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
2 comments:
That Dunkin kiosk is pretty cool actually.
A store that has had customers every time I pass buy is Eileen Fisher. I like the linen fabric clothes for summer.
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