It took me a few stabs before I successfully located Oak, a new men’s store tucked away in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This may be just as the store’s owners, Jeff Madalena, 28, and Louis Terline, 26, want it. Messrs. Madalena and Terline, both Brooklyn residents, have avoided the busy Bedford Avenue strip familiar to most Manhattanites, instead pitching camp two blocks away from the Lorimer Street subway stop on sleepy Ainslie Street.

Oak’s discreet location matches the owners’ understated sartorial sensibilities. The clothing that fills their small, handsome shop is well made, masculine, and stylish in a sly way. The duo have an eye for designs that men actually feel comfortable wearing – not the peacock creations that fuel advertising fantasies. In an Oliver Helden shirt ($148), for instance, a boldly patterned fabric is scrimmed with a layer of thin poplin, so that the graphic whispers rather than shouts. A navy T-shirt with a Raymond Pettibonesque drawing on the front (also by Oliver Helden, $42) features another illustration on the inside of the shirt, a private joke known only to the shirt’s wearer (and perhaps his intimate acquaintances). The Oak customer, Mr. Terline explained, “understands that the design is there, but he doesn’t have to broadcast it.”

That is one reason why Messrs. Terline and Madalena, former fashion stylists, avoid stocking the store with mainstream labels. Another is price: the store’s clientele are mainly neighborhood residents, “up-and-comers in music or design,” Mr. Madalena said. “He likes the better things in life, he just can’t afford them yet,” Mr. Terline said of the store’s typical customer.

Even if you are the lucky shopper who has advanced to the Jil Sander or Prada level, there’s still plenty at Oak to tempt – particularly if you’re looking for weekend attire or something to wear to your girlfriend’s art opening. The store carries a number of denim lines that can make the transition from the workplace to after hours effortlessly. One surprising brand that the owners can’t advocate strongly enough is Lee X-Line (prices, $96-$106). “It’s such a good quality for the money. There’s so much crap out there that’s just not worth it,” Mr. Terline said. Other denim labels include Calvin Klein, Salt Works, and a hand-stitched jean made from Japanese denim by 5 Easy Pieces, topping out the price spectrum at $220.

Messrs. Madalena and Terline are not averse to the vintage aesthetic – used roughrider boots line the shop’s dark-wood floors. (The building, distinct among its aluminum-siding neighbors for its intelligent recessed facade and a pre-war foundation, is worth inspection in its own right.) But the buzzword at Oak is “clean.” The jeans aren’t stonewashed, unhemmed, or ripped. Preppy Jack Spade is the bag designer of choice. And though vintage coats have been a popular look for men this season, Oak serves up the trend with a natty twist: a new suit by Schiele cut from vintage fabric ($258 for the jacket; $160 for the pants). “A lot of those vintage jackets have really short sleeves and don’t fit our customers,” Mr. Terline said, referring to the often lanky figure of the Williamsburg man. For fall, Oak plans to expand its suit offerings, with prices not to exceed $500, because “even our customer needs a suit sometimes.”

Though the owners seem fond of defining the Oak man, comprising about 25% of their business are women buying clothes for their boyfriends (most likely run-over from Canary, the duo’s sister store for women across Ainslie Street, which opened in January, 2004). Around Christmas, a woman came in to Oak and bought a gift certificate for her boyfriend; meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, the boyfriend ponied up to Canary to buy store credit for her. “It was a real O. Henry story,” the owners said, laughing.

Messrs. Madalena and Terline, who hail from California and Queens, respectively, hatched their plans for their boutiques while toiling, unhappily, as stylists (Mr. Terline worked primarily in film; Mr. Madalena specialized in magazine editorial, after a brief career as a clothing designer). And though the men claim to share equally the responsibilities of running their store – scouting new labels at trade shows, arranging the shops’ merchandise, managing the business aspects – there’s one area where the partnership breaks down. Mr. Terline’s attempts to tidy up Oak’s stock after giving this reporter a tour were interrupted by Mr. Madalena’s surer hands.

“He’s better at folding,” Mr. Terline said.

“It’s from my high-school job working at the Gap,” Mr. Madalena confessed.

Oak, 150 Ainslie St., Brooklyn, 718-782-0521.