By Lani Gering

America’s premium workwear brand since 1889, opened the doors to its first Maryland-based company store at the National Harbor shopping center in early May.. The Carhartt National Harbor store will be the brand’s 26th company store and the first in the state.

“The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is an ideal location to serve hardworking men and women and outdoor enthusiasts with our durable, rugged apparel,” said Jamie Millar, vice president of retail at Carhartt. “We are pleased to be part of the National Harbor community because of its industrious men and women who rely on durable gear, both on and off the job site, every single day.”

Being a Wyoming girl with close relatives who have been wearing Carhartt outerwear for years, I was a bit surprised by their picking the very “urban” National Harbor for a location. I have always identified Carhartt with my farming brother-in-law Dave, my lineman nephew Willy and my telephone cable splicer ex-husband Chuck. All three professions mandate heavy duty outerwear on the job and the Carhartt brand is one of their favorites. My friend and co-publisher of the OTC, Bob, purchased a pair of bibs and a jacket when he was responsible for the maintenance of a small acreage in the Fredericksburg area and made good use of both when the snow was falling down in piles. He has been a city dweller for several years now and has since given the bibs to his brother to wear in the winter months while taking care of his horses and chopping wood near Waldorf. He still brings out the big guns when the weather here drops to freezing or when we travel to the mountains and cooler climes.

After visiting the store a couple of days ago, I can see where they are taking the brand beyond reaching out to those who wear the clothing line for work and outdoor enthusiasts. They have a fun line of shorts and T-shirts as well as the trendy plaid button ups and lots of accessories. It is sort of reminiscent of the days when Banana Republic transitioned from safari and serious travel wear to what it is today. I am glad, however, that Carhartt is staying true to its roots by keeping the traditional clothing up front. There is a very cool pair of boots in the store that have my name written all over them as well!

I get the distinct feeling that they are trending to the younger set – twenty and thirty somethings. It sort of reminds me of the days – 70’s and 80’s – when we all were drawn to painters pants and Dickey denim bib overalls. We girls even cut the legs off of them and frayed the hems to make the coolest of cool “shortalls”. We took work gear to another level then and now Carhartt is picking up the ball and running with it.

The National Harbor store occupies 3,388-square feet and carries 325 styles of men’s, women’s and kids’ apparel, footwear and accessories. Expect to find Carhartt’s iconic brown duck, sandstone and denim styles as well as the brand’s all-new Force Extremes™ and Force performance line, Full Swing® products offering full range of motion technology, lightweight Quick Duck® outerwear, amongst other products infused with rugged technologies such as Rain Defender® durable water-repellent outerwear and sweatshirts.

The new store is located at 142 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, Maryland, is the latest to join company store locations based in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Stop in and tell them you saw their write up in the Old Town Crier.

About Carhartt, Inc.
Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium work wear brand with a rich heritage of developing durable products for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., with approximately 5,400 associates worldwide, Carhartt is privately owned and managed by the descendants of the company‘s founder, Hamilton Carhartt.