Shop Seattle: Urbanity

Lee Smith hated shop-hopping to get the clean, street-ready look he wanted.

"If used to be that I would either shop online, which I hate, or when I came home [to Seattle], I'd have to like...go to Nordstrom to get a new t-shirt. Then I'd have to go somewhere else to get some new jeans. Then I'd have to go hunting for a new hat. And none of it was in my college town." Smith explained when I stopped in to check out Urbanity, his U-District boutique for men's and women's clothing, shoes, sunglasses, hats, and other accessories.

Born out of irritation and a need for an unpretentious place for clean, urban garments, Urbanity is now over a year old, and "blowing up," according to Smith "Black Friday was nuts. It was awesome."

Urbanity, located near University Village, offers hip, well-constructed garments for a diverse range of people. The women's clothing selection is versatile, with basics, outwear, and shoes; but it's the menswear that really makes Urbanity stand out.

One of just a handful of Seattle-area boutiques with Nike contracts, Urbanity carries many other name-brands, such as RVCA, Obey, Amongst Friends, Imaginary Foundation, Super Sunglasses, Mosley Tribes, Coal headwear, Casual Industrees, Rocksmith, Lrg, Zanerobe, Krew/Supra and Huffer. From casual denims to classic button-downs, Urbanity's options for men are trendy and approachable.

"We get every kind of person in here. Teens, college kids, moms shopping for their kids and their husbands. Everyone can find something here," Smith told me, adding that that's why he thinks the store is a success.

"Moms hate music, so we keep it down... A lot of street or stores try to put up a front, but people don't want to shop like that. We keep it clean and quiet. And cool. Always cool. "

Urbanity // 5101 25th Ave NE. // Mon-Sat 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sun noon - 6 p.m.