Former Limon's retail space in Bethesda now available for lease

The investor who recently purchased the former Limon's Gems & Jewels building at 7909 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda has wasted no time in getting the property on the market for lease. A sign advertising the availability of the building, and the contact phone number, has been posted in the storefront window. The property was sold a couple of weeks ago for $1.1 million. Limon's closed last fall after 105 years in business.

Norfolk Avenue retail space now available for lease in Bethesda (Photos)

7929 Norfolk Avenue was recently gutted inside, and is now available for lease. The former restaurant building is being marketed by Dochter & Alexander, a Washington, D.C. commercial real estate agency. Most recently home to several restaurant concepts by Chef Ashish Alfred, most memorably Duck Duck Goose, the building was acquired by The Greenhill Companies of Bethesda this past April. The building is in a prime spot in the Woodmont Triangle, with windows facing onto a heavily-traveled intersection.

Wyrd Ryds space for lease in Bethesda

The storefront currently occupied by Wyrd Ryds at 4825 Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda is now being marketed as available for lease. An e-bike and scooter sales and repair business, Wyrd Ryds opened here in December 2023. Bethesda-based AMR Commercial is marketing the space, which is next to the popular Z-Burger restaurant, and looks out onto Veterans Park. Wyrd Ryds has another location across the river at the Old Town Center in Ashburn. 

Hardwood Artisans space for lease in Bethesda

Hardwood Artisans appears to be on the way out in the Woodmont Triangle - at least from its current showroom. Their ground-level space at 4828 St. Elmo Avenue is now listed as becoming available for lease on July 1, 2025. They've had a good 9-year run, which is tough for any business to accomplish in downtown Bethesda. Hardwood Artisans remains open for business.

This is "the best corner in Woodmont Triangle," according to Dochter & Alexander Retail Advisors, which is marketing the property. It's also best remembered as the home of Johnny Rockets way back in the 1990s. One point of interest in the online listing for the space is that it retains a kitchen exhaust shaft for restaurant use. A restaurant would certainly do more to liven up that corner than retail that closes at night.

Nail Supply Bethesda space back on market for lease

Nail Supply Bethesda's prominent corner space at 7891 Old Georgetown Road is now available for lease, according to signage posted in the window. The nail and beauty supply shop moved in this past spring. Perhaps the limited hours of the store - 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays only, according to the posted schedule - cut out potential customers who are at work during that time. The building is at one of the busiest intersections in downtown Bethesda, making it a prime spot for the right tenant.

Westlake Wine & Beer for sale or sublease in Bethesda

Westlake Wine & Beer at 10442 Auto Park Drive at the Home Depot Square shopping center in Bethesda is being marketed for sale. The asking price is $589,000. Alternatively, the store's space is available for sublease, if you don't fancy operating a beer and wine store. But the store has a twenty year history and loyal customers, as well as a Maryland lottery retail license. According to the sale/lease listing, the space can be available in 30 days.

Former Pitango space now available for lease in Bethesda

The corner space recently vacated by Pitango Gelato at 4901-A Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda is now available for lease. Signage has been posted by property owner Greenhill Companies. Pitango was the second tenant since the former Blackfinn bar space was subdivided into smaller storefronts, following Tapabar. It remains a high-visibility, high-traffic location in the Woodmont Triangle for the right dining or retail concept.

Gateway Newsstand space available for lease at Bethesda Metro Center

The vacant space previously home to Gateway Newsstand (or "Newstand," as the sign spells it) in the Bethesda Metro Center bus bays area is now being marketed for lease. Despite the name, and the sound logic of a newsstand located at a subway station, the business was more of a coffee bar and convenience store than a newsstand. The space continues to be a great location if you have a product or service of interest to morning and evening commuters. 

I would like to see a real newsstand here. But just as the opening of new fast food restaurants in Bethesda has apparently been banned by Montgomery County government, so too has the opening or operation of any place where you can purchase print editions of major newspapers from cities around the United States or the world. This is less surprising when you learn that the vandalism-style paint around the rim of the plaza at the Metro Center is what passes for "art" in our time. We are a civilization in decline.

Forbright Bank available for lease in Bethesda

The vacant Forbright Bank space in downtown Bethesda is now being marketed for lease. Forbright's Bethesda branch at 4801 Montgomery Lane closed earlier this year. Washington, D.C. real estate firm Miller Walker is the broker for the property, which is steps away from the Bethesda Metro station but has limited redevelopment potential, being hemmed in by 2 Bethesda Metro Center and East Lane. Chevy Chase-based Forbright Bank is still in business, with full service branches in Potomac, Rockville, and Herndon. Its headquarters is located at 4445 Willard Avenue in Friendship Heights.

Woodmont Crescent shifts marketing strategy for vacant storefronts in Bethesda

The ownership of the Woodmont Crescent building has turned to Bethesda-based H&R Retail to market its empty storefronts at 7766 and 7770 Norfolk Avenue for lease. New signage from the commercial real estate firm has been posted in the windows of the ground floor spaces. Previous signage from a different leasing firm had shown renderings of a possible restaurant use. The building lost longtime tenants The Blue House and Random Harvest in recent years, as well as the offices of MoCo360, which relocated to North Bethesda. Major renovations and improvements have been undertaken at the property in the time since, including the installation of an elevator. More remodeling is ahead inside Starbucks, which is the anchor tenant of the building.

