M STREET · WISCONSIN AVE · GEORGETOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT
Founded in Georgetown in 1949. Still serving Georgetown homes.
Bergerie opened its first workshop in Georgetown in 1949 — the year Truman was sworn in for his second term. We moved exactly once in seventy-five years to the current workshop on Colvin Street in Alexandria. Georgetown remains a steady part of our work: Federal-period antique restoration, custom drapery for the brick rowhouses with tall sash windows, and trade workroom support for the Georgetown design community.
I. THE 1949 FOUNDING
Three generations. Georgetown then. Alexandria now.
The first Bergerie shop was in Georgetown — a corner workspace where the family hand-tied springs, cut horsehair stuffing, and stitched edges by hand for the Federal-period townhouses of the neighborhood and the embassies upriver. The shop ran out of Georgetown for several decades before consolidating into the current Colvin Street workshop. The work is the same; the address changed once. Georgetown clients have continued through the move.
II. GEORGETOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT
1751 town grid. Federal rowhouses. Greek Revival commercial.
Georgetown's historic district was federally designated in 1967 and encompasses the original 1751 town grid. Federal-period rowhouses along O Street, P Street, and Q Street, Greek-Revival commercial buildings along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, and Victorian additions toward upper Wisconsin form the architectural fabric. Federal townhouses with tall sash windows generate steady custom-drapery work; the antique furniture inside generates period-correct restoration.
III. M STREET + WISCONSIN ANTIQUE DEALERS
Where Georgetown finds period pieces.
The antique retail corridor along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue includes named dealers like Cote Jardin (period French and English), Jean-Pierre Antiques (Continental and decorative arts), and Hastening Antiques (American period and Federal). Pieces from these dealers often pass through our workshop for period-correct restoration before delivery to Georgetown homes — frame stabilization, finish revival, hand-stitched upholstery on antique chairs and sofas.
IV. DESIGN COMMUNITY
Trade workroom for Federal-period clients.
The Georgetown design community runs from established firms with M Street offices to designers serving Federal-period and Greek-Revival clients across the city. Zoe Feldman's work on Capitol Hill and Georgetown rowhouses is well-documented; Lorla Studio extends from Bethesda; Marshall Watson and other NYC-DC firms place work here. Our trade workroom (COM with no markup, designer-trade pricing on labor, fabric library access) is positioned for this community.
V. PICKUP + DELIVERY
Across the Potomac, blanket-wrapped, parking-aware.
Free pickup and delivery throughout Georgetown for residential clients. Pickup logistics in Georgetown require parking-aware scheduling (no commercial parking on M Street during business hours; we use side streets and alley access where available). Blanket-wrapped white-glove transport for antiques; 2- to 3-person teams for larger sofa pickups from rowhouse parlor floors. Free in-home consultation for pieces too large or fragile to transport.
Frequently asked
Is Bergerie really founded in Georgetown?
Yes — opened in Georgetown in 1949, the year Truman was sworn in for his second term. The original Georgetown shop ran for several decades before consolidating into the current workshop on Colvin Street in Alexandria. Three generations of family ownership; one address change in seventy-five years.
Free pickup across the Potomac?
Yes — free pickup throughout Georgetown for residential clients. Drive is 15 minutes from Colvin Street via the GW Parkway or I-66. Blanket-wrapped, white-glove transport with 2- to 3-person teams for rowhouse parlor-floor pickups.
Parking and access on M Street?
We work around it. Commercial parking on M Street is restricted during business hours; we schedule pickups in early-morning windows where street parking is available, or coordinate alley access for properties with rear-load capability. The pickup team handles logistics; the homeowner does not need to manage parking.
Antique restoration on Federal-period pieces?
Our core work in Georgetown. Hide-glue frame stabilization, horsehair stuffing, hand-stitched edge rolls, French polish on the exposed wood, original hardware preserved or hand-forged replacements. The glossary covers period-correct methods in detail; the workshop has been doing this work since 1949.
Custom drapery for Federal rowhouses?
Yes — common job in Georgetown. Federal-period townhouses have tall sash windows (often 8 to 12 feet drop) and require pinch-pleated or French-pleated drapery with interlining for body. We measure on-site, fabricate in the Colvin Street workroom, install on-site. Lead time 4 to 6 weeks from fabric arrival.
Designer-trade visits to the workshop fabric library?
Yes — by appointment. Designers practicing in Georgetown work with the trade fabric library (Schumacher, Brunschwig & Fils, Pierre Frey, Kravet, Lee Jofa, Donghia) for client memo-sampling and bolt-pulling. Call Jose Rugerio at jarugerio@bergerieupholstery.com to schedule.
