Bethesda Community Store Property Up For Sale

From Bethesda Now - By Staff

The Bethesda Community Store will be on the auction block on Tuesday, nearly 90 years since it opened at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Greentree Road.

The property has been foreclosed upon and will be up for sale on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. The small cabin-like store, recognized as historic by the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission, has been selling goods since 1924 and is one of the few remaining commercial structures from the early 20th century in Bethesda.

It also includes a barbecue stand and patio. Store owner Arnie Fainman encountered resistance from the county and neighbors in 2001, when he tried to sell seafood at the store through a vendor who was forced to leave the NIH campus across the street because of Sept. 11 security restrictions.

Fainman won a court battle to to double the store’s space. The barbecue is a lunchtime favorite of workers at NIH and nearby Suburban Hospital.

Fainman said he couldn’t comment on the property’s sale because he is a tenant. The property is owned by Chevy Chase-based property management company the Jaffe Group. A representative did not respond to a request for comment.

“It’s out of my hands,” Fainman said.

Flickr photo by voteprime