Sneak Peek: Bethesda Row Cinema
Landmark Theatres completed its renovation of the Bethesda Row Cinema today, just in time for a private company event tonight and tomorrow’s reopening to the public.
The company installed a full-service bar, lounge areas and new leather seats that movie-goers can now reserve before they go to see a show. The 140,000-square-foot theater, opened in 2002, now has RealD 3D projection, new screens, sound systems and a new menu.
The front of the building (7235 Woodmont Ave.) has a new marquee with a digital board of showtimes and a set of personal ticket kiosks are inside. The descent into the theater lobby now includes a view of a shimmering screen of hanging crystals.
On Friday, the theater will re-open with Academy Award nominee “Kon-Tiki,” and “Max Manus: Man of War,” before “The Great Gatsby” remake starts on May 10.
Bethesda Row Gears Up For Front Row Fashion Week
Bethesda Row’s Front Row will return May 16 for three days of fashion-inspired events, including a documentary screening, book signing from actress Jessica Alba and the annual runway show.
The event, which Bethesda Row started in 2008, puts the spotlight on Federal Realty’s development as a fashion hotspot. Many of the boutiques along Bethesda Avenue and Bethesda Lane will offer big storewide sales, which you can check out at the event website.
Max Brenner, the chocolate restaurant chain coming to 7263 Woodmont Ave. in mid-June, will offer a sneak peek of some of its items in the VIP lounge of the event on Bethesda Lane. Other restaurants will also offer specials.
The four main events take place on Thursday, May 16, Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18.
At 7:30 p.m. on May 16, the Bethesda Row Cinema will host the D.C. premiere of “The Tents,” the Marcus K. Jones-directed documentary chronicling the rise of New York Fashion Week. That event is RSVP only.
Alba will sign copies of her book, “The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True To You,” from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.on Bethesda Lane before the 7:30 p.m. runway show. The show will feature 15 of Bethesda Row’s fashion retailers, emceed by Georgetown Cupcake owners Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne.
On May 18, a day of children’s activities and entertainment is planned from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Photo via Bethesda Row
Luxury Bethesda Condo Begins Marketing Campaign
Signs have gone up for The Lauren, the multi-million dollar condominium development that is set to replace the old, brick Hampden Apartments at 4901 Hampden Lane.
The advertisement for the seven-story, 25-unit building makes clear the developer’s desire to get to the top of the Bethesda luxury housing market: “Now accepting inquiries. Residences from the several millions.”
D.C.-based developer 1788 Holdings has partnered with Sotheby’s International Realty to market the property.
The website boasts of the location’s prime location near Bethesda Row and the Bethesda Metro station and says the boutique property “will feature iconic architecture that will only further its cache” and “the location, the lifestyle and the fit and finish are unlike anything else in Bethesda.”
The developer is waiting for a Planning Board hearing to review a Site Plan Administrative Amendment that would allow for balconies and modified landscaping.
The seven-story building would also replace the detached houses along Montgomery Lane that are now used as offices and include three Moderately Priced Dwelling Units, as is required for new multi-family dwellings in Montgomery County.
Rendering via Montgomery County Planning Department
UPDATED: Ri Ra Bethesda Closing In September
UPDATE Friday 9:35 a.m. Ri Ra Irish Pub in Bethesda is closing once its lease ends in September, according to an employee who confirmed an earlier report from Bethesda Magazine.
Regional manager Andrew Christie said “it did not make business sense to renew the lease in Bethesda.”
Manager Paul Corey said the Connecticut-based pub chain, which has locations in 11 other cities including Arlington, Las Vegas and Atlantic City, will leave town when its 10-year lease dries up.
Ri Ra will be opening a new location in Georgetown in the fall.
Ri Ra (a Gaelic phrase that translates to “uproar,” or “fun and merriment”) became a spot to watch European soccer matches and drew people in with its beer and whiskey samplers.
The bar and restaurant (4931 Elm St.) was named by On Tap Magazine as the best Irish pub in D.C. in 2012.
The property is part of the Shoppes of Bethesda, managed by Rockville-based The Draiman Companies.
The full text from the announcement Ri Ra will be sharing with customers over the next few weeks is after the jump.
