Chevy Chase Supermarket is nearing the end of its nearly 60-year reign, but its owners are planning new stores to serve other neighborhoods in the area.
Jason and Kevin Kirsch, brothers and co-owners of the store, announced Tuesday on Facebook that they’re looking to open several new locations, including a corner store in Rockville and a full-size grocery store in Poolesville.
Chevy Chase Supermarket will close March 31, Jason Kirsch said Wednesday.
“One door closes, another door opens,” Kirsch said. “We always have to be optimistic. It is tough because our family has been here for almost 60 years, but we have to make the best out of every situation in life.”
The store, at 8531 Connecticut Ave., opened in 1958 and lost its lease in the midst of a planned multiphase redevelopment project. Three mixed-use buildings are set to replace the businesses along the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Manor Road in Chevy Chase.
The redevelopment of the Chevy Chase Supermarket site is expected to begin this spring. The project will be anchored by another grocery store, but property owner Chevy Chase Land Co. has not yet named what store will open there.
The Kirsches are the third generation involved with the store. Their father, Walter, joined the store in 1963, and his sister married one of the sons of Bernard Freedman, the original owner.
The brothers are looking for a new site to open again in the Bethesda or Chevy Chase area, but Jason Kirsch said they haven’t found one yet.
They are moving forward with several other stores, though. They’re opening a Corner Market and Pharmacy at 1119 Nelson St. in Rockville in April, which will be the second location of their smaller-concept store. At about 2,800 square-feet, the market will still have a full-service pharmacy and a selection of food and home goods, similar to the original store.
“We can go into neighborhoods that traditional chains cannot because of their size,” he said. “And we can still provide our family customer service.”
There’s an existing Corner Market and Pharmacy, co-owned by the brothers and Elnaz Darj, on Grubb Road in Silver Spring that opened in 2016.
Kirsch will also open Poolesville Market this fall. The 7,000-square-foot store will emphasize produce, have a wide deli section, as well as prime meat, upscale beer and wine and other products, he said.
By the end of the year, Kirsch said they hope to open a third Corner Market, and he said he’s looking in the county for possible locations. After that, they’re looking to open two more corner stores next year, though Kirsch said he was “expanding our radius” and looking outside Montgomery County.
“We are just really excited to be working with neighborhoods that want us,” he said. “We are neighborhood market people and we know there are neighborhoods that need markets.”