Anonymous
11/07/2025 12:58
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Perhaps because it hasn't been expensive for long enough? Here real estate is expensive because we're close to the nation's capital and workers pay a premium to lower their commute. But it doesn't mean they have the money to spend elsewhere, and perhaps not the temperament either. People working for governments/embassies/international institutions in DC tend not to be flashy types.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 12:52
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You forget that Friendship Heights used to be a major hub of retail...at its peak in like 2005, you had a Neiman Marcus, Hechts, Saks Men's store (Saks store is still there), William Sonoma, AMC theatre, etc.
You also had the Chevy Chase Collection with a Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany (still there), Brooks Brothers (still there), etc.
Nobody would think to open a high-end boutique on CT avenue from Livingston to the Circle, when they were all clustered merely 4/10 of a mile away.
The Internet and Covid killed FH...and to some extent City Center DC killed the Chevy Chase Collection as all the very high end boutiques migrated downtown. As others have mentioned, you also have downtown Bethesda very close by and there you have your Apple store, North Face and many other boutiques and shops.
We will see if FH can make a rebound with the Total Wine opening and the Trader Joe's rumored to open any day now. There is also a Wonder Food Hall supposed to open and some other shops / restaurants.
You acknowledged that Friendship Heights went downhill because of Covid, yet Tysons Galleria has only gotten nicer since then and it has the same high end department stores. So it is not Covid per se because there are a lot of other retail areas in the region that have gotten nicer since 2005. University Park retail in MD is much nicer, City Center, The Wharf, the Mosaic District, Tysons, Clarendon, Ballston, Del Ray, and Old Town are all much nicer than they were in 2005 and none of these places has gotten worse since Covid.
The juxtaposition between Chevy Chase retail and housing stock is incredibly odd.
You make a good point—it is true that all of these other areas have had a significant retail upgrade over the past ~15 years…Covid impacted most of them for a few years but they bounced back.
The thing holding Chevy Chase back is the near-highway that is MD-185 running through the Main Street. Nobody wants to be hanging outside on a patio or walking along to visit shops while 6 lanes of traffic fly by. At some points with turning lanes it can be 7 lanes wide. It is impossible to attract nice retail on a 7 lane throughway unless you build an indoor mall.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 11:30
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You forget that Friendship Heights used to be a major hub of retail...at its peak in like 2005, you had a Neiman Marcus, Hechts, Saks Men's store (Saks store is still there), William Sonoma, AMC theatre, etc.
You also had the Chevy Chase Collection with a Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany (still there), Brooks Brothers (still there), etc.
Nobody would think to open a high-end boutique on CT avenue from Livingston to the Circle, when they were all clustered merely 4/10 of a mile away.
The Internet and Covid killed FH...and to some extent City Center DC killed the Chevy Chase Collection as all the very high end boutiques migrated downtown. As others have mentioned, you also have downtown Bethesda very close by and there you have your Apple store, North Face and many other boutiques and shops.
We will see if FH can make a rebound with the Total Wine opening and the Trader Joe's rumored to open any day now. There is also a Wonder Food Hall supposed to open and some other shops / restaurants.
You acknowledged that Friendship Heights went downhill because of Covid, yet Tysons Galleria has only gotten nicer since then and it has the same high end department stores. So it is not Covid per se because there are a lot of other retail areas in the region that have gotten nicer since 2005. University Park retail in MD is much nicer, City Center, The Wharf, the Mosaic District, Tysons, Clarendon, Ballston, Del Ray, and Old Town are all much nicer than they were in 2005 and none of these places has gotten worse since Covid.
Even places that are immensely walkable from where Supreme Court justices live, like Brookdale Market and the stores in that strip mall, are subpar for the neighborhood. Why can’t a nicer grocery store exist there? Snider’s in Silver Spring and the Grosvenor Market are nicer and they are in much lower end neighborhoods and aren’t surrounded by $2-$3 million homes.
The juxtaposition between Chevy Chase retail and housing stock is incredibly odd.
You keep mentioning the justices like 9 households are going to drive retail decision-making. Kind of funny.
Short answer as to why Tysons in particular has grown is mostly down to the structural advantages of being the highest end mall in the region. In particular, malls have a huge advantage over multi-owner strips because they can manage tenant balance and rental costs to aim for an optimal mix. In a multi-owner strip its so hard to get say one owner to lower their rent for a tenant who would be a good addition to the overall retail mix, when they might be able to wait another 6-9 months for a national tenant signing a 15-20 year lease.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 11:14
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Anonymous wrote:You forget that Friendship Heights used to be a major hub of retail...at its peak in like 2005, you had a Neiman Marcus, Hechts, Saks Men's store (Saks store is still there), William Sonoma, AMC theatre, etc.
