The History Behind The Alexandria Warehouse Sale

It is hard to believe that 22 years ago I was sitting in my space at 115 South Royal Street, scratching my head and trying to figure out what to do with my extra inventory. I had opened in fall of 2003, and with just a year under my belt, I realized there had to be a way to get more people to shop my clearance items. This is literally how the Alexandria Boutique Warehouse Sale came to life. It started at the Campagna Center with about 10 vendors and no real clue what we were doing. Experienced retail people told me I would be out of business if I did something like this.

Well, over the years it grew out of the Campagna Center, into the Masonic Temple, and then landed at what became the best spot, the Westin. It really was a great day, and stores from all over the DMV participated, attracting live television news cameras and hundreds of people lining up in the dark to get inside. Then a little thing called Covid happened and put an end to the centralized location event. But we knew there had to be a better way, and there was: the Walkable Warehouse Sale. This way, more stores can participate, and shopkeepers do not have to pack up their entire store or try to staff two different locations for the weekend. It has truly been a win-win for everyone involved.

This year, we will hold the Walkable Warehouse Sale on Saturday, February 7, and Sunday, February 8, throughout Old Town. There are more than 40 businesses participating. It is really worth your while to make a day of it and come to the Mid-Atlantic’s best collection of boutiques to find better deals than you will see all year on fashion, home goods, and everything in between. To see the full list of participating merchants, visit oldtownboutiquecommunity.com for store hours and locations. If you want a sneak peek at some of the deals, follow @alxwarehousesale on Instagram.

This is the best time of year to shop. Prices are up to 80% or even 90% off retail, and you can also see all the new inventory we are just beginning to unpack. It is a great opportunity to explore stores you might not have discovered yet, start your day at one of our new bakeries, or end it with a glass of wine or dinner in Old Town. The whole experience is a ray of retail-therapy sunshine in the dead of winter, and you can take the trolley up and down King Street to make it easy. We hope you will come explore—and come back to see us again later. We really do have the best boutique shopping district, and this proves it.

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