Room & Board, 1840 14th St. NW. All photos courtesy of Room & Board.
The line you’ll see snaking around the block at 14th and T streets, NW, on December 26 is not for the latest themed pop-up bar. It’s for something much more exciting, at least to anyone who loves well crafted furniture at bargain prices: The annual Room & Board clearance sale, which includes both floor samples and discontinued designs.
Here are a few tips for shopping success:
Get there early. The store opens at 10 a.m., but a Room & Board spokeswoman says the line typically starts forming by 7 a.m.
Expect the level of discount to reflect the level of wear and tear, since many of the items have been floor samples.
Bring a buddy. If you spot the armchair of your dreams, she can sit on it (i.e. ward off other buyers), while you keep browsing.
And here’s a preview of some of our favorite items on clearance.
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 as a staff writer, and became a senior editor in 2014. She oversees the magazine’s real estate and home design coverage, and writes long-form feature stories. She was a 2020 Livingston Award finalist for her two-part investigation into a wrongful conviction stemming from a murder in rural Virginia.