Barnes and Noble Bethesda Avenue Closing end of 2017

[Anonymous]

That's such a nice space--could put a small performing arts space there, or a Wegman's or even a climbing gym or trampoline type place so kids could get their wiggles out.

[Anonymous]

^^^^^^^^

I wouldn't hold your breath for either of those options.


If a bounce place opened there, the next post would be - Can you believe that they are charging $50 per hour for some balls and a mat? how dare they?????


B&N is now a bad credit because their business model is in peril. The location is hot so FRIT has no incentive to cut the rent. FRIT is not the bad guy here and B&N is within their rights to request a rent decrease or a shorter term lease because they know their days are numbered. This is the economy at work people. Embrace it and be thankful for it.

Why should FRIT subsidize a bookstore that is going bankrupt because people don't buy books? Going there to play with the train or sit and read for free doesn't pay the rent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^^^^^^

I wouldn't hold your breath for either of those options.


If a bounce place opened there, the next post would be - Can you believe that they are charging $50 per hour for some balls and a mat? how dare they?????


B&N is now a bad credit because their business model is in peril. The location is hot so FRIT has no incentive to cut the rent. FRIT is not the bad guy here and B&N is within their rights to request a rent decrease or a shorter term lease because they know their days are numbered. This is the economy at work people. Embrace it and be thankful for it.

Why should FRIT subsidize a bookstore that is going bankrupt because people don't buy books? Going there to play with the train or sit and read for free doesn't pay the rent.

I don't think so. Kidville is already pretty expensive for the younger set, I don't think people would blink an eyeball at having a closer indoor athletic option for their kids rather than having to trek out to Rockville or Laurel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^^^^^^

I wouldn't hold your breath for either of those options.


If a bounce place opened there, the next post would be - Can you believe that they are charging $50 per hour for some balls and a mat? how dare they?????


B&N is now a bad credit because their business model is in peril. The location is hot so FRIT has no incentive to cut the rent. FRIT is not the bad guy here and B&N is within their rights to request a rent decrease or a shorter term lease because they know their days are numbered. This is the economy at work people. Embrace it and be thankful for it.

Why should FRIT subsidize a bookstore that is going bankrupt because people don't buy books? Going there to play with the train or sit and read for free doesn't pay the rent.

I don't think so. Kidville is already pretty expensive for the younger set, I don't think people would blink an eyeball at having a closer indoor athletic option for their kids rather than having to trek out to Rockville or Laurel.

Kidville tried alread on Bethesda Row - in what was probably much cheaper space - and didn't succeed. They're in Rockville now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it would be a fantastic location for a job corps / life skills training center.

It could be a facility that disadvantaged youth could go to easily (red line) and learn food service industry work and life skills. Then they could get jobs at all the local restaurants.

This would be amazingly successful. These kids could see that there's better options than the places they come from, they can spend time in a safe place like Bethesda, they could learn job skills, and get jobs right there in the area.

This would be a huge.

And who is going to pay the rent on that? If Federal Realty is charging too much for Barnes and Noble, how would any civic minded group pay those kinds of rent?

For all the disadvantaged youth in Bethesda? Sure.

[Anonymous]

Jesus. Reading this thread makes it clear that none of you have any fucking clue how retail spaces are filed, or how capitalism works. Wegmans would need four times as much space and every resident in the are would go insane about the traffic generated? And space for disadvantaged youth? Y'all all only pony up for that. And while we are at it I think the county should make a law that makes it impossible for your to profit off selling your house so that there is more affordable housing to go around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^^^^^^

I wouldn't hold your breath for either of those options.


If a bounce place opened there, the next post would be - Can you believe that they are charging $50 per hour for some balls and a mat? how dare they?????


B&N is now a bad credit because their business model is in peril. The location is hot so FRIT has no incentive to cut the rent. FRIT is not the bad guy here and B&N is within their rights to request a rent decrease or a shorter term lease because they know their days are numbered. This is the economy at work people. Embrace it and be thankful for it.

Why should FRIT subsidize a bookstore that is going bankrupt because people don't buy books? Going there to play with the train or sit and read for free doesn't pay the rent.

I don't think so. Kidville is already pretty expensive for the younger set, I don't think people would blink an eyeball at having a closer indoor athletic option for their kids rather than having to trek out to Rockville or Laurel.

Kidville tried alread on Bethesda Row - in what was probably much cheaper space - and didn't succeed. They're in Rockville now.

They're still open in Bethesda: http://www.kidville.com/bethesda

At least I hope so, or our nanny has been lying about where she took DD this week!

I think you mean the make-a-whatever place on the same block upstairs, that was owned by Tom Cruse's wife (forgot her name).

Kidville does OK since they're in the basement and get cheap rent since no retailer would want to move there.

B&N space is prime retail... no way to make a kid bounce-y place work financially.

My friend is in retail on the other side of Bethesda (Woodmont Triangle). Rents on Bethesda Row are 3x that of where he is. It's tough to make it work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. Reading this thread makes it clear that none of you have any fucking clue how retail spaces are filed, or how capitalism works. Wegmans would need four times as much space and every resident in the are would go insane about the traffic generated? And space for disadvantaged youth? Y'all all only pony up for that. And while we are at it I think the county should make a law that makes it impossible for your to profit off selling your house so that there is more affordable housing to go around.

Thank you. This is around 60,000 SF at a price that could be as high as $50/SF/year. No bouncy place or yoga studio has $3M per year to spend on rent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not surprising, rumors have been flying around for years, what do you think will replace it?

