Considering Opening a Clothing Boutique in DC (Washington: consignment, neighborhoods)

[stoppingby]

Hi,

I'm considering opening up either a consignment/vintage store or a clothing boutique in DC. I'd love any recommendations on neighborhoods I should consider, places that are trendy and would get a lot of foot traffic, but which are not already spilling over with clothing options!

Thank you!

[dcnative75]

As someone who lives near the Convention Center, I would love to tell you to get ahead of the curve and open up on 7th or 8th street between New York Avenue and N. But the foot traffic may not come for a little while. I think there are still opportunities on 14th street, and there are still storefronts in Logan Circle as well as U Street. Another option might be Columbia Heights. Most of these places already have consignment/vintage, but I believe there is room for more. If you have a ton of money, you can go downtown on K or L street to try to hit the VERY busy weekday foot traffic of all the office workers.

[PenguinSix]

I think there are / have been a few. It is worth noting though that the 'uniform' of Washington does not change much with the fashion styles of the day, and those who follow the latest trends are often outnumbered by the khakis and blue shirt and grey suit types 10:1. I mean it's a recognized fact that DC is the only place in America where pleated khakis are still considered appropriate. (Will Obama Kill Pleated Khakis? - News & Features (washingtonian.com))

[BWALDON]

Stoppingby----email me at mrboo@live.com. I had a clothing store for 7 years in Upper Northwest Washington, DC. I can give you the low-down on this area re: fashions and locations.

[jm67]

Several vintage clothing stores have opened in the past few years around 14th and U (e.g. along U between 14th and 16th). A number have also closed due to the recession. One problem is daytime street traffic. Your "audience" is mostly working downtown, away from the neighborhoods, during the weekdays. But they are out and about on weekends and evenings. So you might think about unconventional hours of operations (e.g. all day Sat/Sun, open afternoons/evenings on weekdays).

Other neighborhoods where you should look: Columbia Heights, Mt Pleasant, Eastern Market, H Street NE. All these areas have younger folks and have sufficient street traffic at night/weekends to maybe make a go of it. But of course the economy is tough right now...

[Bcastgrrl]

Know what you want to sell before you choose a spot to hang your shingle. Its Urban in one area, and preppy in another and trendy in another and green in another. What do you want to sell and I can provide more info.

[stars99]

Wisconsin Ave. in Georgetown, a couple blocks north of M Street.

[goozer]

This is the age old business question: do you open your business in a part of town that is already frequented by your targeted customer base (but which invariably already has established competitors) or do you pioneer a new location and hope to pull customers to you. The one thing that favors being a pioneer is that vintage clothing stores are the type of business that have the power to draw people from other neighborhoods (and other states!) once you establish yourself as having good product and/or prices. People will drive from Leesburg VA or Columbia MD to the District if they think they cannot get what you offer in their own location. Of course, a pioneer has to work double-time on marketing since you are much less likely to get the same foot traffic that an established retail district would get.