22: East Coast indie clothing stores worth a trip

Empty your online cart! Shop small at these hip fashion emporiums from Florida to Maine.

Women’s clothing is displayed alongside antique furniture at GoodWood in Washington, D.C.

Gabriel Sánchez, a tour guide friend in Oaxaca told me a shocking story last fall. In his artisan-filled region, where pottery workshops dot the countryside and local boutiques overflow with crafts, some clients hire him to ferry them to the local mega mall, where Zara keeps company with H&M. “I take them where they want, but it makes me sad,” he says. “There’s a lot more to see and buy than that.”

That kind of increasing, depressing globalization also permeates U.S. cities, where it can be hard to find indie boutiques selling home décor, books, clothing, or anything really. But studies show that Americans, given the chance, would spend more money to shop locally.

It’s why I buy many of my clothes when I’m on the road. I research where the most interesting homegrown boutiques are, starting with a callout on social media and a web search. Then I’ll deep-dive into blogs, TikTok, and even convention and visitors center websites, which often list shops or detail retail-heavy neighborhoods.

“Before I travel anywhere, I do as much Googling as I can to figure out where the independent shops are,” says Lani Inlander, of Washington, D.C. personal shopping service Real Life Style. “Usually, once you find one cool shop, it’ll be near other interesting boutiques you’ll just stumble across.”

Women’s, men’s, and kid’s clothing with Florida flair stars at Coniglio in Palm Beach.

More and more friends are asking me how to avoid buying via Amazon, Target, and fast-fashion retailers.

These independent stores feel like stylish solutions. Shopkeepers fill their racks and shelves with brands and goods they believe in—not necessarily items that’ll turn the highest profit. “One’s wardrobe is always better with a little serendipity, and finding new shops in another city helps with that,” Inlander says. “There’s a sense of wonder and discovery with in-person shopping.”

Staffers might include the store owner or the person who designed your clothes, and they tend to be helpful and invested in guiding you toward a magical pair of dancing shoes or a gown for your cousin’s wedding. Plus you can hit retailers for travel intel, such as where to get a great flat white coffee in Brooklyn or a great Cuban sandwich in Miami.

The merch at indie boutiques can be more expensive than fast fashion, but if you’re trying to consume more consciously, these stores usually fall into the “fewer, finer, funkier” category.

Brooklyn Circus specializes in sportswear inspired by 20th century Black athletes and musical culture.

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing periodic guides to my favorite indie clothing retailers around the country. All shops mentioned will be vetted by me or other colleagues in the fashion or travel world. First up, the East Coast:

Note that, for the first time, I’ll be paywalling these guides. This means that, to read the entire list, you’ll need to become a paid subscriber. Most other stories will remain free.

Brooklyn Circus, Brooklyn and Manhattan

Haitian American designer Ouigi Theodore draws on the melting pot culture of Brooklyn with men’s streetwear and shoes, sold both in its OG Crown Heights headquarters and a store on Soho’s Canal Street. In addition to shoe and sweatshirt collabs with Lee and Puma, the Black-owned business produces sleek riffs on varsity jackets, sunglasses, and logo jerseys. Both locations sponsor frequent events, from group runs through Brooklyn to in-store DJ sets from Theodore himself.

Bus Stop Boutique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Amid the colonial houses and 19th-century storefronts of Queen Village, this downtown Philly women’s shoe store features both its own brand (colorful velvet oxfords or patterned leather booties) and styles from lesser-known labels such as All Black, Vagabond, and Denmark’s sustainable Woden. Also on the shelves in the skinny showroom: vegan “leather” handbags and socks in pink stripes or multi-hued dots.

Colorful oxfords are among the footwear sold at Philadelphia’s Bus Stop Boutique.

Coniglio, Palm Beach, Florida

Designer Christina Coniglio cut her chops at LoveShackFancy and (sadly defunct) boho brand Calypso St. Barth before opening this women’s and men’s boutique/brand in her native Palm Beach. Set off by flamingo-pink walls decked with family photos and straw sun hats, the boutique offers ruffled pareos in punch-bright hues, tie-dyed caftans, and unisex button down shirts in whimsical prints (orange parrots on a field of lime green). The drops are limited and the sizing flexible, meaning voluminous dresses and wrap skirts that adjust to pregnancy or just an overindulgence in Key lime tartlets from nearby Ganache Bakery.

A bandana-print shirt from Atlanta’s Elk Head Clothing.

Elk Head Clothing, Atlanta, Georgia

In Atlanta’s historic Fourth Ward neighborhood, this up-and-coming menswear brand deals in Americana-inspired shirts, pants, and accessories like oil-tanned leather belts. Owner/designer Garrett Hilgendorf draws on his sporting- and outdoors-mad Michigan childhood with well-made, well-priced casual styles such as a popover, bandana-print shirt and Japanese twill chinos ($178). Elk Head’s wood-paneled boutique is located inside Ponce City Market, with restaurants and shops in a converted 1928 Sears warehouse.