like this one may actually light up. We're now nearing one year since I broke the story about New York's "absolute best taco" coming to Bethesda, and we still don't have an opening date.