Second-hand cloths
Leslie Philp
Thrift stores are growing in popularity, especially during this economic crisis. People are searching for bargains and according to the Association of Resale Professionals, it is a nationwide trend.Leslie Lecroy, the store manager of Buffalo Exchange on Mill Ave. has been around thrift stores for the majority of her adult life and has been with the company since 1994.
“I started at 24 and I was in Tucson and I had worked a few other jobs and what I learned from those other jobs I could use in this particular one,” Lecroy stated on her background in retail. “But this particular . job made me feel more nurtured and I also always had a passion for clothing . an eye for things that are the next big thing in clothing.”
“Most of our clothing comes from the public and we encourage people to bring their clothing in and when they do we go through it and we decide what we think will sell for our store. That’s usually based on current fashion that we see selling in malls, magazines, media – that really determines what is desirable in our store,” Lecroy said.
Lecroy believes that clothing is more of an art form that should express an individual style.
“Clothing is one of the most innocent but profound . ways of showing who you are. Not too deeply but in a way where people kind of get you,” Lecroy said.
Lecroy is originally from Tucson and has been the Store Manager since Jan. 19, 2011.
“Once we decide that we want to try an item that you’re selling, we put a price on it and from that price the customer either gets 35 percent cash or 50 percent trade . on the spot. All you have to do is come armed with a valid ID such as a driver’s license, passport or military ID and a phone number . then we start the buying process right there,” Lecroy said.
Another thrift store similar to Buffalo Exchange is Name Brand Exchange.
Vanessa Dougan, the store manager for Name Brand Exchange, has been with the company for seven years and has been working with MCC’s recycling program.
“We try to pull people in by being cheaper than everyone else,” said Dougan on pricing of clothing. “We’ve worked with MCC for a while with the recycling program. Since we recycle clothing, we recycle all of the materials in the store.”
Dougan said that Name Brand Exchange is a fourth cheaper than the local malls and the store only purchases clothing that has come out within the last year.
“We keep the same hours as the mall every day . you basically bring in the clothing you don’t want and we’ll go through it . then we’ll offer you either 40 percent cash or 55 percent of what we price your item at,” Dougan said.
For more information on either of the thrift stores, check out www.buffaloexchange.com or www.facebook.com/namebrandexchange.
