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Proper Topper Is Closing Its Dupont Circle Location After Almost 30 Years

Covid has made it "too hard to hang on any longer" for this neighborhood institution.

The store's owner shared the news on Instagram.

Proper Topper announced last week that after 25-and-a-half years in Dupont Circle, the neighborhood institution will be closing its doors. The store first opened in the spring of 1995 and grew from a hat shop to a retailer with multiple locations that sold not just hats, but curated gifts, clothing, and other accessories.

Owner Anna Fuhrman took to Instagram to announce the sad news that the Connecticut Avenue store would not be reopening, saying: “Too small to safely distance, too few shoppers in downtown DC, too hard to hang on any longer.” Loyal customers can still shop at Proper Topper’s Cathedral Commons store at 3322 Wisconsin Avenue, as well as on online. Fuhrman’s post, which you can see below, also notes how much the owner loved being a part of Dupont’s “quirky” community and will miss the shop that they “thrived in and loved for so long.”

Proper Topper’s Dupont location is another DC shop that’s fallen victim to Covid-19. To see a list of other closures in the area, check out our round-up here.

View this post on Instagram

? This is a hard goodbye. After 25 years + 6 months, I have to announce that we won't be reopening the Connecticut Avenue shop we've thrived in and loved for so long. Too small to safely distance, too few shoppers in downtown DC, too hard to hang on any longer … too familiar, right? My heart goes out to everyone suffering loss right now ? Since the sunny spring day in 1995 when I opened this little shop, I've loved being part of the beautiful, quirky Dupont Circle community. We've known you for generations; you have been our friends and family.  We miss having the chance to say goodbye and celebrate the years we had together. Picture a big party and a warm hugs all around … in a more perfect world. ? BUT, please know that we are NOT disappearing! Our Cathedral Commons shop at 3322 Wisconsin Avenue is just a couple of miles north, and we hope you'll visit soon. Our website is lush with great little treats to brighten your day and lighten your way. ? www.propertopper.com ? Meanwhile, please know how much we've loved you, #propertopperdupont. Twenty-five years, thousands of kind customers, hundreds of amazing employees, scores of helpful UPS drivers/MPD officers/Golden Triangle staff and, especially, our friends at 1350 Connecticut Ave.  Stay well ❤ Anna

A post shared by proper topper (@propertopper) on

jacqueline-tynes
Assistant Editor, Washingtonian Weddings

Jacqueline comes to Washingtonian with close to five years of digital content experience and SEO best practices. She previously was a senior editorial associate at WeddingWire, specializing in wedding fashion, and before that, an assistant at Vow Bride. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, she now lives in Columbia Heights.