Why is Friendship heights shopping district so ... unsatisfying?

[Anonymous]

I’m fine with Amazon and the Whole Foods is great but it is kind of tucked away in there, I’m not sure it does much for the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just wandered around after a dentist's appointment earlier this week. Wow. So now DSW and TJ Maxx (and all the Mazza Galleria stores) and the "Chevy Chase Design Center" (or whatever they called the store in the old Saks Jandel space across from Saks) are all empty too, plus the entire Chevy Chase Pavilion but for one lonely T-Mobile shop. Ten years ago Friendship Hts was one of the biggest and liveliest shopping hubs in DC, and now it's just mostly Bloomingdales, a weird Saks (whose basement is like a warehouse), Brooks Bros, Tiffany, Marshall, and a handful of chain restaurants. Oh yeah, and that weird big usually-empty Gap/BR. And WF and Giant. And a lot of empty stores. All the empty storefronts are honestly a bit eerie - it's feels like there was a toxic gas or chemical leak and everything needed to be evacuated. It might make sense if FH were in a declining area, but homes in the areas around FH are some of the most desirable (and fastest appreciating/selling) in the entire DMV. Chalk it up to landlord greed, I guess. I can't even imagine how angry I'd be if I paid some premium for a house to be within walking distance of the supposed amenities of Friendship Hts and within 2-3 years it turned into a ghost town.

The median age of people living in Chevy Chase is probably like 65. All they need is a CVS to get their adult diapers and they're good to go, right after they get done eating at La Ferme lol

Wow. I really feel sorry for your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard a rumor that the Chevy chase pavilion building is shifting away from retail and going to become a medical building/docs offices.

I was so sad when H & M closed.

There are already 2 giant doctors buildings

Frankly, parking and driving there is a b%tch. Crime is not great (popping car windows, stealing stuff from businesses). It feels dangerous and not easy to walk around as a pedestrian. It’s not a place I enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As-yet-unnamed grocery store coming to Chevy Chase Pavilion
https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/a_new_grocery_store_could_be_coming_to_a_friendship_heights_mall/20611?fbclid=IwAR30cetdgvphnv9h5XIiah8zYRevd5MzBUWXjmXO-BMcFEcxWMme6hlhxos

They desperately need to power wash the outside. It looks abandoned.

I remember when it was trees and seeing it falling apart and the empty Mazza makes me feel feelings.

+1 The veterinarian our dogs went to when I was a kid had his office in his house along that stretch of Wisconsin where the Marshall’s is now. Mazza was the place to be in middle school and I rode my bike there to get albums at the Disc Shop the day they came out.

[Anonymous]

So, so many of the “walkability” types picked the wrong kind of walkable. Retail never should have been that big of a deal but looking forward it should be no part of what makes for good walkability. Parks, schools, and green space are the walkability 1 seed and will become more so as time goes on. We love all the natural beauty we can see from our DC house and it’s surroundings. Most of our shopping comes to us (our staff loves the new pantry we added near the service entrance to the house) and we look forward to the redevelopment of G’town, Friendship etc to involve smaller, independent specialized and craft businesses. We would stroll that kind of shopping on nice days. Good bye to the big box junk and the ugly overwrought areas.

[Anonymous]

So, so many of the “walkability” types picked the wrong kind of walkable. Retail never should have been that big of a deal but looking forward it should be no part of what makes for good walkability. Parks, schools, and green space are the walkability 1 seed and will become more so as time goes on. We love all the natural beauty we can see from our DC house and its surroundings. Most of our shopping comes to us (our staff loves the new pantry we added near the service entrance to the house) and we look forward to the redevelopment of G’town, Friendship etc to involve smaller, independent specialized and craft businesses. We would stroll that kind of shopping on nice days. Good bye to the big box junk and the ugly overwrought areas.

Wow. I really feel sorry for your family.