Spring cleaning might lead to spring shopping with Buffalo Exchange’s arrival on campus. The popular consignment store is scheduled to open a new location this spring at 714 Broadway across from the Tisch School of the Arts, though the official opening date has not been announced yet. A representative for the company told WSN it is planning for a late April launch.
“We’re super excited to be adding our sixth New York store in such a central location,” the representative said. “We also love the artistic history of nearby Bleecker Street and Washington Square Park.”
The new store will be more accessible for NYU students than the next closest location at 332 E. 11th St. in the East Village. Steinhardt first-year Bomin Ahn was thrilled by the announcement.
“I would love to have Buffalo Exchange near our campus,” Ahn said. “I definitely think it is one of the best stores with reasonably priced clothes in good quality. I went to one in Brooklyn and absolutely loved it and was actually thinking that it’d be nice to have one near us.”
Not only can students shop, but they can also sell their clothes at the store. Buffalo Exchange’s policy states that it’ll accept any men’s or women’s clothing and accessories in their best condition. You can either be paid in cash, get store credit or trade in for an item at the store.
However, CAS sophomore Amodhya Samarakoon said she probably won’t be visiting the store to sell clothing. In her experience, Buffalo Exchange has extremely high standards, so she would rather donate her clothes to charity or drop them off at H&M in exchange for a 15-percent-off coupon.
“I don’t have much anticipation for the new store as a place to donate clothes, but I do look forward to stopping by and looking for some deals,” Samarakoon said.
For other students, however, the store’s high prices are a definite turn-off. CAS first-year Parker Kenyon, who has had mixed experiences at Buffalo Exchange, said he sees its appeal. However, he also feels apathetic toward the new store since he doesn’t plan to shop there in the future.
“Although they often have clothing I would wear, my one reservation about Buffalo Exchange is the price,” Kenyon said. “I think the location, being on Broadway and near a university, could factor into a rise in prices even further. As a college student with a limited budget, I would [make the] hike to visit other thrift stores over the new Buffalo Exchange.”
Despite any potential concerns, the CAS first-year is hopeful for its success.
“I am very excited for the new Buffalo Exchange because [it has] historically had very unique vintage and consigned pieces,” Adelman said. “If people like it, it could easily become a big center for students to resell clothes by making a bit of money and even finding new pieces within the store.”
This story was updated on March 27 with a comment from Buffalo Exchange.
A version of this article appears in the Monday, March 25, 2019, print edition. Email Taylor Jeffries at [email protected].