Zen Tara Tea Closing On Bethesda Avenue
Zen Tara Tea, the independent tea shop and retailer that opened its own Bethesda Avenue store after success at a local farmers market, is closing on May 26.
The news was first reported by blogger Robert Dyer. Zen Tara Tea (4710 Bethesda Ave.) will let customers know in an e-newsletter on Wednesday.
Co-owner Methee Thavornvongkajorn said a variety of factors contributed to the decision, including nearby construction of Lot 31. The construction there has caused disruptions to the busy intersection of Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues. The crosswalk on the south side of the intersection has been closed off and many have complained of a parking crunch now that the surface Lot 31 is gone.
Developer StonebridgeCarrass, which is building two apartment buildings on top of a new county-operated underground parking garage, has put signage around the construction area pointing people to existing businesses that may be affected.
“We don’t want to blame it on the construction alone,” Thavornvongkajorn said. “It’s that, it’s the parking. We have quite a few people who actually say they don’t come into Bethesda anymore. Some customers in Rockville actually have us do delivery.”
Thavornvongkajorn and partner Guy Munsch will maintain the online retail arm of the business. It opened in 2007 with a small tea counter at the Bethesda Farm Women’s Cooperative Market, just up the street from the store. The store, which opened in 2010, featured more than 100 teas, most grown organically.
From the e-newsletter:
Talking with our staff and our landlord over the past month, ultimately we decided it was best to maintain our integrity and close this chapter of our tea adventure with our heads held high. Zen Tara Tea is not going bankrupt, isn’t closing in the middle of the night leaving employees and creditors in a lurch, not asking for a bailout – we’ve lived up to all our responsibilities. There are certainly things we could have done better and will learn for next time but we have few true regrets. We’re also extremely proud of our teas and our service, many of the customer service problems endemic to retail businesses we’ve never had, thanks to our staff and to really great customers as well.
Thavornvongkajorn said the pair has discussed opening a smaller shop with the same landlord in the future, though for now, they’ll go on a “tea sabbatical.”
Video via Zen Tara Tea
Restaurant Kitchen Smoke Causes Evacuation On Bethesda Row
MCFRS responded to a fire alarm in the mid-rise building at the corner of Elm Street and Woodmont Avenue this morning for what they say is a fan issue in a ground floor restaurant.
People in the building were evacuated after the fire alarm went off at about 9:30 a.m.
Fire fighters who arrived on the scene said they found no fire and that the alarm was set off by smoke from the kitchen in Kraze Burgers (4733 Elm St.) on the ground floor of the building. This problem occurred before when employees fired up the grill in the morning, according to scanner traffic.
MCFRS checked all floors of the building and has called code enforcement to check the fans above the restaurant’s kitchen.
Bethesda Row Cinema Boss Details Changes
The luxury movie theater business is heating up and the CEO of the company that operates the Bethesda Row Cinema says it’s sparing no expense to keep pace.
Yesterday, almost a month after Landmark Theatres closed the Cinema (7235 Woodmont Ave.) closed for a remodeling and renovation, CEO and President Ted Mundorff detailed some of the changes in a press release.
A full-service bar and lounge area, leather seats that patrons will reserve before shows, RealD 3D projection, new screens and sound systems are some of the changes that patrons will see when Bethesda Row Cinema reopens on Friday, May 3.
The move comes as the upscale movie theater competition around Bethesda Row gets tougher. The arrival of luxury movie house iPic in White Flint is expected next summer or fall. It too will offer the pre-reserved seat option and full bar and food menus.
Another luxury theater was planned for new development at Rockledge Drive, but that project hit a snag last year.
The new Bethesda Row Cinema will also feature a satellite feed for live domestic and international performances, the first of which will come on June 29 with the London’s National Theatre’s live production of “The Audience,” starring Helen Mirren.
“From the minute you approach the theatre and see our stunning new marquee, our hope is that our guests notice the attention to detail in every facet of the theatre and share our excitement as we begin a new chapter at the Bethesda Row,” Mundorff said in the statement. “We have spared no expense to give our patrons the best movie-going experience in town.”
Bethesda Row Cinema opened in 2002. The 140,000-square-foot theater has served as an anchor tenant for Bethesda Row since that time.
