River Market Men’s Clothing Shop Expands to Offer Fashion Denim

By Kevin Collison

Houndstooth, a quality men’s clothing shop that opened in the River Market in mid-2014, has a new wrinkle, a high-end jean shop called Denim Hound.

The 800 square-foot expansion is located in the basement of the clothing shop at 507 Walnut St. and opened in November.

“I wanted to bring high-quality denim brands to Kansas City that weren’t available,” said Jeff Covitz, the owner of Houndstooth.

Brands include APC, Naked and Famous, Raleigh Denim Workshop and Railcar Fine Goods. Upstairs, Houndstooth offers a selection of fine men’s wear and tailoring services as well.

Covitz comes from a family background in men’s clothing, his father ran Rick’s Tailoring and Menswear in Overland Park for 35 years. He had run his father’s business for three years before deciding to strike out on his own.

“My idea for the shop was to bring the age down 10 years or so in style and feel, a little younger than say, Brooks Brothers,” Covitz said.

Being part of the downtown resurgence appealed to him, particularly the River Market.

“The experience has been great, the customers have been great and the neighborhood is great,” Covitz said. “It’s still in the beginning stages of growth.

“There’s a good group of young business owners and we all have our own ideas, but it’s the making of a good neighborhood.”

In fact his wife, Amy Covitz, plans to join him in the River Market renaissance with a new bookstore and cafe, Our Daily Nada, opening this June on nearby Delaware Street.

Business has been building steadily since the opening of Denim Hound.

“It’s been good,” Covitz said. “It’s tough getting visibility in a basement, but numbers wise, it’s been selling well.”

Denim Hound is located in the basement of Houndstooth, a men’s clothing store that opened in 2014.