We’ve had our eyes on the Georgetown-based e-tailer Tuckernuck for years for their curation of American brands and preppy apparel. We’ve observed how stylish the trio of co-founders are, that they built their business the modern smart way–online with the assistance of social media–and that they’ve given us an easy way to shop local without leaving home.
In March, nearly four years since their June 2012 online launch, Tuckernuck is planning to open their first-ever brick and mortar location at 1055 Wisconsin Avenue, NW in Georgetown. According to one of the co-founders, Jocelyn Gailliot, opening a physical storefront has always been a part of their plans.
“We feel that in order to be a successful retailer these days, you need to have a strong omni-presence,” says Gailliot. “This includes selling online, selling offline, and having a brand that is popular on social media.”
Now that they’ve succeeded in selling online and racking up 22,000 Instagram followers and over 75,000 Facebook fans, the founders are ready to tackle offline sales. They’ve realized, however, that running a storefront is different than operating a website. As opposed to the vast offering of ladies and men’s apparel, gifts, and home goods that the brand sells online, they plan to slim down the in-store merchandise list, curating it around what’s currently happening in the shop.
“The collections will change regularly and tie to fun themes and events,” says Gailliot. “Our goal is to create a store that is not overwhelming, but highly efficient and well-curated.”
Tuckernuck should feel right at home with their neighbors: another preppy retailer, Onward Reserve, opened just up the street in 2015. Additionally, Tuckernuck has called Georgetown home since their start, so the founders plan to test out their brick and mortar model in the neighborhood they know and love before expanding elsewhere.
“We know the [Georgetown] community well and feel that it’s a perfect fit for Tuckernuck’s classic and playful style,” says Gailliot. “We feel that the business model of large real estate footprints is antiquated, so we’ve come up with a leaner formula that we hope will be a richer experience for our customer. We will try to perfect this formula in our backyard of Georgetown where we will have the ability to monitor it closely, then roll out the model to additional locations throughout the country.”
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.
