Get good secondhand clothes and help a good cause PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 09 October 2008

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The latest in teen and young adult fashions can be found at the Garment Exchange. Courtesy photos
Special to the North San Antonio Times

San Antonio’s first secondhand clothing store focused on fashion-conscious teens and young adults, the Garment Exchange carries both new and previously owned fashionable merchandise.

The boutique store, located at 1860 Nacogdoches Road in Alamo Heights in the Carousel Court Shopping Center, opened earlier this summer and offers teens and parents a compelling opportunity to re-sell their gently-used clothing and buy a wide selection of designer and quality fashion brands. Much of the merchandise can be found in the glossy fashion magazines and has been seen worn by celebrities.

“We are thrilled to offer San Antonio students the place to trade, sell and buy gently used vintage and new fashions said Marilyn Caskey, owner of the Garment Exchange. “It is vogue and very smart shopping and it just makes sense. At a time when everyone wants to spend conservatively, our store is the perfect place to shop! We have great deals and it is fun ‘recycle shopping!’”

In addition to clothing and accessories, customers can find the latest jeans and fashion-focused T-shirts.

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Accessories are also available for sale. Courtesy photos
“My niece sold her almost-new items she wasn’t going to wear any longer and made a quick $70,” said Ronna Mangels, co-owner of the Garment Exchange. “She was thrilled and the other teens who purchased the designer jeans and tops loved buying the recycled treasures. She bought a collection of new jeans and tees with the money she made. Some of our customers bring merchandise with the tags still on the clothing!”

The process is easy. Stores sell goods for individual consignors, who technically own the item until the sale goes through and receive a portion of the transaction. High-end consignment is typically referred to as resale. After a while, consignment stores offer to donate a seller’s items to charity. Even wealthier customers who once donated now consign.

For those consignors who care about recycling, but don’t want to make money on the transaction, the Garment Exchange has designed a program to help Childsafe, a center for sexually abused children. People can donate their store credit to the Childsafe account and Childsafe will send teens in to use your credit to find cute resale outfits.

The Garment Exchange shopping experience is quaint and unique and the store is bright, clean and intimate. It is also a neighbor to two other consignment shops; one for adult women and another for adult men.

For more information, call 820-3000, or click on www.garmentexchangetx.com.

 
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