In November 2004, Marshall Thompson was struck with an idea while watching a Chelsea soccer match on TV in his hotel room on a business trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His vision was to open a British clothing store in the District, stocking all the brands that he knew from his own shopping experience looking for English clothing labels were nearly impossible to find anywhere in the U.S. between New York and L.A. “It hit me across the head,” he recalls. “I thought it would be perfect for D.C. There was no store like it.” Upon his return stateside, Thompson immediately contacted several sales reps and found a warm reception for his concept to market their products in D.C. Eight months and a few credit cards later, Thompson took a leap of faith and became his own boss, opening The District Line in June of 2005.

Located on 18th Street just south of the bars in Adams Morgan, The District Line offers plenty of styles by Ben Sherman, Fred Perry, Merc, Lonsdale, Boxfresh, English Laundry, One True Saxon, Simon Carter, and Gola; brands which first gained popularity in England in the late 50s and early 60s with the youth of the Modern subculture and their disposable income. The store is named after a line of the London Underground which Thompson used to ride to work while employed with a news agency in England after his graduation from American University in 2003. Its coat of arms is self-designed, a mix of British and local icons.