Ella-Rue

The sage-green bay window at 3231 P Street announces itself quietly. An ER monogram swings from a bracket sign above a single dressed mannequin, boxwood topiary crowding a brick stoop that still carries faint traces of Georgetown’s old streetcar tracks. The storefront sits on the 3200 block of P Street, one of the neighborhood’s most intact residential-commercial stretches, and the building behind that window runs to two floors and roughly 1,400 square feet, nearly double what Krista Johnson started with when she moved the shop across the street during its first anniversary in late 2011.

Johnson grew up in Middleburg, Virginia, and opened Ella-Rue in December 2010 with 0,000 borrowed from Lindy, her grandmother’s long-time partner, and 2 in her own bank account. The shop is named for her two rescue dogs, Ella, a pit bull, and Rue, a Jack Russell terrier. Her sister Alexa joined as a full business partner when the larger P Street space became available around 2014, and between them they have kept the place running for more than fifteen years. Their grandmother, whom they called Mum Mum, instilled in both of them the conviction that fashion is worth taking seriously, that a well-made coat outlasts a season.

The inventory at any given time spans women’s clothing, shoes, and handbags from Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Celine, Saint Laurent, Dior, and Balenciaga, alongside ready-to-wear from Karen Millen, Nanette Lepore, and similar labels. The emphasis is on recent seasons rather than archival vintage: pieces in excellent condition that were previously waitlisted, sourced from consignors who include senators’ wives, TV personalities, and college students. Handbags and high-value accessories are authenticated in house. Alexa also designs jewelry that appears alongside the consigned stock, giving the shop a small range of new goods mixed into the pre-owned floor.

The consignment split is fifty-fifty. Sellers can drop off by appointment, arrange a pickup, or ship pre-approved items for free, and pieces are shown both in the store and on the shop’s Instagram, which serves as the primary real-time inventory window while the main website undergoes a relaunch. Johnson generated ,000 in sales on opening night in 2010, in the middle of the financial crisis, which told her something about demand. Inside, the shop has refinished oak floors, exposed brick, natural light, and private dressing rooms. Old books and decorative figurines that Johnson collects are scattered through the space, giving it the feel of somewhere slightly personal rather than generic retail.

The shop closes Mondays. Tuesday through Saturday runs 11am to 5pm, and Sunday from noon to 5pm. For current arrivals, Instagram at shopellarue is the most reliable source while ella-rue.com finishes its rebuild. To bring in pieces for consignment, call (202) 333-1598 or reach out through Instagram to schedule a drop-off. Street parking on P Street and Wisconsin Avenue runs tight on weekends, and the garage options along M Street or Wisconsin are the practical choice if you are driving in from outside the neighborhood.