Barnes and Noble Bethesda Avenue Closing end of 2017

[Anonymous]

Not sure if anyone suggested this yet but what about a yoga studio? They make lots of money and serve the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if anyone suggested this yet but what about a yoga studio? They make lots of money and serve the community.

This post is either genius trolling or a stellar example of Bethesda cluelessness. Same with the PP who thought it would make a good job training center for disadvantaged youth. Because downtown Bethesda is teeming with poor kids and there just aren't enough yoga studios....

[Anonymous]

I usually went to the one in Gburg, but I LOVED going to these bookstores growing up (still do) and would spend hours there. sad.

[Anonymous]

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.

LOL. I'm sure Bethesda row/Bethesda residents would be thrilled with a lot of 'disadvantaged youth' hanging out at the hoity toity shopping center.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure they are closing over a rent dispute, but I wonder who would want to fill such a large space. Large retailers are hurting so unless the space is divided up, I feel like it might be empty for a while.

Funny how back in the 90s we were bemoaning how national booksellers like B&N and Borders were pushing the mom-and-pop bookstores out of business. Now, the District doesn't have a single big bookstore anymore, but small independent bookstores are thriving and new ones are even opening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo boasts one of the most highly educated populations in the country ... and yet, we're going to have no bookstores. Mortifying.

There is a Barnes and Nobles in Rockville.

Rockville isn't really Montgomery County.

Goes to show how educated this area is when they don't know anything outside of the little bubble they live in. Do tell, which county is Rockville in?

This person actually answered this question further up the thread.

They basically said that "Montgomery County" is "Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac", lolz

When you're dealing with an affluent bubble mentality, reality bounces off it like it's a trampoline

LOL, right. It's not like Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery or anything

[Anonymous]

Need a gas station and tire shop is what I heard thru the grape vine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Federal Realty is to blame. The rent skyrocketed. Like they need to libe their pockets with even more money.

It's amazing that bookstores, which are attractive to a healthy, safe community and serve as a window to worlds unknown, are disappearing. It's sad commentary in this day and age. No one cares that this place is what made Bethesda Row so appealing to people. A place to peruse, to discover new reads, a place for kids to see actual books and reach for them instead of being some abstract on the screen of an iPad. Why must this happen? It's not right. It's not healthy for a community. I'm hoping for a Hail Mary pass here that someone has a change of heart. I bought all my magazines, children's books and novels there. Simply because I can't stand anymore to read things on an iPad or kindle. After awhile everything looks the same. There is no feeling to what I've read. I prefer to hold an actual magazine and completely disconnect, or a physical novel in my hands, and let my fingers touch the paper...

Agree 100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Federal Realty is to blame. The rent skyrocketed. Like they need to libe their pockets with even more money.

It's amazing that bookstores, which are attractive to a healthy, safe community and serve as a window to worlds unknown, are disappearing. It's sad commentary in this day and age. No one cares that this place is what made Bethesda Row so appealing to people. A place to peruse, to discover new reads, a place for kids to see actual books and reach for them instead of being some abstract on the screen of an iPad. Why must this happen? It's not right. It's not healthy for a community. I'm hoping for a Hail Mary pass here that someone has a change of heart. I bought all my magazines, children's books and novels there. Simply because I can't stand anymore to read things on an iPad or kindle. After awhile everything looks the same. There is no feeling to what I've read. I prefer to hold an actual magazine and completely disconnect, or a physical novel in my hands, and let my fingers touch the paper...

Agree 100%

If you want to, I am sure Federal realty would be happy to sell you the property and you can then use your money to do what you think is best for the community and be blind to the economic realities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Federal Realty is to blame. The rent skyrocketed. Like they need to libe their pockets with even more money.

It's amazing that bookstores, which are attractive to a healthy, safe community and serve as a window to worlds unknown, are disappearing. It's sad commentary in this day and age. No one cares that this place is what made Bethesda Row so appealing to people. A place to peruse, to discover new reads, a place for kids to see actual books and reach for them instead of being some abstract on the screen of an iPad. Why must this happen? It's not right. It's not healthy for a community. I'm hoping for a Hail Mary pass here that someone has a change of heart. I bought all my magazines, children's books and novels there. Simply because I can't stand anymore to read things on an iPad or kindle. After awhile everything looks the same. There is no feeling to what I've read. I prefer to hold an actual magazine and completely disconnect, or a physical novel in my hands, and let my fingers touch the paper...

Agree 100%

If you want to, I am sure Federal realty would be happy to sell you the property and you can then use your money to do what you think is best for the community and be blind to the economic realities.

1) they probably wouldn't. FRIT owns that whole area and they're not going to want to sell off that piece

2) I agree that no one should expect FRiT to keep B&N or install a job training ctr out of the goodness of their heart, but they should realize kicking it out could change the feel of the whole neighborhood eventually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard a Nike store might replace it

The Nike Store that replaced the Barnes and Noble in Geoergetown closed pretty quickly.

Is Nike in gtown closed ? Are you sure ? Or are you just making stuff up

It looked closed the last time I drove past, but perhaps I have it confused with the Barney's. My bad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard a Nike store might replace it

The Nike Store that replaced the Barnes and Noble in Geoergetown closed pretty quickly.

Is Nike in gtown closed ? Are you sure ? Or are you just making stuff up

It looked closed the last time I drove past, but perhaps I have it confused with the Barney's. My bad!

You had it confused indeed . Barneys is closed , Nike is opened

[Anonymous]

It's such a huge building. All that room could would make an amazing yoga facility.

If I were one of the other yoga studio operators in Bethesda, I'd seriously be trying to get into that place next year. Whoever had their studio there would have the biggest one around.

Definitely a prestige location if you had a studio there

[Anonymous]

A lot of information is not publicly known about the original lease and the alleged rent increases and decreasing sales.

Barnes and Noble across the country put out a mandate to negotiate lower rents due to sagging sales. The one thing B & N is good at is PR, They are tossing the blame on Federal Reality and making them look bad in in an effort to have local leaders and residents put pressure on them like the did in NY when they were closing a store there that eventually became an Saks off 5th.

If all the people who are upset about this actually bought books instead of sitting in the store reading them and then putting them back on the shelf they probably would be ok but from he very beginning that spot was way too big, too expensive to maintain, too expensive to stay there long term.

They got extended after Cheescake Factory said no to the spot and decided to go to Montgomery Mall after White Flint closed.

[Anonymous]

who the hell buys books