You also had the Chevy Chase Collection with a Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany (still there), Brooks Brothers (still there), etc.
Nobody would think to open a high-end boutique on CT avenue from Livingston to the Circle, when they were all clustered merely 4/10 of a mile away.
The Internet and Covid killed FH...and to some extent City Center DC killed the Chevy Chase Collection as all the very high end boutiques migrated downtown. As others have mentioned, you also have downtown Bethesda very close by and there you have your Apple store, North Face and many other boutiques and shops.
We will see if FH can make a rebound with the Total Wine opening and the Trader Joe's rumored to open any day now. There is also a Wonder Food Hall supposed to open and some other shops / restaurants.
You acknowledged that Friendship Heights went downhill because of Covid, yet Tysons Galleria has only gotten nicer since then and it has the same high end department stores. So it is not Covid per se because there are a lot of other retail areas in the region that have gotten nicer since 2005. University Park retail in MD is much nicer, City Center, The Wharf, the Mosaic District, Tysons, Clarendon, Ballston, Del Ray, and Old Town are all much nicer than they were in 2005 and none of these places has gotten worse since Covid.
Even places that are immensely walkable from where Supreme Court justices live, like Brookdale Market and the stores in that strip mall, are subpar for the neighborhood. Why can’t a nicer grocery store exist there? Snider’s in Silver Spring and the Grosvenor Market are nicer and they are in much lower end neighborhoods and aren’t surrounded by $2-$3 million homes.
The juxtaposition between Chevy Chase retail and housing stock is incredibly odd.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 10:37
Subject: Re:Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
OP, the problem is that this area is not walkable. At all. Old Town Alexandria is in no way comperable, because it is designed for foot traffic.
You can't walk from the nice parts of Chevy Chase to the retail area quickly, safely and efficiently. Thus the lack of cute restaurants, which bring cute retail, etc.
You can't walk from the nice parts of Chevy Chase to the retail area quickly, safely and efficiently. Thus the lack of cute restaurants, which bring cute retail, etc.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 10:33
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Anonymous wrote:You forget that Friendship Heights used to be a major hub of retail...at its peak in like 2005, you had a Neiman Marcus, Hechts, Saks Men's store (Saks store is still there), William Sonoma, AMC theatre, etc.
You also had the Chevy Chase Collection with a Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany (still there), Brooks Brothers (still there), etc.
Nobody would think to open a high-end boutique on CT avenue from Livingston to the Circle, when they were all clustered merely 4/10 of a mile away.
The Internet and Covid killed FH...and to some extent City Center DC killed the Chevy Chase Collection as all the very high end boutiques migrated downtown. As others have mentioned, you also have downtown Bethesda very close by and there you have your Apple store, North Face and many other boutiques and shops.
We will see if FH can make a rebound with the Total Wine opening and the Trader Joe's rumored to open any day now. There is also a Wonder Food Hall supposed to open and some other shops / restaurants.
+1. Given that OP is clearly familiar with Boston, I’ll add that 20 years ago, Chevy Chase was more similar to Chestnut Hill.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 09:15
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
You forget that Friendship Heights used to be a major hub of retail...at its peak in like 2005, you had a Neiman Marcus, Hechts, Saks Men's store (Saks store is still there), William Sonoma, AMC theatre, etc.
You also had the Chevy Chase Collection with a Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany (still there), Brooks Brothers (still there), etc.
Nobody would think to open a high-end boutique on CT avenue from Livingston to the Circle, when they were all clustered merely 4/10 of a mile away.
The Internet and Covid killed FH...and to some extent City Center DC killed the Chevy Chase Collection as all the very high end boutiques migrated downtown. As others have mentioned, you also have downtown Bethesda very close by and there you have your Apple store, North Face and many other boutiques and shops.
We will see if FH can make a rebound with the Total Wine opening and the Trader Joe's rumored to open any day now. There is also a Wonder Food Hall supposed to open and some other shops / restaurants.
You also had the Chevy Chase Collection with a Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany (still there), Brooks Brothers (still there), etc.
Nobody would think to open a high-end boutique on CT avenue from Livingston to the Circle, when they were all clustered merely 4/10 of a mile away.
