Friendship Heights – an Eastern Rodeo Drive
Friendship Heights was always a destination for Washingtonians’ favorite department stores clustered in a one-block radius. But only in recent years has it suddenly sprouted into a luxury shopping mecca for the well-heeled. Situated on the Washington-Maryland border at Chevy Chase, along Wisconsin Avenue and bisecting Western Avenue, Friendship Heights boasts the wealthiest spread of stores per square foot. Aside from Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus and the more budget-friendly Filene’s Basement, the neighborhood added Cartier, Barney’s Co-Op, and Louis Vuitton, among others.
There are, in fact, three main shopping malls at Friendship Heights: the wood-paneled, Mazza Gallerie for the pearl-and-fur-donning political wives featuring Neiman Marcus, Versace and Saks; the Chevy Chase Pavilion for professionals and their teenage kids with JCrew , Pottery Barn and World Market; and the brand-new Shops at Wisconsin Place for mothers and their new babies donning organic clothes from Giggle. Up and down Wisconsin, however, is a smattering of mall favorite options for every price range, from Loehmann’s to Sak’s Men’s, Anthropologie, Ralph Lauren’s upscale boutique, Sur La Table, Roche Bobois, Borders, the Gap, Banana Republic and Chico’s.
Beyond the mall favorites are also a number of unique shops run by locals, including a selection of jewelry stores and bridal shops. However, as rent prices for the area continue to rise, competition among those stores lose to the newer chains.
Friendship Heights is also fast becoming a desirable place to live. With its prime location by the metro, booming new neighborhood of shops and restaurants, and close proximity to downtown Washington, fancy high-rise apartments and condos are being built as quickly as their rents rise.
Posted by Rin-rin Yu
