L.L. Bean To Open in North Bethesda

Outdoor retailer is coming to Pike & Rose

The L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine L.L. Bean website

L.L. Bean is opening its first store in Montgomery County later this year.

The Maine-based outdoor retailer announced Monday it’s planning to open a nearly 23,000-square-foot, two-level store at Federal Realty’s Pike & Rose development in North Bethesda.

The company is aiming for a fall 2017 opening. The store offers outdoor goods ranging from clothing and footwear to hiking, fishing and camping gear.

“The North Bethesda location is going to be a great home for us,” Ken Kacere, general manager of retail at L.L. Bean, said in a statement. “This is a lively, active area with some great outdoor recreational opportunities nearby like paddling and fishing on the Potomac or cycling along the extensive network of local trails.”

The company said it chose the area for a new store due to the county’s access to natural resources.

The store will also be home to L.L. Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Schools, which offer health, fitness and recreation demonstrations as well as hands-on courses in outdoor activities such as geocaching, gear maintenance and bird watching.

The North Bethesda store plans to employ about 75 people. It will be L.L. Bean’s only full-size store in Maryland—there’s also a kiosk store at The Mall in Columbia in Howard County.