It was 2013 when we first heard the rumor that the DC-area would be getting its very own outpost of Uniqlo, the unofficially dubbed “Japanese Gap” popular for its affordable staples such as Merino sweaters and basic layering pieces. Fans of the retailer clutched their wallets in anticipation for three years before the store finally opened in Tyson’s Corner in 2016.
Luckily, Marylanders won’t have to suffer such a long buildup.
Uniqlo is bringing its first store to Bethesda in early fall 2018. For its Maryland debut, the enormously popular retailer has chosen Pike & Rose, a burgeoning development project from Federal Realty that sprung up along Rockville Pike in 2014. Since its launch, the development has attracted major retailers including L.L. Bean, Nike, and H&M.
The 8,000 square-foot store will be Uniqlo’s third location in the greater DC metro area; after the Tyson’s Corner location opened in 2016, an ultra-convenient Union Station location quickly followed in October 2017.
“We look forward to better serving the growing needs of our customers in the Washington DC area, a community that has welcomed us so warmly since opening our first store in the area in 2016,” said Uniqlo’s US CEO Hiroshi Taki in a press release earlier this week.
The Bethesda location is set to offer the full range of Uniqlo’s versatile “LifeWear” pieces for men, women, and kids, including popular staples like their ultralight puffy jackets, jeans made from Japanese Kaihara denim, and yes, those perfectly folded stacks of shirts and sweaters.