In late October, Denizens Brewing in Silver Spring poured its last beer of the night for the final time.
The suburban Maryland staple had served craft brews for a decade, but when its lease came due, founder Julie Verratti decided she wasn’t willing to commit to another 10 years.
She says her decision to close was fueled by uncertainty — about the neighborhood, about the economy and about consumer behavior. Her uncertainty is a symptom of a larger plague spreading across Silver Spring, where a once-vibrant downtown commercial district is now lined with vacant storefronts and half-empty office buildings.
“There’s nobody there,” Verratti said. “It’s crazy.”
Silver Spring, a dense suburb abutting D.C.’s northern border, has around 6M SF of offices and 3M SF of retail space, but those sectors have been stuck in a downward spiral. With its office stock averaging 50 years old and featuring no new buildings in the last two decades, Silver Spring has fallen behind other D.C. suburbs in attracting and retaining businesses.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Emily Wishingrad over at Bisnow
