Zen Tara Tea, a tea shop and cafe on Bethesda Avenue, has officially closed its doors. A farewell message to loyal customers was in the window yesterday. But fans of the shop are invited to shop in their online store. The owners also hint at a next chapter, offering to keep those who join their email list apprised of developments on that front.
The Majestic Bar and Grille has closed in Bethesda as of today, according to Chef Damon Hersh.
Open for about a year, the sports pub with gastropub aspirations will be remembered for bringing unusual regional favorites like poutine to Bethesda diners.
Formerly Gaffney's, restaurants have found the Wisconsin Avenue space challenging to succeed in. Both restaurants tried something different, and you have to give them credit for that.
United Bank has closed its River Road branch in the Kenwood Professional Building in Bethesda.
The space is now for lease.
United retains two other Bethesda branches, on Old Georgetown Road and on Wisconsin Avenue.
After 10 years of baking, Just Cakes on Rugby Avenue closed its doors forever Sunday.
However, you will still be able to order from the Just Cakes website.
You can get in touch by calling 301-718-5111 or emailing marge@justcakes.com.
It's a tough time for small business owners in town with rents going higher all the time.
Crate and Barrel has closed forever at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Mall patrons passing by were shocked to find a wall, where the home furnishing and decor giant once beckoned to the nation's richest homeowners.
The Illinois-based chain confirmed the rather-obvious closure, and directed CB customers to their Spring Valley, Washington, DC store at 4820 Massachusetts Avenue NW.
Why did Crate and Barrel close in Bethesda?
Frankly, it doesn't make much sense. Westfield Montgomery Mall is undergoing a minor Renaissance, having added some promising tenants, and is in the midst of an aggressive physical expansion. A new wing, new restaurants, new cineplex and a transit center are scheduled to be built in the next few years.
And the real estate bubble never really burst in Bethesda. Sales slowed, but prices stayed sinful. In fact, many lower-upper class residents refurbished and refurnished, rather than move to a new McMansion during the "down'' market.
So - theoretically - CB products should have been in demand.
Of course, CB did close an Orange County store a few years back. So closing stores in a wealthy area is not unprecedented at all.
Still, the closure was unexpected here. Are you a Crate and Barrel person? I haven't been a big shopper there - have you noticed less customers or other signs of a downturn there recently?
Who's your daddy? The cupboards are bare at upscale Italian shirt specialist Daddy & Son on Bethesda Avenue. Without public announcement, the shop closed, and cleaned out the store.
I've mentioned the lack of apparel stores for men at Bethesda Row a few times over the last 5 months. Now, with this closure, there are officially zero men's shops around the Row.
If I was Federal Realty, I'd be trying to get a Hugh and Crye or Lost Boys outpost on this side of the DC line pronto. Of course, there are many other local or national names, as well. But with no men's stores, they really need a compelling name in men's fashion to provide quality, in the absence of quantity.
By the way, this photo showing the interior seems to insist on publishing sideways - if that's how it appears, I apologize.
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| The restaurant has been cleaned out |
