DC has been awaiting the arrival of a Warby Parker shop since their “Class Trip” traveling showroom first rolled into town in 2012. The visit was followed by another bus stop in 2013, and now, finally, a brick-and-mortar store.
Though the brand started online with a home try-on ordering system just five years ago, it has expanded rapidly in recent years, with 14 storefronts across the United States, one of which opens on Saturday, September 26, at 3225 M Street in Georgetown.
Shop Around took a quick tour of the new Georgetown space with the brand’s eighth employee–they’ve now grown to hundreds–who is in town from New York for this weekend’s opening. She shared about how the store had preserved the original exterior of the store, bringing some branded touches to the interior with their custom illustration wall paper and a window wall mural by artist Jason Munn.
Keeping with the literary themes that the brand’s name is based on–Warby Parker comes from the names of two of Jack Kerouac’s characters–the store is lined with bookshelves filled with a rainbow of volumes, all sourced from independent bookstores.
Though Warby Parker glasses are easy to purchase online, the showroom will give customers the chance to try on more than five pairs at a time, purchase any non-prescription glasses on the spot, and have their frames adjusted. And before the end of the year, another Warby Parker shop will be opening at The Shay development in Shaw, where shoppers can also have their eyes examined to get their most recent eye glasses prescription.
Take a look inside at the new shop below, and stay tuned for Warby Parker’s second opening at The Shay.
Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.