The Internet and Covid killed FH...and to some extent City Center DC killed the Chevy Chase Collection as all the very high end boutiques migrated downtown. As others have mentioned, you also have downtown Bethesda very close by and there you have your Apple store, North Face and many other boutiques and shops.
We will see if FH can make a rebound with the Total Wine opening and the Trader Joe's rumored to open any day now. There is also a Wonder Food Hall supposed to open and some other shops / restaurants.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 08:34
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
*misremebering
One thing that I personally like about the retail mix between military Road and the circle is that there are at least a dozen addresses along that stretch that I personally use to carry out the business of daily life. I like that it’s not a destination shopping mall like King Street in Alexandria. One only needs to purchase so many overpriced bar carts in one’s lifetime
But one needs to buy sinus medication and gifts for children’s birthday parties on a monthly basis
One thing that I personally like about the retail mix between military Road and the circle is that there are at least a dozen addresses along that stretch that I personally use to carry out the business of daily life. I like that it’s not a destination shopping mall like King Street in Alexandria. One only needs to purchase so many overpriced bar carts in one’s lifetime
But one needs to buy sinus medication and gifts for children’s birthday parties on a monthly basis
Anonymous
11/07/2025 08:31
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
OK, can you specifically point to the “not nice” retail that you see in Chevy Chase, DC between the circle and military Road?
Which of the shops and restaurants are not nice?
I think this is a useful exercise for you, because I think your problem is that you’re not really interested in a perfectly lovely and well used liquor store when it could be replaced with a high-end handbag shop. But there’s nothing inherently wrong with a place to buy fish or bank or buy a bottle of bourbon. Or open a checking account for your teenager.
But I could be remembering that stretch
Which of the shops and restaurants are not nice?
I think this is a useful exercise for you, because I think your problem is that you’re not really interested in a perfectly lovely and well used liquor store when it could be replaced with a high-end handbag shop. But there’s nothing inherently wrong with a place to buy fish or bank or buy a bottle of bourbon. Or open a checking account for your teenager.
But I could be remembering that stretch
Anonymous
11/07/2025 08:31
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Anonymous wrote:Those exist in Bethesda. Sort of. But rents are so high that it’s hard for independent boutiques to thrive.
Rents are incredibly high in Brookline, which is right along the border of Boston and there are streetcars that run through it. Has a much higher end retail vibe and doesn’t have Supreme Court justices and elite country clubs a few blocks from its retail strip either. Walk around Coolidge Corner in Brookline some day and then come back and walk down Connecticut Avenue south of Chevy Chase Circle. The difference is mind boggling, especially considering the amount of wealth around Chevy Chase.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 08:24
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Those exist in Bethesda. Sort of. But rents are so high that it’s hard for independent boutiques to thrive.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 08:06
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Anonymous wrote:Not having a lot of retail might be intentional to keep the riff raff out. Can you imagine a Costco in Chevy Chase?
Brookline doesn’t have a Costco. No one wants a Costco. A nearby example would be Old Town Alexandria. Old Town is in a much worse school district than Chevy Chase MD and DC and has public housing projects close by, but its retail still is nicer and matches the character of its housing.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 08:00
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Not having a lot of retail might be intentional to keep the riff raff out. Can you imagine a Costco in Chevy Chase?
Anonymous
11/07/2025 07:59
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
Our towns aren’t set up like New England or jersey towns with cute town greens and town centers.
Anonymous
11/07/2025 07:58
Subject: Chevy Chase Retail is Subpar
For a place with exclusive country clubs, multimillion dollar pre WW2 homes, and the kind of cache that comes with the name Chevy Chase, it is odd that the area’s retail isn’t that nice, specifically along Connecticut Avenue. Similar neighborhoods on the edges of other East Coast cities like Brookline near Boston or Bronxville near New York City have stretches of high end boutiques, grocery stores, and restaurants that match the character of the charming $1 million+ pre 1940s SFHs around them. What’s been keeping Chevy Chase from having the same type of retail?
I’m not saying the retail is horrible, it just doesn’t match a neighborhood that has that kind of historical prestige and the same types of neighborhoods in other East Coast cities with the same cache and housing stock have far nicer options.
I’m not saying the retail is horrible, it just doesn’t match a neighborhood that has that kind of historical prestige and the same types of neighborhoods in other East Coast cities with the same cache and housing stock have far nicer options.