Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Local vintage clothing store gives back to the community

(web:arts) buffalo exchange (amanda dansby)

Thrift stores, resale and consignment shops are on the rise and gaining popularity among San Antonio residents. Students looking for clothing at a low cost and in good condition are scouring the racks for great deals.


Buffalo Exchange (145 W Olmos Dr) specializes in vintage and used clothing and buys, sells and trades with local customers. The popular thrift store chain has been featured on several television shows such as the Today Show, the Rachel Ray Show, and Good Morning America.
What sets this vintage clothing store apart from the rest?


“There are a lot of things that separate us from other stores in San Antonio,” states Leslie LeCroy, store manager at San Antonio’s Buffalo Exchange location. She continues, “First of all, we’re the first to pioneer reselling clothing that’s still desirable and still useful. Recycling before it was in fashion is something that we’ve always done. Now it’s sort of become commonplace that people want to recycle, but we’ve always done that with clothing and that’s what we’ve always promoted. Actually, one of our mottos is ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’.”


Buffalo Exchange is not only a local resource to find great clothes at low prices, but the company also makes sure to give back to the community. Every year on Earth Day, or the weekend of, Buffalo Exchange has a $1 sale of which all proceeds go to a charitable cause.


“We celebrate Earth Day every year as a company around that weekend. Saturday the 20th (of April) is the day we’re celebrating it,” LeCroy explains further. “We sell items outside of the store for a dollar and all of (the money) from those particular items go towards a common cause amongst the entire companies who are also having a sale that day. Every (Buffalo Exchange) store in every state will be doing that.”


This year the money will be given to an organization working to prevent animal cruelty and testing by educating and stopping companies from using animals and animal products.


The “dollar donation” is not the only thing happening on Earth Day for Buffalo Exchange as the day also marks the end of an almost four-month-long donation drive of fur coats and other fur clothing to Buffalo Exchange in order to help with the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned animals across the U.S.


LeCroy elaborates on the mission stating, “Coats for Cubs (began) on the first of this year, Jan. 1, from then until Earth Day, and we collect unwanted furs (which go) to the Humane Society and they turn those furs over to wilderness shelter that help abandoned or wounded wildlife have a better chance to survive.”


These two events are right around the corner, but when customers go to purchase their items they are met with another creative way Buffalo Exchange is helping the community.


“As of this year, we stopped using bags with purchases, so anytime customers buy something we don’t give them a bag; we give them a five-cent token to donate to one of three charities that we always have running in the store,” explains LeCroy. “Every store in the company has three local charities that they promote. Every customer always gets a token instead of a bag and they donate it to (the charity of their choice).”


Buffalo Exchange is located in 145 W. Olmos Dr., San Antonio, TX, 78212. They are open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m.-6 p.m.
For more information on the dollar sale on Earth Day and the Coats for Cubs campaign visit www.buffaloexchange.com.

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