This year’s latest addition to the Georgetown shopping scene is New York based Brooks Brothers which takes over the former Pottery Barn and Smith Hawken spaces on the corner of M & 31st Street NW. When I attended their grand opening party last week, I had completely underestimated how large this combined location would be. The new store offers three floors of retail space filled with ready-to wear suits, sports jackets, wool sweaters, shirts, etc.
Unlike other two DC Brooks Brother stores I’ve been to (Chevy Chase and Dupont), which have a prim, proper and country club-esque sterility to them, the Georgetown Brooks Brothers is a complete departure; the shop plays heavily on a hunting lodge or Adirondack cabin vibe with dark wood paneling, heavy uses of flannel and tweed fabrics in the drapery, carpeting and upholstery. On the lower level, you’ll find a pool table and bar lounging area that companion shoppers can relax in while tailoring takes place.
The other notable difference is the store’s focus on men’s casual and collegiate wear. While the lower level is all about suits, the main and upper floor are full of khakis, cable knit sweaters, college insignia embroidered ties, polo shirts, cufflinks, hats, flannel shirts, etc.; all essential parts of any dandies closet.
Unfortunately for the ladies, the vast majority of the shop’s casual wears caterer towards the opposite sex, however there is requisite, small section dedicated to BB’s formal, dare I say older and stuffy, woman’s demographic. It really was quite disenchanting to see such a lack of sporty, mix-and-match younger women’s attire when the men’s selection was SO overwhelming and the shop’s window dressings include so many female mannequins. But Brooks Brothers has traditionally been a man’s store, so while it does make sense that doesn’t make it less disappointing for the female shopper.
A born and bred New Yorker, Rebecca made the big trip “down south” to DC in 2006 and hasn’t looked back. She spends her days strategizing/planning/ideating how interactive products can help her clients and change the world. In her free time, she explores DC’s ever expanding bar, restaurant and small business scene, plays a crap ton of soccer, attends concerts that contribute to her sleep deprivation and embarks on local adventures. Read why Rebecca loves DC or follow her on twitter.
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And to think, the Greenberg family ran their popular grocery store here for decades. That was when Sam Levy ran a men’s clothing store a few doors away called David Richards. Long gone are those days. Good luck to Brooks Brothers.