District Trading Company

This Salem shop is the home of District Trading Company, a clothing and lifestyle brand whose graphic tees, accessories, bags and stationery draw on the coastal towns, sandy shores and creative culture of New England. Most of the original line is made locally, and the designs lean toward simple, classic graphics with a strong sense of place, including Salem-inspired pieces like a T-shirt featuring a cat’s nine lives and the phases of the moon.

The company was founded in 2019 by Matt Smith, who designs and makes the product with a small team. He began it as a creative outlet while working as an urban planning consultant, a background that explains the brand’s focus on “districts,” the distinct places that give a region its character. Alongside graphic apparel, the collection includes seasonal clothing such as a sea-glass-stripe maxi dress, palm-print swim trunks and short-sleeve button-ups.

What to Know

• Smith has always preferred original goods made by artists and craftspeople to mass-produced wares.
• A Percent for Place initiative is part of the company’s mission.
• Customers can shop the collection online as well as in the store.
• It is a member of the Salem Chamber of Commerce.