Party Mania building available for lease in Bethesda

The clock is ticking to take advantage of the closing sale prices at Party Mania, the family-owned party supply business at 4910 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Struggling since the pandemic hit in 2020, the store announced it would be closing in "early 2024." Now, "for lease" signs have appeared in the front window. Located on one of the busiest streets in Bethesda, the space holds great opportunity for another business looking for major pedestrian traffic outside its door. Leasing is being handled by Bethesda's AMR Commercial, LLC.

Plans to construct Bethesda's tallest building appear to be on hold

A proposal to build a 315'-tall apartment tower at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda appears to have hit another snag. One of several properties assembled for the mixed-use project recently went back on the market, seeking a "long-term" tenant. A new online listing reveals what "long-term" means in this case. The vacant EagleBank building at 7815 Woodmont Avenue is now available for a 10-year lease term, at a negotiable rate.

Bethesda-based AMR Commercial, LLC is suggesting several possible uses for the 3 units within the former bank headquarters, such as a bank, restaurant, medical or veterinary clinic, retail store or brewery. The building has a drive-thru, which provides a ready-to-go amenity for a bank, drugstore or fast food restaurant. All 3 of the spaces can potentially be leased separately, combined in any way, or fully-filled by one large tenant.

Unless plans change again, this would mean that we won't see any redevelopment of this site for at least a decade, or it will be a smaller-scale project that excludes the bank building. If so, that would be good news for nearby residents, and for customers of the busy 7-Eleven. The high-rise plan was controversial, as a late change drastically reduced the public green space that was originally proposed, Montgomery County failed to realize the planned expansion of Veterans Park onto the site, and the undesirable functions of the building were located to face residents of the Fairmont Plaza condos rather than toward the commercial and office buildings in the opposite direction.

4909 Auburn Avenue retail spaces hit the market in Bethesda

Leasing of three retail/restaurant spaces in the ground floor of the future 4909 Auburn Avenue apartments has begun. Two of the spaces face Auburn, and the third fronts onto Norfolk Avenue. Two have venting to accommodate restaurant use. Delivery of the shells of the three spaces is anticipated for spring 2024. KLNB is the broker with the listing.

Wool & Knots space now available for lease in Bethesda

The Wool & Knots retail space at 7801 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda is now available for lease. Wool & Knots announced it would be closing last month. They leave behind a highly-visible corner spot at one of the most heavily-traveled crossroads in Montgomery County.

Jewelry Exchange Bethesda building sold, now available for lease

The former Jewelry Exchange building at 7747 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda has been sold. Now the new owner has made it available for lease. I'm told it is a short-term lease, so while the property is therefore unlikely to be redeveloped in the near future, that option is not being pushed into the far future, either. Redevelopment of the site wouldn't make much sense anyway, unless an agreement can be reached with the owner of the small building at the corner of Old Georgetown and St. Elmo Avenue to assemble the two lots.

Dryclean Club for lease in Bethesda

Dryclean Club at 4923 Cordell Avenue is now available for lease. The drycleaning and tailoring shop closed in May. As of yesterday, the space has been cleared out inside, and "for lease" signs posted. This is one of several Woodmont Triangle dry cleaning businesses to close or relocate this year.

Retail space at Cheval Bethesda branded as "The Corner at Cheval"

Ongoing efforts to lease the ground floor retail space at the Cheval Bethesda condo tower at 4960 Fairmont Avenue have resulted in a new marketing strategy. CBRE is now promoting the space as "The Corner at Cheval." Despite the prime corner location at Old Georgetown Road, it has remained vacant for several years after the completion of the building.

A bank was once rumored to be the tenant for the spot, but it never materialized, if it was even true (and the silver lining is that many people would prefer retail or restaurant use to yet another bank branch). The rest of the ground floor commercial space houses the Triangle Art Studios, which hosts local artists, and famously exhibited the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Sphinx in 2019.

The challenge of filling retail spaces in today's Montgomery County and pandemic environment has vexed Cheval developer Duball, LLC in Rockville, as well. It is currently seeking permission from the City of Rockville to convert all of the approved retail space at its new Ansel development in Rockville Town Center into additional residential lofts. Duball did have great success in attracting desirable tenants to its sister Rockville Town Center development, including World of Beer and Panera Bread.

Bethesda dry cleaners space available for lease

The dry cleaners space at 7913 Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle is now available for lease. Rent for the 1000 square foot space will be $54 per square foot per year, and the length of the lease is negotiable, according to the online listing.

Gartenhaus retail space for lease in Bethesda

The retail space long home to Gartenhaus Furs at 7101 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda is now available for lease. A high-visibility ground floor spot, the 4221 square foot space is being marketed by CBRE. The firm has just posted a huge banner across the glass storefront facing Wisconsin Avenue. Gartenhaus, which announced it would vacate the space in 2019, now has a store at 523 Dunmore Place in Capitol Heights.

3 Bethesda Metro Center space marketed for lease

Brookfield Properties is marketing a vacant space at its 3 Bethesda Metro Center as a potential spot for a lifestyle-oriented business, such as a childcare center, dance or fitness studio, or spa. The building has a new tenant-only conference center amenity, and a new tenant-only fitness center.