Retail

Ruff & Ready Furnisings – A Neighborhood Gem

By Prince Of Petworth

Now, I know many people have either heard of this joint or visited it on 14th St. just north of T St., NW. But I was speaking to a friend the other day who hadn’t heard of it so I thought it deserved a mention for those new to the neighborhood or even DC. It certainly doesn’t look like much on the outside, and I’m always amazed it is still standing every time I walk by, but on the inside it is jam packed with super cool household items. And these items are amazingly eclectic. You can find paintings, tables, mirrors, salt and pepper shakers, sculptures and the list goes on and on. It is like a gigantic flee market crammed into a row house. The coolest thing I saw was a bust of Abraham Lincoln but it’s price of $200 was a little more than I was willing to spend. Sadly, my Lincoln tschoke budget is firmly set at $150. But don’t let that price scare you off there are tons of great finds here. Check out some more photos after the jump. (more…)

Neat Neighborhood Find: Hunted House

By Prince Of Petworth

Located at 1830 14th Street (located on the second floor) the Hunted House sells “vintage and modern furnishings”. The store is open Thurs and Fri: Noon – 7:00 PM and Sat and Sun: 11AM – 7:00 PM. Hunted House has been open for the past six months and has some pretty sweet furniture. This Swedish Teak Lounge Chair and Ottoman was going for $695. So if you’re looking to get me a Christmas gift you need look no further. Despite the fact that I really dislike the name of this business the goods for sale will make the trip well worth your while.

14th Street has a Comics Book Store

By Prince Of Petworth

Located at 1722 14th Street, Big Monkey Comics is located on the second floor and seems pretty cool if you are into that sort of thing. The store has been open for 9 months or so and before that they were located in Georgetown. Most Saturdays they have some events going on. This past Saturday there were some folks playing Hero Clix which they described as Chess with super heroes.  I think this store would make the Simpson’s Comic Book Guy proud. More photos after the jump. (more…)

Neat Neighborhood Find: Shaka King New York, Fine Luxury Menswear

By Prince Of Petworth

Pictured above is Shaka King, 43, the owner of Shaka King New York, located at 825 Upshur St., NW. Perhaps you are like me and have walked by this store dozens of times. It is well worth your while to stop in the next time you are walking by. This store is an anchor of Upshur St., and has been open for 7 years. Mr. King describes his clothing as “contemporary sportswear that has a metropolitan feel with a European edge.” His explained that what makes the clothing accessible is that “it has more of an American feel with a slight European aesthetic.” I asked Mr. King where he got his inspiration. He replied, “it comes from all over but it started with old black and white films and today I get the inspiration from the fabric itself.” Prices range from $75-$800.

Mr. King had been living in New York City for 25 years and had been doing a lot of trunk shows in DC and his customers kept asking him when he was going to open up a store? Lucky for us none of the 15 property owners King reached out to returned his calls. Fortunately a friend of his knew of this particular property on Upshur St. and the rest as they say is history. It is possible that a new fashion corridor may open up elsewhere in the city that is heavily recruiting Mr. King, nevertheless, he hopes to keep his Upshur St. Boutique open for years to come as it is his flagship store.

King told me that many of his customers try to keep his existence a secret so that they can be the only ones sporting the Shaka King style. Well the secret is out now… More photos after the jump. (more…)

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections Now Open!

By Prince Of Petworth

All you chocolate lovers out there are going to be super psyched. Located at 1529 14th Street, ACKC is going to rock your world. As you can see the place is just stacked with chocolate everywhere. They even have a chocolate beverage station and a nice seating area. They offer premium truffles, creams, caramels, nutclusters, fudge and lots more. Prices vary but a single truffle goes for $1.95 so I imagine we are talking about very high quality here. Let me know what you think when you check it out. See more photos after the jump. (more…)

9th and U Street Market or How I almost Got My Ass Kicked

By Prince Of Petworth

I had really been looking forward to checking out the 9th and U St. Flea Market…little did I know. The photo above almost cost me a serious ass kicking. I’m kind of like Vinny Testaverde, one more ass kicking and it will do me some serious permanent damage. So even though that is not the greatest picture you have to appreciate it just a little bit given the circumstances. You see when I tried to take the above picture the proprietor of the stand beneath it pretty much freaked out. And her very large friend advised me not to take any photos. After some serious pleading – alright fine – crying, I promised only to capture the sign and not any of her merchandise for sale. So please ignore the jackets in the picture for my own safety. Please. (more…)

Anyone Been Here?

By Prince Of Petworth

Lettie Gooch Boutique is located at 1911 9th St., NW.   It looks pretty cool from the outside, it appears to be exclusively women’s apparel and gear.  What’s the scoop, thumbs up or thumbs down?

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