Loyal Companion, a national-chain pet wellness store at 6900 Arlington Road in downtown Bethesda, is closing. The store has been open a little over three years. But this is one of the rare closings we can't blame on the hostile business climate of Montgomery County. Especially when you consider the booming growth in dog and cat ownership in Bethesda over the last two decades, which has attracted many pet-related businesses to the area.
Loyal Companion's parent company, Independent Pet Partners, made big news at the time the Bethesda store opened when it acquired several pet store chains across the country. These included Loyal Companion, Kriser's, Especially For Pets, Bark! Dogma – Life, With Your Pet, Pet Source, Pet Life and Whole Pet Central. Pets+ reports that many of these IPP chain stores have announced they are closing by the end of this month.
This is a tough blow for the Bradley Shopping Center, where Bradley Care Drugs occupied this space for over 60 years. But it's a prime location that should be attractive to many businessses, And the center still has its other longtime draws like Strosniders Hardware, Bradley Food & Beverage, Bradley Party & Variety, and even a new - albeit smaller - drugstore in Walgreens.
11 comments:
Every business is going to go under if the landlords continue to bleed them dry. Although, Bradley is not Federal Realty; they do not cut retailers a break.Ask yourself, why Strosniders is 4 times higher than Home Depot???
All loyal companions on the east coast and in all but a few states are closing for good bc they have been poorly mismanaged. Nothing to do with landlords.
“Strosniders is 4 times higher than Home Depot”
Ridiculous claim.
11:43 So you’re saying a $25 gallon of paint at Home Depot is $100 at Strosniders? Home Depot might be a bit less expensive but enough with the wild hyperbole.
"Loyal Companion, a national-chain pet wellness store"
If they branded themselves as a "wellness" store, then they deserve to fail. The "wellness" industry is mostly woo and quackery. A haven for antivaxxers and Covid-deniers.
Sorry to see the store at this location closing. I don't know how much promotion the owners have done over the years. The store offered a wide range of products that are hard to find at other brick-and-mortar stores and even online in some cases; they also offered pet grooming and special events. The hours were pretty bad in my opinion, with the store closing at 7 weekdays and at 6 on weekends. There's a Loyal Companion store in the shopping center on R'ville Pike where The Fresh Market is (with the same hours). Maybe being so close to PetSmart played in part into the fate of this location.
The company filed for bankruptcy and is closing all 14 stores in MD.
@4:16AM Thanks for the update. I didn't realize there were 14 stores in Maryland alone. So much for the Rockville location!
Maybe B&N will take that space! Can you imagine the parking lot? It would be so bad that they would need to open a TJ’s.
Loyal Companion is my very favorite pet store. Aside from the fact that it is so conveniently located with accessible parking, the services and products make even a long trip to the location worthwhile for anyone who is not close by! The employees are so very helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. The news that they are closing is more than just disturbing. It is a loss to the entire Bethesda area and all who frequent the store!
An update as of 2/16/2023, per a trip to the Bethesda store: The owners said that a pet retail company has purchased the downtown Bethesda and East Gude Drive Loyal Companion locations, which will remain open (probably under a new name). The other locations, including the store on Rockville Pike, will be closing. An fyi that the Bethesda and East Gude stores are no longer having clearance sales or offering discounts since they are not closing.
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