Great Beginnings, the children’s furniture store that closed its Gaithersburg location last summer, is looking to reopen in North Bethesda late next year. Owner Jim Streight says he’s signed a lease for 15,000 square feet in a new strip shopping center that will soon begin construction just north of the former White Flint Mall. The store will focus on baby gear, nursery furniture and high-end toys, with a smaller area devoted to rooms for older kids and teens. Streight says the Gaithersburg store was a huge success for much of its 25-year history, but shifting demographics and the landlord’s redevelopment plans left him no choice but to find a new location. “This whole area is changing,” he says. “We do still have some customers coming from Gaithersburg, but now they’re coming more from Rockville, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Kensington.”
