M Street, Cady's Alley and up Wisconsin Avenue
Georgetown was founded in 1751 at a tobacco trading post on the Potomac and grew into a busy river port. Today it is the city's oldest shopping district, and it splits neatly in two. M Street NW carries the national brands. Wisconsin Avenue climbs north past independent boutiques, family-run legacy shops and Book Hill toward R Street.
This route runs east to west along M Street, ducks down to Cady's Alley at the Key Bridge end, then turns up Wisconsin. Most stores here open at 10am and close between 6pm and 8pm Monday to Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours. The design showrooms close at 6pm, so do them before lunch.
East End of M Street: Menswear, Tobacco and a Detour to the Canal
Start at Paul Fredrick (2922 M St NW), which opened late in 2025 and sells the brand's dress shirts, suiting and casualwear with in-person fit advice. Walking west, J.Crew Georgetown (3077 M St NW) covers knitwear, chinos and suiting basics for men and women.
Georgetown Tobacco (3144 M St NW) opened in 1964 in a former pawn shop. Beyond cigars and pipes, it sells vintage cufflinks, lighters, hats and Venetian masks. It is the last of what were once six storefronts.
Before you reach Wisconsin, take two short side trips south. On cobbled 31st Street, Current Boutique Georgetown (1068 31st St NW) sells pre-owned designer clothing, shoes and handbags at up to 70% off retail, and it takes consignments. Up the same street, Flor. Coffee + Books (1220 31st St NW) is a Buenos Aires-inspired cafe with Argentinian pastries and a second-floor bookshop of English and Spanish titles. Near the C&O Canal, Baked & Wired (1052 Thomas Jefferson St NW) bakes small-batch cupcakes, bars and breakfast breads and pours coffee from rotating guest roasters, daily from 8am to 4pm.
The Busy Block: Wisconsin to 33rd Street
West of Wisconsin, M Street gets crowded. Sephora Georgetown (3241 M St NW) is a full-size store for makeup, skincare and fragrance. Mejuri Georgetown (3225 M St NW) sells the brand's fine jewelry, and Arc'teryx Georgetown (3218 M St NW) stocks technical shells, alpine gear and everyday outerwear in the former J. Paul's space.
The newest big store is Uniqlo Georgetown (3262 M St NW), a 22,618-square-foot LifeWear store that opened in Georgetown Park in August 2026. Look for the RE.UNIQLO studio, which does repairs and DC-themed embroidery, and the Georgetown-only UTme! prints made with Georgetown Cupcake and local artist Kelly Towles.
Cady's Alley and the Design Showrooms
Cady's Alley, a block south of M Street between 33rd and 34th, is where Georgetown keeps its furniture and design showrooms. Thos. Moser (3334 Cady's Alley NW) fills 5,500 square feet of a historic building with century-old brick walls, showing handcrafted American hardwood furniture and rotating art. It opens at noon on Sundays.
Back on M Street, a few doors apart, Design Within Reach Georgetown (3338 M St NW) has 20 room displays and a cloud of more than 100 pendant lights at the entrance. Design consultations, in-home visits and 3-D renderings are free. Blu Dot (3333 M St NW) offers free moodboard design help and holds floor-sample sales; join its VIP list to hear about them. Its fall sale runs through November 9 with 20% off all designs.
Lower Wisconsin and Prospect Street
Walk back east and turn up Wisconsin Avenue. Apple Georgetown (1229 Wisconsin Ave NW) and Tuckernuck (1267 Wisconsin Ave NW) sit near the bottom of the hill. Tuckernuck is the DC-founded preppy womenswear brand, and this 4,000-square-foot flagship opened in March 2026 in the former Foxtrot space.
Turn left onto Prospect Street for three small shops. Just Paper & Tea (3232 Prospect St NW) has sold custom stationery, cards, gifts and loose-leaf teas since 1987. Ann Mashburn (3251 Prospect St NW), on an upper level, carries the Atlanta label's womenswear, made-to-order shirts and dresses, shoes and gifts; it posts Monday to Saturday hours only. Goldsmith Amanda Hagerman Jewelry (3259 Prospect St NW) sells her own original pieces from a studio shop.
Upper Wisconsin to Book Hill
Above M Street, Wisconsin turns independent. Christ Child Opportunity Shop (1427 Wisconsin Ave NW) is volunteer-run high-end consignment: antiques, fine jewelry, sterling silver and crystal, with proceeds going to the Christ Child Society. It opens only Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 5pm and Sunday from noon to 4pm. The Phoenix (1514 Wisconsin Ave NW) has been family-run since 1955 and sells clothing, jewelry and home decor from small-batch artisans.
Between P and R Streets, Nunumia Vintage (1610 Wisconsin Ave NW) sells vintage clothing. Bacchus Wine Cellar (1635 Wisconsin Ave NW) focuses on rare and artisanal bottles, and A Mano (1677 Wisconsin Ave NW) is strong on tabletop, homeware and hostess gifts.
Book Hill is the stretch of Wisconsin north of P Street. Finish at The Lantern (3241 P St NW), a volunteer-run used and rare bookshop whose proceeds support women at Bryn Mawr College.
Tip: Several small Wisconsin shops do not post hours. Call ahead if one of them is the reason for your trip.
Lunch on Wisconsin
Martin's Tavern (1264 Wisconsin Ave NW) has served classic American food since 1933 and sits near the bottom of Wisconsin, so it fits the middle of the walk. Farther up, Yellow (1524 Wisconsin Ave NW) is Michael Rafidi's all-day Middle Eastern cafe built around a wood-burning oven. It holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand, and you should expect a line.
Metro, Garages and Parking
Georgetown has no Metro station. Foggy Bottom-GWU (Orange, Blue and Silver lines) is the nearest, about a 15-minute walk to M Street. Rosslyn and Dupont Circle are 20 to 30 minutes away on foot.
If you drive, the Washington Harbour garage at 3000 K St NW, run by Colonial Parking, is closest to lower Wisconsin and M. Its entrance is on K Street between 30th and Thomas Jefferson Streets. Design Within Reach says parking is available behind and around its studio, which is handy for the Cady's Alley end.
The DC Circulator stopped running after December 31, 2024. Its Georgetown route was folded into a Metrobus route along H and I Streets.