Armed robbery at store in downtown Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery at a downtown Bethesda store Tuesday afternoon, July 8, 2025. The robbery was reported at a store in the 4800 block of Edgemoor Lane at 4:47 PM. Police did not identify the business, but Geste Beer & Wine is located on that block. The store has been a target of gun-wielding robbers several times in the past.

Western Market property for sale in Bethesda

An iconic landmark on Western Avenue at the border of Maryland and Washington, D.C. has just hit the market for sale. The Western Market property at 4840-4842 Western Avenue could be yours for $1,375,000. That's relatively cheap, when you consider what new residential housing at a prime location like this would sell for - and that's what's likely to replace the market, as its exemption to operate a retail market here has expired.

The 8000-square-foot site is zoned R-60, for single-family detached housing. It is walking distance from the Friendship Heights Metro, the commercial areas of Friendship Heights and Spring Valley, and Fort Bayard Park. As always, check with Montgomery County and a good land use attorney to determine what is, and is not, possible here. Bethesda-based AMR Commercial, LLC is marketing the property, with brokers Sam Farnum and William Montrose.

Photos courtesy AMR Commercial, LLC

Ala takes summer break from lunch in Bethesda

Ala at 4948 Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda is taking a "summer break" from lunch hours. Until further notice, the Levantine restaurant will open for dinner at 4:00 PM. However, brunch hours of 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM continue as usual on the weekends, and Sunday dinner hours have been added. It appears the summer break also applies to their original Washington, D.C. location, as well.

Velatis Caramels opens in Bethesda

Velatis Caramels has opened at 4928 Hampden Lane at the Shoppes of Bethesda. The 159-year-old candy business was previously a fixture in Silver Spring. Before that, it was in Washington, D.C., and started off in Richmond before the Civil War. Velatis closed the Silver Spring store in April, and has now completed the move to downtown Bethesda. It still needs a sign above the storefront, though. "Underwraps?"

Arc'teryx opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Arc'teryx has signed a lease to open a store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The outdoor apparel store will open this fall, according to signage posted across its future storefront. Arc'teryx was founded in North Vancouver, British Columbia in 1989 by Dave Lane and Jeremy Guard. Their techwear and streetwear lines have become popular with outdoor adventures and urbanites alike, with the latter viewing Arc'teryx clothing as a status symbol, the Financial Times and New York Times have noted. When it opens, look for Arc'teryx on Level 1 of the mall, next to Sleep Number.

Harris Teeter closing in White Flint

Harris Teeter is closing its store at 11845 Old Georgetown Road in White Flint. The store will close "on or before July 20, 2025," according to a sign that also promotes a closing sale with prices up to 50% off. This store has been rumored to be one of the lowest-performing in the Harris Teeter chain. It also has fallen victim to Montgomery County's puzzling decision to place a homeless shelter nearby, frequent thefts of merchandise and shopping carts, the general moribundity of the stagnant Montgomery County economy, the County's highest-in-the-region tax and fee burden, and the failed 2010 White Flint sector plan. The recent arrival of a Wegmans just up Rockville Pike was likely the final nail in the HT coffin.

Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria opens at Westbard Square in Bethesda

UPDATE - 7:56 PM: The initial operating hours appear to be limited - call ahead to verify they are open.

Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria has opened at 5306 Zenith Overlook at Westbard Square in Bethesda. This is the second location of the pizzeria to open. The original is also in Bethesda, at the Wildwood Shopping Center. Piccoli Piatti's specialty is Neapolitan-style pizza, made in a custom-built oven with authentic ingredients from Italy. You'll also find a variety of appetizers and Italian dishes ranging from arancini and mussels to pasta and lunchtime sandwiches.

Metro Pike Center to get facelift in White Flint

Saul Centers is preparing to give a facelift to the Metro Pike Center at 11520 Rockville Pike in White Flint. The shopping center will receive a facade update in the coming months. Let's hope it is more retro than the replacement signage that was installed at the front of the property in the late 2010s. Lost were the totally 80s "Metro Pike Center" logo and background grid (see photo below), replaced by the most abominably-generic font and signage Max Headroom or Buckaroo Banzai could imagine in their nightmares (see photo at top). According to LoopNet, Metro Pike Center was constructed in 1990. White Flint is synonymous with the 80s, and that character should be retained to maintain the "sense of place" that Montgomery County planners give so much lip service to.

More signage installed at Lidl in Bethesda (Photos)

A number of additional exterior signs have been installed for the future Lidl grocery store at 7625 Old Georgetown Road at Bethesda Place. They include new logo signs on the curved facade at the corner of Old Georgetown and Woodmont Avenue, and above the parking garage entrance on Woodmont. One thing you will notice is how small they are. As Joe Jacoby once said, "Everything's so small!" 

The anti-business Montgomery County sign regulations strike again! Good Lord, let me get my binoculars out. If the taxes aren't high enough, and the profit margins slim enough, let's make it hard for anyone driving past to know your business is even there! Heckuva job, Brownie! Lidl is scheduled to open at 8:00 AM on July 30.

