washington, d.c.
the 14th street store
Buffalo Exchange
1318 14th St. NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 299-9148
Location: between N Street and Rhode Island Avenue
Store Hours:
Monday-Saturday 11 am–7 pm
Sunday 12 pm–6 pm
the georgetown store
Buffalo Exchange
3279 M St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-2829
Location: West of Wisconsin Ave. at Potomac St.
Store Hours:
Monday-Saturday 11 am–7 pm
Sunday 12 pm–6 pm
WE ARE DISCONTINUING THE USE OF PLASTIC BAGS!
All Locations
Buffalo Exchange has officially gone “bag-less.” The company plans to discontinue all orders of disposable plastic bags for its 47 stores nationwide. This keeps a good deal of plastic out of landfills and prompts customers to remember an earth-friendly alternative for the trip home. The company’s change in policy is expected to keep an estimated 350,000 bags out of landfills every year.
Sustainable living and environmental considerations are a big part of the Buffalo Exchange company culture. The company is a leader in the used fashion resale category, intrinsically highlighting the benefits of reselling and recycling clothing. However, Buffalo Exchange gained notoriety following the introduction of its Tokens for Bags® program; a fund-raising effort that incentivized customers to opt away from using plastic bags by offering a “token” valued at five cents (the cost of one disposable plastic bag) that the customer could donate to one of several local charities every time he or she declined a plastic bag. The program has generated over $420,000 for hundreds of local nonprofit organizations since 1994 and has saved an estimated 8.4 million bags from landfills.
The move to “bag-less” is a logical next step, said Kerstin Block, President and Founder of Buffalo Exchange. “The large majority of our customers will understand that this is a move that is being made in the interest of our environment and that it is intended to begin changing the way we think about how we use disposable products in our everyday lives.”
What about those local charities? No worries. Even without bags, the Tokens for Bags® program will continue. Any customer who brings in their own reusable bag or walks out with their purchase bundled in their arms will still receive a token to donate. “These local charities bring immense value to our communities through environmental protection, animal rescue, and in other ways,” says Block, “and they have served as incredible community partners. The Tokens for Bags® program will continue to provide a fund-raising channel for our community partners and at the same time will thank our customers for living in a socially — and environmentally — responsible manner.”
[Posted Nov 29, 2012]
WE'RE OPEN MEMORIAL DAY, JUST FOR YOU!
All Locations
Hey Buffalos! The main office in Tucson, AZ will be closed for Memorial Day, BUT all of our stores will be open regualr hours on Monday, May 27. Enjoy your holiday weekend and stop by your local Buffalo Exchange!
[Posted May 7, 2013]
VINTAGE VIBE AT IT'S FINEST
DDI Magazine featured one of Buffalo Exchange's Washington, D.C. locations in their interior design project gallery on January 9, 2013: "The space boasts repurposed décor and an industrial-vintage vibe...Preserved natural brick and metallic, spiral ductwork set the theme for this vintage-industrial-inspired store."
"ARRIVAL OF THE THRIFT MECCA" BY THE WASHINGTON POST
The Washington Post Style Blog featured Buffalo Exchange in “Buffalo Exchange brings thrifty fashion to D.C.” on June 15, 2012: "Washington joins the ranks of Williamsburg and Boerum Hill. Our fashion savants, honored for their perpetual worship of the bowler hat, will be rewarded handsomely with a style sanctorian cemented on 14th Street. The arrival of the thrift mecca, the fabled Buffalo Exchange, means the end of an era, one where vintage addicts took seasonal Megabus trips to Brooklyn in search of Union Hardward roller skates. The cash on-demand thrift and resale chain, founded in 1974 in Tucson, Arizona, has over 40 stores that morph to fit the quirks of their communities... Selling both men’s and women’s clothes, Buffalo Exchange focuses on trends, not brands... New York scenesters and Elle editors speak of Buffalo Exchange like contraband, a place where cheap thrills and ecstatic highs come with the added bonus of being able to disrobe and trade your designer jeans for something new-to-you in the store."
WASHINGTONIAN: "STRAPPED FOR CASH, LOOK NO FURTHER"
Washingtonian’s ShopAround Blog writes “Buffalo Exchange Opens on 14th Street This Saturday” on June 14, 2012: “Here’s what you need to know about selling your clothes... For those unfamiliar, the premise is pretty simple: Customers are encouraged to bring in gently used clothing to be sold through in-store buyers; they can also shop the inventory that caters to both men and women... The store mostly desires items that closely follow current trends as well as striking vintage clothes and accessories... The store is also open to purchasing the 'best of all seasons'... And it’s okay if you don’t own designer everything. 'We don’t buy by brand... we don’t only buy vintage, we don’t only buy high-end. We carry basically everything.'”
THE WASHINGTON POST: "A FAVORITE OF HIPSTERS"
The Washington Post featured Buffalo Exchange in “Thrift store Buffalo Exchange to open location in D.C.” on Nov 6, 2011: “There are bound to be items in your closet that no longer jibe with your look – a velvet blazer, snakeskin wingtips or maybe those beloved acid-washed jeans from junior high. But soon after the first of the year, you will have a new option for what to do with those no-longer-needed items when Buffalo Exchange, a national chain of thrift stores, opens… The Tucson-based company offers cash on the spot, unlike consignment shops, for clothing and accessories, or invites customers to trade former favorites for new or new-to-you merchandise… A favorite of hipsters, Buffalo Exchange stores are often located in up-and-coming urban neighborhoods, like 14th Street Northwest… Buffalo Exchange is one of the largest for-profit chains in the resale business.”
buffalo bests
- Best Consignment Shop 2013 Runner-Up, Readers Poll, Washington City Paper, Best of D.C. 2013
- Best Second-hand Shop, Washington Blade, Best of Gay DC 2012
