BURTON OUT, BONOBOS IN AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL (PHOTOS)

Bethesda won't likely be a future stop on the X Games tour. Well-fitting pants are in greater demand than heavy shredding snowboard garb here, if the latest retail moves at Westfield Montgomery Mall are any indication.

Burton store on Thursday

Burton has suddenly vacated its mall space, just as the DC area is hitting the peak of snowboarding season. The store had featured snowboarding equipment, and casual branded apparel for both the cold outdoors and après-shred happy hours back at the snow lodge.

Meanwhile, rapidly expanding men's apparel chain Bonobos is opening its latest area Guideshop on the mall's lower level next to L'Occitane. Originally an online-only retailer, Bonobos has made its name on customer service and trousers that fit. It first entered the Bethesda market a couple of years ago with a pop-up shop on Bethesda Lane, before opening a permanent Bethesda Row store on Bethesda Avenue.

Bonobos is the latest Bethesda Row retail tenant to add a Westfield Montgomery location, following Lilly Pulitzer, Francesca's Collections, and lululemon. One focus for Westfield in the last year has been the addition of high-end retail and restaurants to the heavily-updated mall, to remain competitive with nearby town centers such as Bethesda Row and Pike & Rose. Judging from the turnout of shoppers during the holiday season, they have been successful so far.

BONOBOS TO OPEN AT BETHESDA ROW - AGAIN! MEN'S APPAREL SHOP TO REPLACE DADDY & SON

Bonobos is coming back - and it's as if they never left.  The trouser-centric apparel shop for men who hate to shop will open a new Bonobos Guide Shop in the just-vacated Daddy & Son space on Bethesda Avenue.  Bonobos had set up a pop-up shop around the bend on Bethesda Lane during the holidays. Then they moved to a permanent location in Georgetown. This new Bethesda shop will therefore be their second permanent store in the Mid-atlantic area.

BONOBOS CLOSES, PACKS OUT OF BETHESDA ROW (PHOTOS)

Bonobos is gone. While the upscale men's guide shop vacated as quickly as it moved in, it didn't go out of business. As regular readers know, Bonobos had planned all along to be a pop-up shop at Bethesda Row for the holiday season, and then move to its permanent, DC-area home in Georgetown.

If you stopped by while they were here, you've got your sizes now, and can easily order online in the future.

Having said that, we're now back to the status quo of having very little in the way of men's fashions around Bethesda Row. Adding a male-focused shop or two would certainly boost other businesses around the Row. After all, men are more likely to spend money at burger joints, for example, so why not bring more of them in?

BONOBOS GUIDESHOP OPENING AT BETHESDA ROW THIS WEDNESDAY

"THE ZAPPOS OF
PANTS" TURNS
AROUND OLD URBAN
CHIC SPACE IN
JUST TWO WEEKS

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Men of Bethesda:  get ready for a new way to shop for clothes Wednesday at 10 AM, when the Bonobos Guideshop opens on Bethesda Lane.

Bonobos Guides will assist you in finding the right clothes and sizes, and your purchase will be shipped to you.  Primarily an online seller of apparel, Bonobos has opened a select few of these Guideshops for those who would like to physically try the clothes on before placing an order.

Bethesda will become one of those lucky cities tomorrow.

EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK INSIDE BONOBOS AT BETHESDA ROW! (PHOTOS)

FORMER URBAN CHIC

SPACE UNDERGOES

RAPID MAKEOVER

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

The future Bonobos store at Bethesda Row isn't crawling towards opening day like other businesses.  Practically overnight, Bonobos is turning the former girly boutique into a man cave.  In fact, there are already clothes inside the store!

"I hate shopping."  Who said that?  Andy Dunn, co-founder of Bonobos did. He hates shopping, and figures a lot of other guys do, too.  So he set out to create "the Zappos of pants."  Bonobos is all about the pants, with trousers so comfortable and well-fitting, Dunn says you won't want to wear jeans anymore.  Now that's setting expectations high!

But high expectations are par for the course when the guy shipping your trousers from Bonobos HQ in New York City is a Princeton graduate.

The Bonobos Countdown is on, as the men of Bethesda are finally getting some respect on Bethesda Lane.  Now, does this mean that when the women's boutiques are serving champagne and cupcakes during various Bethesda Row events, men will be able to get beer and bacon at Bonobos?

I don't know, but we will be getting well-fitting pants, and I'm looking forward to the opening so I can test these pants out for myself.

BONOBOS TO OPEN IN FORMER URBAN CHIC SPACE AT BETHESDA ROW! EXCLUSIVE!

FINALLY, A STORE
FOR GUYS AT
BETHESDA ROW!

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Breaking news:  The just-closed Urban Chic boutique space on Bethesda Lane is being filled by men's clothing store Bonobos!

I've gone on the record here a few times about the lack of retailers for men around the Row, so it's great to hear there's finally fashion news for us guys around here.

What is Bonobos?  A chain men's apparel company that invented something all of us need: pants that actually fit properly.  Then they took their pants - such as the essential washed chino - and added other name brand apparel and accessories, so that you can put together a complete outfit.

Anyway, this is just the beginning of the Bonobos story at Bethesda Row, so stay tuned for further updates, and enjoy the Bethesda Row Arts Festival.