5ense of Thai "coming soon" to Westbard Square in Bethesda

"Coming soon" signage has been posted in the windows of 5ense of Thai's future space at 5314 Zenith Overlook at Westbard Square in Bethesda. The signage includes logos of various news outlets that have bestowed awards upon or otherwise-recognized its Northern Virginia locations in recent years, including USA Today. 5ense of Thai has missed its target Spring 2025 opening date, but the window coverings suggest construction may finally be getting underway on the interior fit-out of the restaurant.

Bethesda residents to protest Montgomery County Council's rushed upzoning bill Monday

Residents in the River Road and Massachusetts Avenue corridors of Bethesda will protest the effort by the Montgomery County Council to ram through a zoning text amendment (ZTA) to upzone their neighborhoods for multifamily housing tomorrow afternoon, Monday, July 7, 2025, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Jamestown Road. The ZTA is a "bill of goods" being disingenuously sold by County Councilmember Andrew Friedson as a solution to the high cost of housing, when in actuality, the higher-density it would allow will be market rate luxury housing sold at $1 million and upward. Part of the highly-controversial "Thrive 2050" scam the Council rammed through during the pandemic, the ZTA is branded as "More Housing N.O.W."

When residents from Bethesda, Wheaton, and other communities that will be damaged and bulldozed by the ZTA turned out in force at the first worksession on the proposal, Friedson took notice. He canceled the second scheduled worksession, and is now rushing the ZTA for a vote before the full Council while many are out of town for summer vacations. 

What the ZTA will do is to upzone neighborhoods currently zoned for single-family homes only, to allow the construction of multifamily homes. These would include duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, and apartment buildings. Street parking and school classrooms would be overwhelmed by a massive influx of new vehicles and children. With all of the new multifamily housing selling at market rates, the ZTA is designed only to line the pockets of the developers who have contributed to the political campaigns of Friedson and other councilmembers, and will not lower the cost of housing whatsoever.

Green & Bean Boutique opening soon in Bethesda

Green & Bean Boutique is opening soon at 4600 East-West Highway in Bethesda. The "eco-luxe" gift shop will feature "a curated selection of sustainable, ethically-sourced" items from over 40 brands. Products include housewares, home and garden decor and accessories, jewelry, pantry and cocktail bar items, games and puzzles, bags, stationary and cards, and indie magazines. Green & Bean started as a pop-up in Annapolis, and is transitioning to a permanent store here in Bethesda.

New Balance opens at Bethesda Row

New Balance has opened at 7033 Arlington Road at Bethesda Row. The sporting goods retailer carries a variety of athletic footwear and apparel. You can also return items you have ordered directly from New Balance online at this store. Operating hours are 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM Saturdays, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM Sundays, and 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday.

BT's Bethesda now selling drinks to-go for Bethesda Streetery

BT's Bethesda at 4866 Cordell Avenue is now selling drinks to-go that you can take to the Bethesda Streetery on Norfolk Avenue. The Streetery is closed to automobile traffic for outdoor dining purposes on Friday nights during the summer. Summer Concerts, sponsored by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, begin at 6:00 PM Fridays at the corner of Norfolk and St. Elmo Avenue. The next act to perform will be TNT: Linwood Taylor & Michael Tash Band on July 11.

Hollister to return to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

John Hollister, Jr. lives! Nearly a decade after Hollister closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. the California surfer-inspired apparel retailer is planning a triumphant return this fall. Word is that Hollister will move into one of the spaces just vacated by Foot Locker or Merlo Point. Part of the Abercrombie & Fitch empire, Hollister is one of those tenants every self-respecting American mall simply must have, like Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, and - come to think of it - Abercrombie & Fitch. If not, is it really a mall?

Photo courtesy Hollister

Hallmark store at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda changes hands

The Hallmark Gold Crown store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda is under new ownership. Previously known as "Banner's Hallmark," the greeting card, ornament, stationary and gift shop has been acquired by Norman's Hallmark. Norman's is the nation's largest independent owner of Hallmark Gold Crown stores. It will be interesting to see if the merchandise selection changes in the coming months.

Banner's is a local company, headquartered in Gaithersburg, while Norman's is based in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Banner's region has been Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Norman's has been focused in the Keystone State and New Jersey, but seems to be slowly expanding southward into Maryland. Norman's takes the prize for longevity; Banner's has been around since the 1970s, while Norman's was founded in 1939.

Foot Locker temporarily relocates at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Foot Locker has temporarily moved to a smaller space at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Its previous spot on Level 1 has been cleared out. The new location is right outside of Macy's Home, next to AT&T on Level 2. However, the game of musical chairs is only beginning, as Foot Locker is expected to move into a larger space at the mall, along with a new Kids Foot Locker, later this year. They do need to light up that sign over the entrance, though! Super low energy.