After starting in a retail and office complex on Military Cutoff Road five years ago, a local men's clothing and accessory store plans to move to downtown Wilmington next month.

Bloke will relocate to 216 Princess Street and hopes to be open by the end of April, store owner Michael Vinson said Monday.

“We’ve really gotten to know our client base over the past few years, and we feel like positioning ourselves downtown and having a little bit more of a community vibe along the historic area will help us to really become a staple and part of the fabric of downtown,” Vinson said.

Although the new location is smaller – 800 square feet compared to the 1,500 square feet Bloke occupies now at 1427 Military Cutoff Road in the Progress Point One center – Vinson said Bloke will be offering the same amount of inventory through a creative upfit that focuses on “verticality.”

“We might be going to a smaller space but we’re we feel like we’re expanding,” he said. “It’s going to free up a lot of opportunities for us to be down there and be among that customer base.”

He said Jeff Bridgers, a Wilmington metalsmith and woodworker who also created a brand of grooming products sold at Bloke called Forge & Foundry, is working on upfitting the new store.

“We’re actually going to put in a small grooming section,” Vinson said. “It's almost going to be an apothecary of sorts with a sink for shaving demonstrations and tutorials. We’re going to grow the grooming side of our business, and Forge & Foundry will have a bigger presence in the new store.”

Vinson described Bloke's products as appealing to the “back-to-basics modern man who doesn’t necessarily wear a suit but wants to still feel elevated and clean.” The new store will also sell footwear, backpacks, sunglasses and watches, among other items.

“We're going to carry underwear soon, which is the one thing that's always been missing,” Vinson said with a laugh. “If a guy loses his luggage, he can come here and get everything he needs.”

Bloke is one of the latest in a string of businesses related to apparel that have opened or plan to open in downtown Wilmington, although each has a different focus. Local stylist and fashion columnist Jess James plans to open a Style Girl Vintage studio/showroom at 21 Market St. on April 1, and the owners of Redix, a longtime Wrightsville Beach business that sells beach-lifestyle apparel and equipment, recently announced that they have leased space for a store on Grace Street.

For Bloke's relocation, Vinson said he was helped by Realtor Nicole Valentine of Intracoastal Realty, while Carlton Fisher of Coastal Realty represented the landlord.