Owners: 'There's Only One Bruce Variety'
Bruce Variety owners say they're not concerned about a new store in their old space.
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Owners of Bruce Variety say they're not worried about the prospect of losing business to a similar variety store opening in their former location.
After 60 years on Arlington Road, high rents forced the Bethesda fixture out of its Bradley Shopping Center space in January. The community rallied for the store, and owners said the support inspired them to find a new location in Bethesda.
Bruce Variety will open its doors at 8011 Woodmont Ave. by the end of March.
But it's looking like Bruce's will have a little friendly competition when it opens in its new space. Bethesda blogger Robert Dyer broke the news that a store dubbed 'Bradley Party and Variety' is moving into the Arlington Road storefront, and Bethesda Now reported that Strosniders, located next door, is behind the operation.
Bradley Party and Variety will stock merchandise similar to Bruce’s, including party and arts and crafts supplies.
So will it be Variety Wars for Bethesda?
“At the rents that they are paying, we are not concerned, as we are able to be much more competitive with our price structure,” Linda Ridenour, wife of Bruce Variety owner Richard Dimock, wrote in an e-mail to Patch. “Also, there is only one Bruce Variety.”
Bastante
11:53 am on Friday, March 22, 2013
I've always wondered if there is a family situation behind all of this. The owner of Bruce Variety is the ex-husband of Robin Strosnider Dimock. Perhaps they divorced recently and it was only a matter of time (i.e., until the lease expired) before the Strosnider family felt that the former son-in-law and his business should no longer be seated at the family table.
I am also surprised that none of the reporters (Bethesda Patch, Washington Post, etc.) who covered this soap opera didn't bother to inquire about the going rental rate for retail space in that area. The implication was always that the landlord was gouging or asking an unreasonable amount of money. As we were never told what the retail space rents for in that area, we couldn't possibly know if this was the case.
PartyManiaMD
11:53 am on Friday, March 22, 2013
We wish both of them the best of luck and the competition isn't a concern for us given that we already compete with online stores and big chain stores.
With the rent being a LOT more than what we are paying on Cordell and with Bruce's Variety being right down the street from us, it hopefully will make a lot more sense for people to stop by a dedicated Party and Costume store and a dedicated Variety store(kind of an oxymoron but okay...) rather than going to a mixed store that has a lot higher overhead.
I don't know about a variety wars, I just know that we won't be doing anything different just because of a little competition. We already have new programs being rolled out this year that have been in the works for a while.
Cheers and good luck to everyone in the Variety and party business, I would rather have competition locally rather than seeing more retail stores disappear.
Party Mania
4910 Cordell Ave
Bethesda, MD
301-907-0750
Sammi
11:53 am on Friday, March 22, 2013
So----Dear Strosniders owners-----the old Bruce Variety operation didn't fit the demographics of your shopping center, but the new party and variety store will. Give me a break. You just wanted the space and now you have it. Good Luck. I'll be following the old Bruce Variety to its new location, and I may just take all my hardware shopping to Christopers----or----Home Despot (sic).
Jane Lee
12:26 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Bruce Variety was dirty, poorly lit, and poorly run in its most recent years. It was not the Bruce Variety it used to be in its prime and that was probably due to new management.
nasibah
11:53 am on Friday, March 22, 2013
Dear Bruce, I loved your store and will shop at your new location. I walked there so many times to grab something for one of my kids school projects. THANKS:) I will no longer shop at any stores at Bradley Shopping Center....The demolition of the Post Office across the street and the new whatever, luxury, this or that, going in there will further destroy (no-I mean erase) my village anyway.
Becky Pugh
7:18 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2013
Thanks to these shopping center operators , Federal Realty and other forms of commercial satan- Bethesda is becoming a small business viper pit. Thank god that I have an independent decent landlord.