When Red Orchard owners Caroline Liberty and John Helm realized how popular the store’s off-price Cellar was becoming, they thought why not just move the discounted stash out of the basement to its own space. And with the vacant Pierre Deux space nearby, Helm explains, Tuck was born.
Opened Saturday in Bethesda’s Wildwood Shopping Center, the pop-up (temporary) shop offers discounted fashions by designers including Yoana Baraschi and Eva Franco, recycled bags, off-price Frye boots, handcrafted jewelry as well as gifts and home goods.
“Well-priced” (under $100) separates and dresses purchased for the new shop include names like Kut, Sugar Lips and Vintage Havana; the most expensive dress I saw in that department was a Lucy Love maxi for $88.
Liberty chose the name Tuck, explaining she finds it “happy and whimsical.” And that also goes for the interior. Leave it to these creative owners (and husband and wife) to transform the space with their own hands and ingenuity.
Helm points out the doors repurposed as dress displays came from ReStore the Habitat for Humanity resale shop; the large mirrors and fixtures from the closed Benetton store in Montgomery Mall; and decorative objects, including the mirror behind the register, from their own home. They built dressing rooms from white canvas and steel piping, and adorned them with vintage seltzer bottles brought from home.
Helm showed me a pile of tools and leftover fixtures in the back of the store as evidence that they really did it themselves—late into the night before they opened.
The spiffy interior provides the perfect backdrop to the wealth of unique items displayed throughout. A sampling includes bracelets crafted from Arizona iced tea cans ($30), chic Roost glassware and Simpatico hobnail glass candles ($29).
Notable purses are bags made from recycled Cambodian cement bags (Torrain, $38) and colorful Mosey totes ($95-$88) in durable nylon with smart details—a pocket for a Metro SmarTrip card (just slide the pocket over the sensor), an iPod compartment with an earplug hole and a hook on the side for sunglasses. I also spied a smart, purple Bodhi bag marked down to $238 from $398.
There are even bright, organic cotton socks (Pact, $10) made using wind power.
With all this, I hope Tuck stays around longer than its six-month lease would indicate. This stylish, “happy” store is a real one-of-a-kind.
Wildwood Shopping Center, 10305 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, 301-571-8550
