Relish: Unique Retail Shopping in Unique Cady’s Alley
By • September 3, 2026 0 389
By Caroline Woodward
Nestled in Cady’s Alley among a sea of high-end retailers offering various house goods, furniture and jewelry sits a store that does the difficult work of curating a luxurious artisanal and reliable wardrobe for its buyers. Relish, a fixture of Georgetown for more than 25 years, is hidden away by design. It provides a happy surprise for the curious customer, interested in fashion but not sure where to start, and a destination to those who consider it a staple in their lifestyle.
“You can come and buy either a special piece to have for years to come or the very best staples for the season,” store owner Lindsay Rieling told The Georgetowner.
The store carries a wide variety of brands, from older, more classic and well-known labels such as Dries Van Noten, Yohji Yamamoto and Maison Margiela to trendy, newer and up-and-coming producers like Ashlyn, Fforme and The Row.
“Whether you are familiar with the labels we carry or not, you can trust that they were chosen with intention,” Rieling added.
Relish began than 30 years ago in Chevy Chase, D.C., by store founder Nancy Pearlstein, who up until then had worked as the vice president of merchandising at Louis Boston.
“My goal was to provide the best selection of high-end artisans in the fashion industry to the Georgetown and greater D.C. area, exposing the audience to a tastefully curated selection of designers,” said Pearlstein.
During the inception of Cady’s Alley, a unique European-style shopping and dining destination on the west side of Georgetown, developer EastBanc reached out directly to Pearlstein, who found a home there for Relish for the following 25 years.
“The landscape of high-end women’s stores in this area was nonexistent at the time. Cady’s Alley was just being built and reflected the same aesthetic that Relish was trying to convey, so it seemed a perfect time to mesh these sensibilities and bring it to the Georgetown community,” said Pearlstein.
When Pearlstein retired in 2025, she transferred ownership of the store to Rieling, who began as a sales associate over 18 years ago. She has continued to bring her own vision to the store, while maintaining the mission of a curated, tasteful retail experience.
Both Pearlstein and Rieling have a very solid image of the customer base for the store.
“The Relish customer is a well-traveled woman who understands fashion and is drawn to the well-tailored, high-quality garment. She is from all walks of life but basically does not have a lot of time to shop and relies on the well-edited selection and the well-trained sales staff,” said Pearlstein.
“The Relish woman doesn’t have boundaries or rules with how she dresses. She’s smart, sophisticated and wants to be her own person and expresses that through her clothes,” Rieling told The Georgetowner.
“Relish’s intention is to have you come, feel inspired and leave with one or more items that make you feel good while smiling, putting them on each morning,” Rieling said.
