Woodmont Triangle Building to See Different Kind of Development

Rather than be demolished, this old Woodmont Avenue building will be home to a locally owned chocolate shop

September 3, 2014 10:21 a.m.

Lately, it seems that every story about development in Woodmont Triangle is focused on the latest high-rise ascending above downtown Bethesda.

There’s the Gallery, the Bainbridge, the new Lenkin Company proposal, the under-construction 7770 Norfolk and the 8008 Wisconsin that’s planned for the former Ranger Surplus site, all of which are multistory projects either completed or scheduled to be built in Woodmont Triangle.

But 8003 Woodmont Ave., a brick two-story structure built in 1960 that’s framed by parking lots and known as the former location of Weichert Realtors, will be home to a new locally owned chocolate shop, according to Heather Giuli, who plans to open the shop.

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Giuli, 42, bought the building in November for $2.2 million and since then has been preparing to turn the first floor into Bethesda Chocolate and the second floor into office space. Last month, she applied  for construction permits for the location with the county’s department of permitting services.

“Permitting and design has been excruciatingly slow,” Giuli said. She said she’d like to open the store by the winter holidays.

Giuli trained as a chocolatier at Trafton’s Chocolates in Virginia Beach. She was looking for a space to rent in Bethesda to start her business when she saw a “for sale” sign at the Woodmont Avenue building and purchased it with her husband. The Chestnut Street resident has lived in Bethesda for about 25 years. She said that while her family has run other small businesses in the past, this will be her first.

“It’s a perfect location as far as I’m concerned,” Giuli said. “It’s a great building, it has a lot of charm to it.”

She said Bethesda Chocolate will sell handmade chocolates and coffee.

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