From Bethesda Magazine: A new Bethesda boutique for tween style 

Lindsey Wolf opened Sunset on Midsummer to give girls more fashion options

By

August 11, 2026 11:02 a.m.

Share

Lindsey Wolf says her business, Sunset on Midsummer, is more than just a store; it’s about giving tween and teen girls options.

Before the boutique opened in April in the Shops at Wildwood in Bethesda, Wolf invited a few young “influencers” to try on clothes and do a photo shoot.

“Half the girls picked the teeniest, tiniest, tightest dresses and walked out of those dressing rooms like models and the other girls pulled hoodies and comfy pants and they were so happy,” says Wolf, 44, who lives in Gaithersburg and has two daughters, ages 12 and 15. Her fiancé has two daughters, ages 9 and 11.

Sunset on Midsummer carries everything from basic tees, jeans, skirts and pajamas to accessories and special occasion dresses in youth and junior sizes. Dresses cost from around $50 to more than $100. Wolf says she pays attention to trends and products that tween girls like, such as DIY charm bracelets, Kitsch beauty products, and squishy toys.

- Advertisement -

“It’s bringing in all different brands, all different price points, things you may have heard of, things you maybe haven’t, higher quality items, things that are lower price point but you’re not sacrificing that quality,” Wolf says. “I’m very texture-driven, so I love things that are super soft and comfy because I think kids appreciate that, too.”

Sunset on Midsummer also offers a creative outlet: a “Make It Yours” area. Customers can choose from the shop’s “basics” section of extra-soft skirts, tees, quarter zips and other items in a rainbow of colors and use machines to customize the clothing with embroidery or heat transfer designs. Wolf says she wanted her space to reflect the fun spirit of a boardwalk T-shirt shop but with elevated basics. Her shop has drawers of transfers with fun designs such as pineapples, hearts and ace signs, and the embroidery machine can create monograms, words or designs with up to 10 colors.

“I think in order to open a brick-and-mortar in today’s environment you have to bring something special and different to the table. It needs to be more of an experience,” says Wolf, who has a background in marketing and event planning. She offers birthday parties and events using the “Press It” and “Stitch It” stations after hours.

Wolf created a clothing line in 2016 called Harper + Hope with the encouragement of her husband, Sid Wolf. She says the brand was successful, but there were drawbacks to being a wholesaler and she decided to take a pause. Around 2021, she started thinking about doing more with fashion, but everything was put on hold in 2022, when Sid was struck by a car and killed. She says her neighbors, friends and family helped her get through.

Sponsored

Maryland Dog Bite Laws: What Victims Need to Know About Liability and Compensation

Pooks Hill: Where History, Hospitality, and Community Come Together

Featured Now

I just took that time to figure life out and do some healing and take care of my family,” Wolf says. Eventually, she says, she started to get little signs that it was time to create something. In early 2025, when she heard that On Cloud 9, the longtime clothing store for girls in Potomac, was closing, she says she knew it was her moment.

Wolf got the keys for her site, the former location of clothing store Sequel, in January. She added glittery panels into the ceiling that reflect the light from chandeliers she hung. She diffuses sweet candy fragrances in the space. Wolf says the name came from Midsummer Drive, the main road in her Washingtonian Woods neighborhood, and her love of sunsets.

I really wanted it to be a comfortable, sort of fun, welcoming environment,” Wolf says. “I find that all these girls are putting so much pressure on themselves with what they’re wearing, how they look. With social media, it’s more in-your-face with the pressure.”

Sunset on Midsummer opened on April 18, the birthday of her late husband and one of their daughters. “It was just a really special day overall,” Wolf says. “There was a lot of emotion, just a lot of gratitude and happiness that we’re here and we have this and we know he’s around.”

Sunset on Midsummer, 10303 Old Georgetown Road (Shops at Wildwood), Bethesda, 301-697-9601, sunsetonmidsummer.com 

- Advertisement -

This appears in the July/August 2026 issue of Bethesda Magazine.

Digital Partners

Originally published at Bethesdamagazine