Wittmore brings its eclectic menswear mix to Third Street
Wittmore, a men’s shop that popped up on West Third Street earlier this summer, recently put down permanent roots just a block east -- and that’s good news for guys on the hunt for a mix of both old-school brands (think Levi’s Vintage Clothing and Fred Perry Laurel Wreath) and of-the-moment menswear labels (think Ian Velardi, Isaora and Timo Weiland) under one roof.
The store boasts an impressively deep bench of men’s apparel, accessory and grooming brands (the sandwich board sign at the corner claims 30 -- but we didn’t count them all) including Gant Rugger, Relwen, Splendid Mills, Gloverall, Mark McNairy New Amsterdam, Riviera Club and Splendid Mills.
On our recent stop by the store we noticed there were lots of manly bags and satchels on offer (brands include Topo Designs, Stanley & Sons, and Sandqvist to name but a few) as well as fun accessories like Hook + Albert boutonnieres and grooming products from Baxter of California.
The man behind the merchandise mix is Paul Witt, whose retail adventures began a year ago and three time zones away with an East Coast-based e-commerce site called shopwittmore.com that focused on directional premium and contemporary menswear brands. (Before moving into e-commerce, Witt spent a decade in Diesel’s marketing and visual merchandising department, followed by stints at Mavi, Sean John and Original Penguin and three years as an independent consultant.)
After a successful three-month bricks-and-mortar stint at Liberty Fairs’ Concept 8366 1/2 space (a storefront currently occupied by Boast’s pop-up), Wittmore decided to decamp to Southern California -- and seek more permanent digs.
The new 750-square-foot space (located next to Gogosha Optique and across the street from Toast) has a spare, gallery-like feel -- the perfect neutral back to showcase a lineup of brands that speak volumes for themselves.
Wittmore, now open at 8236 W. Third Street (between Sweetzer and La Jolla), Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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