We named our store Ealdwine as an homage to Alden. Ealdwine (pronounced Ald-wine) is an Old English name that means “Old Friend”, from which the name Alden is derived. Our mission is to serve as Raleigh’s finest men’s shop and develop lasting friendships in the community like our name implies.

In addition to Alden, we are proud to offer a well curated assortment of some of the finest brands in the menswear industry such as – Coppley, CHUP socks Mizzen + Main, Naked & Famous Denim and much more. Our apparel assortment will include both ready-to-wear and made-to-measure options.

Ealdwine is the passion project of two friends, Matt Gray and Jim Pietryka, over our affinity for Alden Shoes. We met in the Summer of 2017 via Styleforum, an online menswear forum where we are both active participants on the Alden thread. Upon discovering that we both lived in the same town, we joked about opening a men’s wear shop in Raleigh because Alden Shoes are in such short supply in North Carolina. There was no go-to destination in Raleigh for fine menswear in a city that has quickly become a vibrant hub for business and entertainment.

Flash forward to the Spring of 2018, Matt was contacted by Adam Knott from Alden of Carmel, an Alden retailer since 1994. Adam noted Matt’s passion for Alden through the photographs he posted of his extensive shoe collection on Instagram. Matt’s passion, coupled with the absence of menswear options in and around Raleigh, led to Adam asking Matt if he would consider opening his own shop. Their ensuing conversation was the genesis of Ealdwine.

We sincerely thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We are excited and humbled to be a part of the Raleigh community. We look forward to meeting you soon.

Warmest regards,

Matt and Jim

Rest in Peace Jim- 1977-2022