Renown
Ybor City is known for its lively party scene, but if you're planning a night out on the town, you'd best first find something suitable to wear. Renown can help. Serving the area for over 5 years, this men's shop offers quality clothing and furnishings from the likes of Baldwin, Slvdr, The Hill-side, Willamsburg Garment Co., and more. Their helpful staff is more than capable and ready to make suggestions should you have trouble making a choice, or you could always take our approach — head over to one of the many local bars and mull your purchase over a drink.
Redeem
Don't go searching through the brand names at Redeem if you're looking for reassurance that you're buying the right thing — selling established names isn't their mission. Instead, this independent boutique specializes in up-and-coming designers, and as such is stocked with names you might not be familiar with. Fear not, however, as the shop does a great job of curating only quality goods, most of which will normally leave you looking far more fashionable than anything you're going to find at the local mall.
LN-CC
Take your concept of a normal store and throw it out the window, because none of them apply to LN-CC — aka the Late Night Chameleon Cafe. This Dalston shop is split up into individual rooms that feel straight out of a movie set, with a library, record store, event space, shoe/leather goods room, outerwear room, and private in-store bar included in the list of various nooks and crannies. The products are just as interesting as the store itself, with items from Comme des Garcons, Dita, Lanvin, Rick Owens, and Yohji Yamamoto among the offerings. Just don't expect to show up and start shopping — the store operates on an appointment-only basis.
HDQTRS
It's vaguely military inspired, so the name HDQTRS (pronounced "headquarters") makes some sense. But it sounds even better when you realize that the first half of the name is referring to an actual head — in this case, yours. One of just several cool retailers located near the intersection of 8th and G, this premium headwear shop offers unique caps from the likes of Benny Gold, Blue Marlin, Mint Creations, Official, Quintin, and more, as well as unique accessories that range from wallets and phone cases to shaving sets and jewelry. [Scouted by Garrick]
Joyride
Tired of going to vintage shops only to be relegated to a small section in the back — or worse yet, just a single rack of mens goods swimming in a sea of womenswear? Swing by Joyride. This vintage store is dedicated to mens clothing from the Victorian period through the 1960's and later, with a large selection of shirts, suiting, and accessories. But like any good vintage shop, it doesn't stop with just clothes, filling out the gaps in its shelves with an interesting slate of collectibles, oddities, books, and other items that are sure to jazz up your home or office.
P's & Q's
It doesn't matter if you plan to mind your P's & Q's or not — you'll want to make a visit to the South Street emporium of the same name. Family owned and operated, this well-designed shop offers a selection of hand-picked goods that exude quality and style. Labels including Baldwin, Gant Rugger, Naked and Famous, New Balance, Pendleton, Patagonia, Tretorn, Power House, and Taschen fill the shelves, encompassing everything from shirts and denim to shoes, accessories, and books. Whether you live in the area or are just stopping by, it's worth a visit.
Askov Finlayson
The Marvel Bar is one of the best bars in town. The Bachelor Farmer is one of the area's best restaurants. But the brothers behind them weren't satisfied, so they had to go and open one of the best mens stores in the area, too. Taking up a 1,000 square foot corner of the same restored warehouse that's home to the aforementioned purveyors of food & booze, Askov Finlayson is a well-curated collection of high-quality goods any guy would be happy to own. With a line of self-branded co-op goods and products from the likes of Apolis, Barbour, Fjällräven, Poler, Shinola, Topo Designs, and more, you're bound to find something to take home — even if you didn't mean to.
Shirt Bar
Typically when you hear the words "shirt" and "coffee" or "drink" used in the same sentence, someone's describing and unfortunate spill that happened at an inopportune time. But at the Shirt Bar, these strange bedfellows come together to create a fantastic shopping experience. Situated on Sussex, this intriguing shop offers a huge range of shirts and ties form the likes of Ganton, Jensen, and more, as well as joe from Fat Coffee, a selection of dark spirits from all over the world — including 12 single malt whiskies — signature cocktails, Australian wines, and champagne. Sure beats the department store. [Scouted by Tyler]
Homage
Thanks to their handy online store, Homage tees can be found on commoners and celebs far and wide. But if you're looking to get the full-on Homage experience, you need to head to the Homage Easton Store. Located in the fashionable Easton Town Center, this 2,600 square foot shop offers more than just the company's line of tees, hoodies, hats, and sweats, most notably interesting fixtures like the back end of a '73 VW bus — used to highlight Surf Ohio gear — and a vintage scoreboard. Given the location, it's no surprise that the store is heavy on OSU, OU, Bengals, Browns, Reds, and Indians gear, but you don't need to be a Buckeye or Bobcat to appreciate the vintage NBA JAM arcade machine and free Mexican Cokes.
Eral 55
In a city known for its high-end fashion, it's nice to find a spot with as varied a selection as Eral 55. In addition to offering custom tailoring, this unique shop stocks a wide assortment of goods from brands like Filson, New Balance, Levi's, Edwin, Barbour, Cruciani, Fortela, and Métrico, just to name a few. From vintage shoes and military watches to Japanese denim and upscale Italian suiting, you're bound to leave the store looking better than when you walked in.
Anatoly's Tailoring and Mens Clothing
There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of places in the Bay Area to get yourself a suit, but few of them can offer the service you'll receive at Anatoly's Tailoring and Mens Clothing. This Piedmont shop is named for the store's proprietor Anatoly Kisilyov, a master tailor with over 20 years of experience in matching the suit and cut to the man. In addition to suiting, dress shirts, and alterations, the shop also offers a surprisingly large selection of soccer jerseys for teams both domestic and abroad, as well as some other casual wear.
Concepts
Founded in 1995, Concepts has been helping Beantown-area chaps connect with killer sneakers and upscale streetwear since before it was cool. From their brick-and-mortar operation in Harvard Square, they offer all manner of limited-release, hard-to-find sneakers, as well as stylish clothing and accessories from the likes of Visim, Come de Garcons, APC, Lacoste, and more. They also play host to frequent in-store events, and frequently pair with companies to produce co-branded product collaborations that are often only available at the store. In other words, even if you're just browsing, it's worth a stop.
