After 51 years in operation, 43 of those in Cabin John, the beloved Bethesda Co-op will close at the end of May 2026. To show appreciation to the co-op for its many years of service to the Cabin John community please shop generously over the next two months. This will help it to meet its obligations to staff and suppliers, and bring operations to an orderly close.
Supporters can also show appreciation by posting messages of thanks on the co-op’s social feeds: https://www.facebook.com/bethesdacoop and https://www.instagram.com/bethesda_coop/. Longtime Manager Helen Atkocius shared with the VN that the co-op is planning a community celebration for mid-May.
Help Needed to Shape What Comes Next
There is a great deal of community concern about what business will occupy the space being vacated by the co-op. In the recent Cabin John community survey, respondents overwhelmingly named the co-op as the #1-visited shop in MacArthur Plaza.
Our local retailers bring our community together, make Cabin John a more walkable neighborhood and provide vital accessible services for the many Cabin Johners that are aging in place or looking to save time by shopping locally.
At the March 25 Cabin John Citizens Association (CJCA) meeting, the main concern of attendees was the need to bring another full-service grocery store to Cabin John. CJers in commercial real estate stated at the meeting that Garrett & Smith, the owner of MacArthur Plaza, is asking for a high rent, significantly more than grocery stores can typically pay. Grocery stores have low margins but high throughput as many people shop for groceries a few times a week. Landlords typically give grocery stores a lower rent because they draw customer traffic that helps other tenants.
MacArthur Plaza leasing agent Brad Klinedinst of Klinedinst Management informed CJCA officers that he has received several proposals for the space from different types of businesses, including three grocers.
One of the businesses that submitted a proposal is local grocery chain Rodman’s. CEO Nolan Rodman, who grew up in Cabin John and has family living here, attended the March CJCA meeting to share his vision for a store in CJ and his passion for serving the neighborhood that shaped him. With three locations in the DC region (the flagship store on Wisconsin Avenue as well as stores in Rockville and Wheaton) Rodman assured the group that he is in a strong position to be responsive to the grocery needs of Cabin Johners and nearby neighbors.
CJCA asked Klinedinst to invite other grocers who have submitted proposals to contact CJCA to possibly secure our support. At the time the VN went to print, none had.
At the conclusion of the March CJCA meeting, attendees voted to mobilize CJCA and our neighboring communities to advocate for a grocer and pursue any and all methods to persuade the owners/landlords of the long-term benefit to their bottom line of meeting the community’s demand for a grocer.
CJCA is encouraging everyone to write to the property owners and their leasing agent to let them know how supportive we are of the businesses in MacArthur Plaza and how critical we believe it is to have a grocery anchor in this space.Please share information of this letter writing campaign with your friends in nearby neighborhoods. (For a personal reflection on one CJ resident”s history with Mike Garrett and the co-op, please see Lynn Hopkin’s letter on page XX).
Please email/send your letters BY APRIL 25th to:
Mike Garrett, Owner, Garrett & Smith Companies, mike@garrett-smith.com
Bob Smith, Owner, Garrett & Smith Companies, bob@garrett-smith.com
Brad Klinedinst, Vice President, Klinedinst Management Inc., (301) 656-7252, Brad@KlinedinstMGT.com
Should you want to include in your messages Cabin John’s county council and state representatives to help them understand how valued neighborhood retail is, here are their addresses:
MoCo Councilmember Andrew Friedson councilmember.friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov
MD Delegate Marc Korman marc.korman@house.maryland.gov
MD Delegate Sarah Wolek sarah.wolek@house.maryland.gov
MD Senator Sara Love sara.love@senate.maryland.gov
Questions, comments, concerns, or interest in supporting other potential next steps can be directed to Susan Shipp at jsjshipp3@verizon.net or 202-297-8718 or Wendy Putnam at jtputnam10@msn.com or 301-922-9289, neighbors who are coordinating the letter writing and community advocacy efforts to bring a grocer to Cabin John.
By Susan Shipp and Heidi Lewis