Find Brand:
Find Store:
Find Products:
Tags
Maps
Suggest a Store

Washington Shopping Guide

Listed are some of the coolest independent shops in Washington.

To begin, select a neighborhood and/or tag from below.

The stores associated with your selection will appear right here and on the map.

American Studio Plus

American Studio Plus is going to look a bit intimidating from the outside. There are lots of sleek, modern accessories on display and the staff has a propensity towards wearing all black. But...

Apartment Zero

Apartment Zero's 2700 square feet is full of modern furniture and accessories. This in itself is nothing to write home about. Apartment Zero fills 2700 square feet with modern furniture and...

Capitol Hill Books

Dewey (think decimal system) would like have a coronary if he ever found his way to Capitol Hill Books. The cozy two-story house is overrun with books, with no nook left unfilled. The books are...

Coup de Foudre

Reader Suggested: Coup de Foudre is a Parisian-style lingerie boutique. Lining the walls of the small, sleek space are bras, camisoles, chemises and loungewear by high-end lines including Chantelle, Aubade, Simone...

Denim Bar

Reader Suggested: Labeled one of the top 100 stores in the US in 2006 by GQ magazine, this denim boutique serves not only the most premium, hip denim in the area, but also a bottle of beer or glass of wine while you...

Denim Bar

Reader Suggested: Labeled one of the top 100 stores in the US in 2006 by GQ magazine, this denim boutique serves not only the most premium, hip denim in the area, but also a bottle of beer or glass of wine while you...

Go Mama Go

Fine dining restaurants may be obsessed with all white all the time tableware, but that doesn't mean you need to be. Go Mama Go prefers it tableware in crayon colors like cornflower blue and...

Gore Dean

Imagine an Antiques Road Show best-of-the-best episode and that'll give you a bit of insight into what Gore Dean is like. Inside a magical brick warehouse of a space are a collection of some...

Habitat

Less is more at Habitat. Rather than clutter their cozy space, they chose to keep their stock simple but stunning. The store offers a small selection of home accents and jewelry. The jewelry...

Home Rule

A temple to practical contemporary design, Home Rule is all about replacing your mundane household items with cool, modern versions of the same. Its long, tall shelves are stacked with trashcans,...

Hu's Shoes

An Asian themed gallery of fine footwear, shoes at Hu's Shoes come in two general models: sexy and sexier. Think high heels, thin straps and vibrant colors and designs. The shoe store stocks...

Idle Time Books

Idle Time Books is not the most extensive used book store you're going to find, but there's something about the cozy environs that draws you in and makes you want to linger. Its shelves...

Illuminations

Illumintations is a modern lighting store that knows its audience. Among the more reserved and conservative atmosphere of the Capitol, the store offers clean, classic modern lighting, combining...

Illuminations

Illumintations is a modern lighting store that knows its audience. Among the more reserved and conservative atmosphere of the Capitol, the store offers clean, classic modern lighting, combining...

J. Press

J. Press has been dressing Ivy League men since 1902 and from the look of things they haven't changed much in the past century or so. The clothing (mostly consisting of the store's own...

Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe

Sure you can get a Mocha-soy-fritzo-latte at just about any bookstore, but how many serve bourbon? Kramerbooks & Afterwords does, its full bar squarely centered among its shelves. Oh, they...

La Cuisine

Don't let the small space fool you, La Cuisine is better stocked than many large kitchen chains we've seen. The store specializes in cookware and baking supplies for the discerning cook...

Millennium Decorative Arts

You could think of the furniture, accessories and clothing that fill Millennium Decorative Arts as retro. We prefer to think of the store as a collection of items that will never, ever go out of...

Muleh

Reader Suggested: A unique lifestyle store that mixes very cool furniture, fashion and art you don't find everywhere.

Nana

Reader Suggested: I grew up in DC and went away for college. I never had any plans of coming back, but Nana almost single-handedly changed that. I have always been fashion-minded, which is not always an easy state...

Proper Topper

What do Paul Newman, Bill Clinton and Andre Agassi have in common? They're all known for their special talents in a particular area and they've all shopped at Proper Topper. Coincidence?...

Proper Topper

What do Paul Newman, Bill Clinton and Andre Agassi have in common? They're all known for their special talents in a particular area, and they've all shopped at Proper Topper....

Relish

One of the fundamental jobs of a good clothing boutique is to filter and tailor the world's best fashions for local audiences. For the DC area, Relish does the job with aplomb. The dramatic,...

Sassanova

Once you've walked into a hundred shoe stores it's tough to distinguish one eight hundred dollar shoe made of parrot feathers from another. This is definitely not the case at Sassanova....

Second Story Books

Specializing in rare and out-of-print titles, Second Story Books does not have that flea market feel of other used bookstores. Here, books past their prime are given their due TLC. Titles are...

Second Story Books

Specializing in rare and out-of-print titles, Second Story Books does not have that flea market feel of other used bookstores. Here, books past their prime are given their due TLC. Titles are...

Second Story Books

Specializing in rare and out-of-print titles, Second Story Books does not have that flea market feel of other used bookstores. Here, books past their prime are given their due TLC. Titles are...

Sherman Pickey

So you're supposed to play tennis with the girls at the club this afternoon and you don't have a thing to wear. Don't worry, Sherman Pickey is here for you. The store is preppy...

Skynear

We're not sure what "Skynear" is referencing, but we're guessing it has something to do with their 4 levels of furniture and lighting. You can find everything you need to...

Tabletop

You wish your tabletop was this cool. The collection of items in Tabletop is so cool, that we're almost disappointed not to find a DJ spinning in some corner. Full of "functional...

Terra

Reader Suggested: Terra is a lifestyle boutique specializing in distinct gifts, accessories, and clothing for men and women. I carry a range of emerging designers from around the world and offer Washingtonians...

The Back Doors Warehouse

Housing basically all the architectural antiques that wouldn't fit in its smaller sister store, The Back Door Warehouse is full of treasures. Bathtubs, ironworks, columns, radiators, fences,...

The Brass Knob

Ever buy yourself a 19th century Victorian and struggled to find period appropriate knobs, fixtures and pulls. Yeah, us too. Well fret no more, The Brass Knob may have what you're looking...

The Shoe Hive

Like any self-respecting hive, The Shoe Hive has a multitude of role-players. Worker bees--cute everyday heels and flats that are reasonably priced. Queen bees--girly, ornate constructions...

The Written Word

Next to The Written Word all those other paper and stationery stores look like (in the words of Governor Arnold) "girly men". The store operates a letterpress dating back to the 1870s....

Woven History/Silk Road

The Silk Road was an ancient trade route that linked Europe to much of China. Silk Road, the store, captures some of the magic of the fabled route by finding and collecting items from the many...

Woven History/Silk Road

The Silk Road was an ancient trade route that linked Europe to much of China. Silk Road, the store, captures some of the magic of the fabled route by finding and collecting items from the many...

Zawadi

Focusing on African and African-American furnishings, art, artifacts and accessories, Zawadi brings together distinctive items into its long, narrow space. Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and the Congo...

View by Neighborhood:

Washington: Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, Cardozo Shaw, Convention Center, Downtown, Dupont Circle, Georgetown Alexandria: Old Town Arlington: Pentagon Row Bethesda: Bethesda Leesburg: Leesburg Rockville: Rockville

Jargol, featuring exceptional fashion and design and a guide to the best independent stores.

Elsewhere

Sites we dig

Sites

Blogs