Current Boutique

Carmen Lopez founded Current Boutique in 2007, which puts the origin of the business in the period before designer resale became the mainstream retail category that it has since become. The Georgetown location at 1068 31st Street NW brings the boutique’s model to a neighborhood that generates the supply side of the consignment equation as reliably as any in Washington: Georgetown’s residential population has the income to purchase designer clothing and the rate of wardrobe turnover that a professional social life produces. The clothes that Georgetown residents wear once and retire fund the Current Boutique floor.

The business model at Current Boutique is the consignment structure that the resale fashion industry has developed into a refined form. Sellers bring in designer and high-quality items that they no longer wear. The boutique evaluates condition and market demand, accepts items that meet its quality standard, and prices them for sale at up to 70% off the original retail price. When an item sells, the seller receives a percentage of the sale price. The model benefits the seller by providing a higher return than selling to a buyout buyer, benefits the buyer by providing designer access at a significant discount from retail, and produces a sustainable consumption model as a consequence rather than as a goal in itself.

The designer labels that cycle through a Georgetown consignment boutique cover the range that Washington’s professional and diplomatic community purchases: the European luxury brands, the American designer labels, the premium contemporary lines, and the occasional collector’s item that surfaces through a closet edit. Shoes and handbags in mint or near-mint condition are among the highest-value items in the consignment market, and the 31st Street location sees these categories in volume from the neighborhood it serves.

The boutique also accepts walk-in consignments during operating hours, which means a Georgetown resident who has done a seasonal closet edit can bring items in without an appointment. Not every item will be accepted; the boutique’s quality standard and market demand filter determines what goes on the floor. But the walk-in intake format is convenient enough that it removes the friction that prevents casual consignment sellers from engaging with the process.

The 31st Street location is on the canal-adjacent block that has developed as a small retail cluster independent of the main M Street and Wisconsin Avenue commercial corridors. Boat House Apparel, the Georgetown waterfront, and the C and O Canal towpath are all nearby, which makes the block a coherent destination for the Georgetown shopper who wants to cover the canal-side retail in a single walk.

Hours run Monday through Friday from noon to 8pm, Saturday from 11am to 8pm, and Sunday from 11am to 6pm. The phone is (202) 948-2372. Online inventory at currentboutique.com lists current items for the Washington area shopper who wants to check availability before visiting. The boutique also hosts events including sip-and-shop evenings that appear on the Georgetown DC events calendar.