Guess what day it is? Nope, not my new favorite day of the week thanks to an office camel promoting the significance of hump day. Instead, it's the annual Old Town Boutique District Warehouse Sale at the Masonic Temple here in Old Town! While I'm certainly no fashionista, even I can't resist the sweet siren song of the promise of great merchandise at hugely discounted prices.
We're big supporters of shopping local small businesses, and that absolutely includes the various local merchants in Old Town and the Alexandria area. The cool thing about this event, put on by the Old Town Boutique District, is that so many of our favorite stores are in one place and have some really great markdowns on their items. In fact, it's so popular that there's always a pretty significant line of people waiting to get inside an hour or more before the sale opens at 9:00 am.
We arrived early again this year to say hello to several of our friends and vendors, to take photos to share with you, and to do a little deal scouting of my own. As in years past, The Shoe Hive's booth was a popular spot, with frenzied shoppers pulling open boxes like kids on Christmas morning. All supervised, of course, by a giant bronze bust of George Washington.
I too couldn't resist getting in on the action and was thrilled to snag not one, but two pairs of new Hunter rain boots, including this cute calf height gray pair. I'm still not sure what, exactly, got into me. I mean, two new pairs of rain boots? But I suppose when you can get them for 55-75% off, it's hard to resist!
The shoe selection didn't stop there. Bishop Boutique had a great selection of flats, boots, and heels, as well as a humorous approach to their advertising.
We're all looking for that elusive Cinderella moment, and you know it's not possible without the right shoes!
If you're looking for accessories, there are rows of fabulous options to choose from. I'm not sure how I walked away from the bright, beautiful baubles like these from Queen Bee Designs. I'm looking at this photo with great shopping regret for the pieces that got away, but I'm sure many women after me will leave happy.
We paid a visit to one of our favorite home furnishing stores, Red Barn Mercantile, whose booth featured a colorful array of bedding, pillows, home accessories, and more. I loved the pattern of this John Robshaw duvet, and was completely smitten with a gorgeous glass lamp.
Sadly, with a home a mere 15' wide, I had to do more browsing than buying, but did walk away with two sweet Christmas ornaments, including the petite white house seen below.
Stuart Nordin also had a great selection of items. It's funny how in the moment I didn't take in some of the items, but as I look back at the photos I'm totally in love with the white bench. I must have been distracted by that cute navy ikat pillow.
In the upper level we took on more shopping, and paid a visit to Top it off, where all items were $10, including tax. Seriously!
I purchased this great honeycomb wrap seen on the mannequin below, as well as a cute black sweater cape, and am sorry I didn't pick up the brightly colored necklace as well. How cute is that?
We also made a stop a Zoe Boutique who, in addition to racks of clothing, had a fun accessories table set up featuring a $10 grab bag of lightly damaged merchandise. They also had an array of silver initial bracelets and necklaces that I loved, but sadly didn't see any "W"s left, or I would have added that to my basket. I did buy a gorgeous coat that was marked down roughly 70%.
You may not have guessed it from the volume of today's finds, but I'm a terribly indecisive shopper. This unfortunate trait of mine makes my husband crazy and sales like today's very difficult to navigate. You need to be ready to make quick decisions and can't agonize over something for too long or it will surely be gone. I have to give Alex credit for his patience on days like today, because I know I sound like my mother when I ask him time and time again, "Do you think I should get this? Do I really need this?" I even start to annoy myself.
All in all, it was a very successful morning and if anything, now looking back through the photos, I realize there were a few things in the pictures that I missed or regret putting down. I suppose it's only fair to leave great finds behind for someone else to enjoy.
If you're around the area today and are looking for something to do, be sure to drop by the George Washington Masonic Temple at the top of King Street in Old Town, just across the street from the King Street metro station. The sale is going on until 4:00 pm, but the earlier you get there the more deals there are to be had. Even if you're not a local reader, we hope some of the things you see might inspire you to pay a visit to Old Town and visit all of these great store's in their permanent retail outlets.