Max Brenner Targets Mid-June Opening At Bethesda Row
The Max Brenner chocolate shop slated for Bethesda Row should open in mid-June and will not feature the full brunch and dinner menu of the Israeli-shop’s restaurants in Boston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and New York City.
The Bethesda Max Brenner, taking over the former Ritz Camera space at 7263 Woodmont Ave., will focus exclusively on the chocolate products, including pastries, cakes and the chocolate pizza.
Max Brenner CEO Sam Borgese says it will be the store’s first “Chocolate Bar” location in the U.S. The chain that began in the late 90′s as a small shop selling handmade chocolates has grown to six countries and 40 similar Chocolate Bar restaurant concepts. Max Brenner is now a subsidiary of the Strauss Group, Israel’s second-largest food and beverage company.
The branding claims the chain is “creating a new chocolate culture worldwide,” with a bunch of unique chocolate-filled menu items and a Bethesda Row store the company says will provide “a holistic sensual experience — a more intimate space where you can smell, see, listen, taste and touch chocolate.”
Photo via Max Brenner
Morning Notes
Developer Seeks Buyer For White Flint Office Building — LCOR, which last year completed a 14-story office building near its future North Bethesda Center mixed-use development, is looking for buyers of the office complex. It is fully leased to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has its headquarters across Marinelli Road. [Washington Business Journal]
Mitchell and Emily Rales Expansion Plans For Glenstone Art Collection — Bethesda native Mitchell Rales is planning a major expansion of his up until now very private art collection at his Glenstone estate in Potomac. The expansion is said to cost more than $125 million. [New York Times]
Urban Country Gears Up For Special Show — Bethesda Row furniture store Urban Country (7117 Arlington Rd.) is celebrating a month-long spring sale with a Designers Guild Trunk Show on Thursday, May 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. All merchandise will be 10 percent off. [Urban Country]
Start-Ups Get Spotlight At Bethesda Blues & Jazz — The club (7719 Wisconsin Ave.) will host a conference of some of the fastest-growing tech start-ups in the region this afternoon called TechBUZZ Spring 2013. [TechBUZZ]
Flickr photo by Craig Thoburn
Griffin Cycle Now Offering Bike Rentals On CCT
Bethesda’s Griffin Cycle has opened a new, open-air location for bike rentals for riders of the Capital Crescent Trail.
The rental program started April 1, when the longtime bike shop at 4949 Bethesda Ave. began offering hybrid, road and kids rental bikes across from the Haagen Dazs ice cream shop and Bethesda Row Cinema, right at the entrance to the Capital Crescent Trail tunnel.
Look for Griffin Cycle again this weekend. Helmets and locks are included with rentals.
Photo vis Griffin Cycle
Town Of Chevy Chase Hits Snag In Shuttle Planning
The Town of Chevy Chase is hoping to take downtown Bethesda traffic-avoiding measures into its own hands with a Town-funded shuttle service, but a requirement that those shuttles be Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant has complicated matters.
The original plan was for the Town to come up with a system of about 10 stops, including stops at the Lawton Community Center, other corners in the Town, in front of the Barnes & Noble on Bethesda Row and near the Bethesda Metro station, for Rockville-based transportation service RMA to service for a four-hour period.
The exact route, time of day the shuttle would run and other details still must be worked out, either before or at a Public Hearing the Town hopes to hold in June.
But in last night’s Council discussion of the project, Town manager Todd Hoffman advised members of a bigger hurdle.
In order to be ADA compliant, the Town must either lease shuttles that can accomodate those in wheelchairs — shuttles that might be bigger than necessary — or effectively purchase the shuttles for their own use at a cost of approximately $300,000 each.
RMA, the same company that provides shuttle service for the Bethesda Urban Partnership’s Bethesda Circulator and for a Friendship Heights shuttle, offered the Town a two-month trial period with the ADA-compliant shuttles. But Hoffman said the Town would then have to enter into a five-year commitment with the vendor to continue the service.
The Council and Hoffman had earlier suggested a four- to six-month pilot program in which the Town could gauge interest. The idea came from Chevy Chase At Home’s Naomi Kaminsky, who originally thought the shuttle would be vital for Town seniors who hoped to get from the area to shopping and the Metro in downtown Bethesda.
