VAPE/CIGAR STORE CLOSES AT WESTFIELD MONTGOMERY MALL (PHOTOS)

Well, that was short. J.Cigar, a tobacco and vaping shop in Westfield Montgomery Mall, has closed after only 2 months in business. The store was one of 3 such retailers to recently open in our area, with the other two being Bethesda Vapor Company and Vape Ink (the latter of which is in Rockville).

Also closing is - well, if you can pronounce the name of this store, you're ahead of me this morning - some children's clothing store which was called something more pronounceable when I reported it opening a year ago.

BANG & OLUFSEN SET TO MOVE OUT OF BETHESDA STORE (PHOTOS)

As I exclusively reported in May, Bang & Olufsen is moving out of its Bethesda store, and consolidating with its sister store at Logan Circle in the District. Operations at the Bethesda shop are winding down, inventory is moving out, and hours may be limited and sporadic until the final day in Bethesda, November 20.

Store manager Torsten Severtson said previously that Bethesda customers would not have cause for concern with product support, as B&O representatives will travel to them as needed. The store at 5001 Wilson Lane, in the distinctive Peripoint building, has been for lease by Bethesda real estate firm Streetsense for about six months.

During the remaining days in Bethesda, the store says it is best to call 303-951-5870 before venturing in, so you can be assured of an appointment if the store is not open full hours. Alternatively, you can go to the Logan Circle showroom at 1604 14th Street NW in the District.

NEW RETAIL SPACE UNVEILED AT BETHESDA ROW, AVAILABLE FOR LEASE (PHOTOS)

A new retail space has been constructed on Bethesda Lane near the entrance to the Upstairs at Bethesda Row apartments. Much like Roosters near Lebanese Taverna on Arlington Road, this was apparently a potential retail space that was activated by Federal Realty. It would be a good fit if your target demographic is the residents of Upstairs, as they will be passing your door each day.

VAPIANO CLOSES AT BETHESDA ROW (PHOTOS)

Vapiano has closed permanently at Bethesda Row. Shocker! Right? Well, not exactly in my case. I've been aware that Vapiano's space has been for lease for about 10 days. During that time, I have attempted to confirm the status of Vapiano. Ralph Ours, Leasing Director at Federal Realty, replied on October 3 that "Vapiano is still operating at Bethesda Row."

I now have confirmation from Vapiano that their Bethesda Row location is indeed closed, and the space is up for lease by Federal Realty. In recent times, I've noticed less activity around the outside of Vapiano, but still always saw people in there when going past. The location is not the best for foot traffic, and now it faces a construction zone across the street. It will be interesting to see if the next tenant can make a go of it, or if this is going to be one of those tough spots like the one currently occupied by Tyber Bierhaus, where several businesses have come and gone in recent years.

This is certainly sad news, as it seems like yesterday I was attending the VIP party for the restaurant's grand opening. There's no such thing as too many pizza or pasta options, in my opinion.

FRAÎCHE CUPCAKERY CLOSES IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Fraîche Cupcakery has permanently closed in the Wildwood Shopping Center on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. The upstart bakery was a convenient alternative for cupcake lovers in the northern neighborhoods of Bethesda to driving downtown for Georgetown Cupcake at Bethesda Row. Hopefully they can find another space in the Bethesda area. On the shop's Facebook page, a farewell message to customers is posted:

it is with a heavy heart that we regret to inform you fraîche cupcakery has closed its doors.

thank you for your loyalty and for being a part of the fraîche family. we will certainly miss baking for and serving our community with sweetness.

greenWICH CLOSES IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Sandwich and salad shop greenWICH lasted barely 3 months in the former Quiznos space at 4817 St. Elmo Avenue. The restaurant has closed, after only opening in July. I don't recall much promotion of the business on social media - in fact, I never could find a Facebook page for greenWICH, or even a website. That's really essential to success in 2014.

The space is now for lease by Greenhill.

PROMISED BETHESDA CRAB SHACK REMAINS VACANT, BACK ON MARKET FOR LEASE (PHOTOS)

Seemingly disappointing news for fans of steamed crabs: the 4940 St. Elmo Avenue space that promised a crab shack nearly 18 months ago is back up for lease again. Formerly home of Zelaya Shoes, the storefront had signs first touting Bethesda Crab Shack, and later, The Happy Crab. There was even a Fall 2013 opening date floated at one point. Now the space's future is up to one's imagination - unless you've got the bucks to lease this space and open a store or restaurant here. 

Even a crab shack. You'll have a larger target audience for a restaurant now, with the opening of the Bainbridge Bethesda luxury apartments (so close, you can see it in the background of the above photo). The space is for lease by AMR Commercial, LLC.

LEAHY PLUMBING & HEATING LEAVING BETHESDA, CITES DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC/PARKING AS REASONS

Leahy Plumbing & Heating, whose Cordell Avenue headquarters went on the market for lease days ago, has found a new home in White Flint. In a message posted out front yesterday, owner John Leahy explains that, after more than 50 years on Cordell Avenue, the company has found downtown Bethesda traffic and parking difficult for its fleet of vehicles to navigate. "It's been fun to watch Bethesda change over my lifetime and it's hard to say goodbye to the neighborhood I've grown up in," Leahy wrote. The specific street address of the new building was not given, but since employees are dispatched when you call the company's number, that should not make a big difference for customers.