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2017/Barnes-Noble-To-Close-on-Bethesda-Row/

TIP for keeping our neighborhood bookstores: browse on Amazon, add books that make the cut to your shopping cart, print content of cart and look for books at local bookstore. Support the bookstores!

[Anonymous]

I think what the area really needs is a walmart. That would be perfect for the space. Preferably one with a McDonald's inside. I am planning on writing my congressperson shortly about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think what the area really needs is a walmart. That would be perfect for the space. Preferably one with a McDonald's inside. I am planning on writing my congressperson shortly about this.

That's actually a really good idea. There isn't a Walmart anywhere in MoCo except for way up in Germantown. That's like going to Frederick it's so far away.

A smaller urban size Walmart like they have in DC would be perfect. I'd go to the DC Walmarts, but with the exception of the one downtown on H street, the rest are in sketchy as hell ghetto locations like Georgia Ave or Riggs Rd. Uh, no thanks, I don't need some hoodrat robbing me on the way to my car.

A McDonalds would be good, too. No fast food anywhere in downtown Bethesda. That would be great.

I don't know if Jamie Raskin has any pull though. I'm gonna call him tomorrow though.

[Anonymous]

Me to my coworker: "Hey, I heard the Bethesda Barnes and Noble is closing by the end of the year."
Coworker: "Oh no! I love that place! I just read a book to my daughter there the other day!"
Me: "Did you buy anything?"
Coworker: "No, we just go there to read, not to buy."

Case in point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think what the area really needs is a walmart. That would be perfect for the space. Preferably one with a McDonald's inside. I am planning on writing my congressperson shortly about this.

That's actually a really good idea. There isn't a Walmart anywhere in MoCo except for way up in Germantown. That's like going to Frederick it's so far away.

A smaller urban size Walmart like they have in DC would be perfect. I'd go to the DC Walmarts, but with the exception of the one downtown on H street, the rest are in sketchy as hell ghetto locations like Georgia Ave or Riggs Rd. Uh, no thanks, I don't need some hoodrat robbing me on the way to my car.

A McDonalds would be good, too. No fast food anywhere in downtown Bethesda. That would be great.

I don't know if Jamie Raskin has any pull though. I'm gonna call him tomorrow though.

MoCo doesn't like Wal-Mart and the big stores like that downcounty. I believe they ran Costco out of Wheaton.

Also, Wal-Mart's business model is based on low rent, large stores. That's the most expensive part of Bethesda, and goes for close to $100/sq/ft compared to $30 sq/ft in "old Bethesda" a mile up Woodmont Avenue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think what the area really needs is a walmart. That would be perfect for the space. Preferably one with a McDonald's inside. I am planning on writing my congressperson shortly about this.

That's actually a really good idea. There isn't a Walmart anywhere in MoCo except for way up in Germantown. That's like going to Frederick it's so far away.

A smaller urban size Walmart like they have in DC would be perfect. I'd go to the DC Walmarts, but with the exception of the one downtown on H street, the rest are in sketchy as hell ghetto locations like Georgia Ave or Riggs Rd. Uh, no thanks, I don't need some hoodrat robbing me on the way to my car.

A McDonalds would be good, too. No fast food anywhere in downtown Bethesda. That would be great.

I don't know if Jamie Raskin has any pull though. I'm gonna call him tomorrow though.

MoCo doesn't like Wal-Mart and the big stores like that downcounty. I believe they ran Costco out of Wheaton.

Also, Wal-Mart's business model is based on low rent, large stores. That's the most expensive part of Bethesda, and goes for close to $100/sq/ft compared to $30 sq/ft in "old Bethesda" a mile up Woodmont Avenue.

When you clearly have no idea what you are talking about, maybe you should stfu?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think what the area really needs is a walmart. That would be perfect for the space. Preferably one with a McDonald's inside. I am planning on writing my congressperson shortly about this.

That's actually a really good idea. There isn't a Walmart anywhere in MoCo except for way up in Germantown. That's like going to Frederick it's so far away.

A smaller urban size Walmart like they have in DC would be perfect. I'd go to the DC Walmarts, but with the exception of the one downtown on H street, the rest are in sketchy as hell ghetto locations like Georgia Ave or Riggs Rd. Uh, no thanks, I don't need some hoodrat robbing me on the way to my car.

A McDonalds would be good, too. No fast food anywhere in downtown Bethesda. That would be great.

I don't know if Jamie Raskin has any pull though. I'm gonna call him tomorrow though.

MoCo doesn't like Wal-Mart and the big stores like that downcounty. I believe they ran Costco out of Wheaton.

Also, Wal-Mart's business model is based on low rent, large stores. That's the most expensive part of Bethesda, and goes for close to $100/sq/ft compared to $30 sq/ft in "old Bethesda" a mile up Woodmont Avenue.

When you clearly have no idea what you are talking about, maybe you should stfu?

"Wal-Mart has scuttled plans for a store in Montgomery County's Aspen Hill neighborhood, citing uncertainty about the length of the county’s development-approval process."

"Some opponents, including county unions, pointed to the potential impact the store would have on other Aspen Hill businesses, including a Giant supermarket with unionized workers. Other critics, including some members of the Montgomery County Council, took exception to Wal-Mart’s labor practices, citing low wages that place many employees with families below the poverty line."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/wal-mart-drops-plans-to-build-store-in-aspen-hill-citing-montgomery-zoning-delay/2014/08/13/965fc454-22f7-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html?utm_term=.c0b228305bde