Kaminsky said on Wednesday that since proposing the shuttle, Town residents from different age groups and with different needs expressed interest in it. Some would like to use the shuttle to commute to and from the Town in rush hour. Some would like it for evening hours to avoid the parking crush at Bethesda Row.
Whatever the case, Kaminsky said it’s clear many in the Town are tired of dealing with downtown Bethesda traffic.
Al Lang, a councilmember who worked with the Town’s Public Service Committee on the proposal, suggested a route that includes a stop near the CVS and Safeway at Arlington Road and Bradley Boulevard.
Hoffman said the four-hour option from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. would cost $76.50 an hour yearly. Hoffman will research other potential shuttle vendors and options before the Public Hearing. Next month, the Council hopes to finalize two or three routes to present to the public.
Photo via Friendship Heights Village Council
Bethesda Row Restaurant Week Menus
Bethesda Row will celebrate a Restaurant Week of its own starting next Monday with 13 participating restaurants.
All the restaurants (with a few exceptions) will offer a $15 three-course lunch and $30 three-course dinner from April 15-April 21.
Tapas-favorite Jaleo is also giving away a $200 dining certificate.
Click each restaurant below to see what’s on its Restaurant Week menu:
Assagi Mozzarella Bar | American Tap Room | Cafe Deluxe | Jaleo | Lebanese Taverna (not available) | Le Pain Quotidien (not available) | Luke’s Lobster | Mon Ami Gabi | Mussel Bar & Grille (lunch only) | Parker’s American Bistro | Raku (choose from full menu) | Redwood | Vino Volo
Max Brenner Chocolate Chain Moving Into Bethesda Row
Israeli chocolate shop Max Brenner is moving into the old Ritz Camera Space on Bethesda Row.
Signs went up in the window of the space at 7263 Woodmont Ave. on Wednesday announcing the arrival of the chain that began in the late 90′s as a small shop selling handmade chocolates. Since, it has grown to six countries and has restaurant locations in Boston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and New York City.
It’s a big get for Bethesda Row and another upscale eatery on the block, joining longtime tenant Jaleo (7271 Woodmont Ave.) and new arrival Vino Volo (7243 Woodmont Ave.), which opened its first non-airport standalone location in the space in November.
Max Brenner restaurants offer a full menu for breakfast and lunch, as well as a special cocktail menu and specialized items such as chocolate fondue and pearl sugar chocolate waffles.
New Boutique Coming To Old Boutique Space On Bethesda Lane
It didn’t take long for Federal Realty to find a new tenant for Lou Lou boutique’s old space at 7125 Bethesda Lane.
COURAGE. b, (you guessed it, another boutique) will be moving into the shop next to Luke’s Lobster on the east side of the pedestrian walk-thru, almost directly across from Lou Lou’s new space at 7126 Bethesda Lane.
Lou Lou, which specializes in accessories, jewelry and bags, made the move last month for more space.
COURAGE. b, so named because while “starting a new business or expanding an existing one is always an act of confidence, doing these things in economically challenging times can be an act of…well, courage,” offers accessories and clothing.
The boutique has six locations in other high-rent districts, including the Hamptons, Palm Beach and Aspen. It will be the eighth Bethesda Row shop that identifies itself as a women’s clothing store.
Bethesda Row Cinema To Close For Renovations Tomorrow
Bethesda Row Cinema (7235 Woodmont Ave.) will close tomorrow for about a month of renovations that will include a new bar area.
Some work has already begun at the theater, which serves as one of the key anchors of the Bethesda Row shopping and restaurant district. Landmark Theatres, which operates Bethesda Row Cinema, says the theater will be closed from tomorrow until Friday, May 3.
We’re waiting for comment from a Landmark representative, but last year the company’s senior vice president of real estate and development told The Gazette renovations would include a bar area, larger, more comfortable seats in the eight theaters and a new lobby with sitting areas, tables, sofas and “the feel of a contemporary lounge.”
The theater will also unveil a new menu and craft beer choices. Movie-goers will be able to reserve seats online or at the box office.
The move comes as the upscale movie theater competition around Bethesda Row gets tougher. The arrival of luxury movie house iPic in White Flint is expected next summer or fall. It too will offer the pre-reserved seat option and full bar and food menus.
Another luxury theater was planned for new development at Rockledge Drive, but that project hit a snag last year.