2 NEW WOODMONT TRIANGLE RETAIL SPACES UP FOR LEASE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

 Two retail spaces are on the market in the Woodmont Triangle section of downtown Bethesda. A former salon/barbershop space at 7813 Old Georgetown Road, and the space currently occupied by Leahy Plumbing & Heating, Inc. at 4916 Cordell Avenue, had For Lease signs posted this weekend. Conley Management of Bethesda is the real estate firm for both properties.

NAKED PIZZA CAN'T COVER UP ANY LONGER: THEY'RE CLOSED, SPACE FOR LEASE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

The odd, indefinite closure of Naked Pizza on Del Ray Avenue in Bethesda got a lot of people wondering what the story was. Certainly, the chain was not saying, only redirecting customers to other area locations. But finally, the mystery is solved.

The Naked Truth: Rather than the promised "improvements," the restaurant is actually closed, and the space is up for lease.

Last evening, I spotted a crumpled sign on the floor inside which appeared to say "For Lease." The phone number led to confirmation that the Naked Pizza space is indeed for lease. I also found a Loopnet listing for the space, which describes it as a "former pizza delivery location," suggesting we've seen the last of Naked Pizza at this particular address. The chain has several Northern Virginia locations that are still open.

For Lease banner inside
Naked Pizza

LoopNet property listing
for the (former) Naked Pizza

PLAZA TAKING SHAPE AT NEW CLASS A OFFICE BUILDING IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Carr Properties' 4500 East-West Highway Class A office building was designed to include a public plaza at the corner of East-West and Pearl Street. That plaza is now beginning to take shape. It could help not only as an amenity for future workers there, but also to attract a restaurant tenant to the building's ground floor.

The nearly-finished office project remains without any tenants as of this writing. I actually found an old story which revealed that one of Montgomery County's most recent fumbles in attracting a major corporation involved this building. Instelsat S.A. was scouting potential new homes for its headquarters, then located in the District off of Connecticut Avenue. According to the article, the firm  seriously considered the 4500 East-West building, but ultimately opted to go to Northern Virginia. Instelsat is now the anchor tenant in Macerich's impressive Tysons Tower, Fairfax County's first billion dollar property.

Other tenants at Tysons Tower include Deloitte Consulting, which leased 88,000 SF.

In addition to the higher cost, and less-friendly business environment of Montgomery County, traffic congestion and lack of direct access to Dulles Airport were obviously factors, as well. Intelsat's CEO, David McGlade, specifically cited "a first-class transportation system" as one of the company's must-haves in choosing a new headquarters. Tysons Tower has direct access to the Capital Beltway, the new 495 Express Lanes (which are only on the Virginia side of the Beltway), and the Tysons Corner Metro station. In the near future, the building will have direct rail access to Dulles Airport, when the Silver Line is extended there.

Access to the Bethesda Metro station is one of the major advantages 4500 East-West has going for it. But as anyone who drives in downtown Bethesda knows, traffic is a nightmare, as is trying to reach the Beltway from here during rush hour. Driving to here from Dulles Airport or vice-versa? Fuhgeddaboudit!

JBG PROMISING BETHESDA'S NEXT GREAT RESTAURANT (PHOTOS)

The JBG Companies, the development firm that owns Artery Plaza at 7200 Wisconsin Avenue, is promising to bring "Bethesda's next great restaurant" to a Bethesda Avenue-side vacant space. An elaborate window display with this theme has been installed on the site, giving an artist's rendition of what the atmosphere might be like (indoors and out) with the addition of this eatery.

JBG has sought to modify the exterior architecture of the building, including removal of a large arch, to make it more appealing to a high-end restaurant tenant. The sizable space includes an 825 square foot outdoor patio area, which would go a long way towards animating the somewhat dark, dead block of Bethesda Avenue where it is located.

If they could somehow get a restaurant that squeezes the word, "American," in between "Great" and "Restaurant," that would be a sure winner. JBG actually did attract the first Great American Restaurant Group (Coastal Flats, Jackson's Mighty Fine Food, Sweetwater Tavern, etc.) location outside of Virginia to its Downtown Crown development in Gaithersburg. So maybe they have an inside contact they can work there? GAR has been part of a trend which has seen several hot restaurant brands leapfrogging over Bethesda, to go further out into the suburbs (Matchbox and Chef Geoff's to Rockville, Ted's Bulletin to Downtown Crown, for example). It's time to reverse the trend!

FRAME STORE SPACE OFFICIALLY FOR LEASE ON BETHESDA AVENUE (PHOTOS)

Well, you might expect a store's space to be up for lease after it closes and moves out. But the For Lease sign answers one lingering question, by confirming that there is no tenant already on the way in at 4835 Bethesda Avenue.

You may recall that ShopHouse was already on the way into the City Lights of China space across the street, even as the latter was moving out last year.

This means that hopes of getting something like Ted's Bulletin or Shake Shack can officially be raised again in downtown Bethesda!

PICTURE FRAME SHOP PACKS UP AT BETHESDA ROW (PHOTOS)

As expected, the Picture Frame Shop packed up its inventory yesterday, as it moves out of its current 4835 Bethesda Avenue location. There has been some talk that the store owner may reopen the business at another address in the future. In the meantime, this is a prime retail/restaurant spot for lease at Bethesda Row.