It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s Georgetown

Photo by Shreyans Bhansali.

As reported first by the Patch, a new men’s “haberdashery” called H.L. Poling is planning on moving into the corner of 34th and Prospect, where Govinda Gallery used to be.

Georgetown has long had dozens of clothing shops primary, if not exclusively, targeting women. But in recent years an increasing number of shops have opened up that either primarily target men, or built their reputation on providing menswear, not womenswear.

Since 2008, we’ve seen the addition of:

• Vinyard Vines
• Brooks Brothers
• Barbour
• The Streets of Georgetown
• Jack Spade
• Gant (soon to open)
• Hugh and Crye (no storefront, but based in Georgetown)
• Rag & Bone
• Allsaints Spitalfields

While the metrosexual fad is long gone (side note – GM always loved to point out, as William Safire once noted, that “metro” is rooted in the word for mother, not city; which gives the term “metrosexual” a significantly different edge), but men’s interest in spending money on fashion has continued to increase.

What’s additionally interesting about the new shop is its location. GM knows at least two different restaurants were considering leasing that space, and decided against it. So it will be interesting to see whether a clothing shop can thrive so far off the beaten path.