Feature
by Laura Wutzke
Portland's geography puts it in the middle of this fashion mayhem.
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Thrift stores sell clothing
at thrifty prices
Portland is situated in a unique place between Seattle and Southern California. Fashion trends seem to trace their way from one end of the western seaboard to the other. Portland's geography puts it in the middle of this fashion mayhem.
College students usually try to keep track of the trends but sometimes find this difficult when they don't have a trust fund and have to manage on a college budget. One answer for college students is to visit second-hand or thrift stores. Portland offers a variety of stores including thrift, consignment and vintage clothing stores.
The Goodwill
Goodwill Industries has a number of thrift clothing stores in Portland. The stores contain a huge variety of fashion items. Rack after rack of clothes fill the Goodwill store closest to Multnomah Bible College at 1640 N.E. 122nd Ave. This Goodwill sells women's, children's and men's clothing and a variety of other goods, including books, housewares and toys.
The women's clothing includes sweaters, shirts, dresses, coats and pants. Most of the clothing is sorted according to color or size, making a search for a particular item in a particular color and size easier. The men's clothing section includes jackets, T-shirts, sweaters and pants. The children's section has a smaller number of items, including the garden variety of clothing: pants, shirts, jackets, etc. The clothing in these sections is divided in the same manner the women's section is divided.
The racks of clothing are jammed with items in not only solid colors but also in swirls of colors. Fashions from the '70s, '80s and '90s mingle to create a hodgepodge of designs. Paisley and polka dots share the same racks with vertical and horizontal stripes. The hippy-inspired '70s bell bottoms hang next to ostentatious '80s sequined pants and minimilist '90s stone-washed jeans.
Forty-five thousand garments are received each month in Portland Goodwill stores and 1,500 garments are sold each day. Most of the clothes are in average repair. Some garments are stained, severely worn or have rips or holes. A few labels like Eddie Bauer can be found after a little detective work, but the majority of clothing has discount-clothing brand labels.
The Goodwill store on 122nd Avenue does not specialize in any one type of clothing. Casual and business clothing are available, along with formal attire and work clothes. The prices for most clothing ranged from $5 to $15.
Goodwill receives donations of clothing and other textiles and resells them in their stores. The employees in the stores are individuals who would otherwise find it difficult to obtain employment because of disabilities or special needs.
Eighty-four percent of the proceeds from the sale of goods at Goodwill stores benefits charitable programs, according to the Goodwill Industries official website.
Goodwill obtains the majority of its clothing through donations at its drop-off locations. Employees sort through the clothing and then place it on the racks. Severely soiled garments are thrown away. No items are refused at the drop-off locations.
The Buffalo Exhange
The Buffalo Exchange clothing store, on the other hand, is picky about the items they accept to be resold. The Buffalo Exchange is a thrift and vintage clothing store that buys clothing from individuals for 35 percent of the resale price or gives trade-in coupons for 50 percent of the resale price.
The Portland Buffalo Exchange is located at 1420 S.E. 37th Ave., one block north of Hawthorne Street, around the corner from the Oasis Café. The Buffalo Exchange accepts a variety of styles but buys only the "best fashions, styles, sizes, fabrics, condition, and function," according to the Buffalo Exchange Corporation's website.
Vintage dresses are found in the store along with designer labels such as GAP, Polo Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic. The items are a bit worn but seldom have stains or rips. Women's, men's and a few children's clothes share the floor space with designer label shoes such as Kenneth Cole, and miscellaneous items, such as hand-made candles or car ornaments.
The prices for clothing range from $10 to $15 for a shirt to $20-$30 for a dress or coat. One-of-a-kind items are found in abundance at the Buffalo Exchange. The store sells both modern and traditional fashion items. A long leopard-print skirt was racked next to a knee length A-line skirt.
The Buffalo Exchange has a rack completely reserved for vintage items, which includes items from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Some of the items have a few stains, but the majority is in good repair. The colors are a bit faded, but should be expected from vintage items. The fabric of the majority of the clothing is of average to good quality, guaranteeing a long life even when bought second hand.
The very first Buffalo Exchange was opened near the University of Arizona 25 years ago by Kerstin Block. The corporation has expanded to 17 stores in seven states, with revenues of more than $20 million.
The Why Not Shop
The Why Not Shop, a women's quality consignment store, is a slightly smaller enterprise. The owner, Mary Ann Martinez, is a small-business owner who personally approves all the items that are displayed in her store.
The Why Not Shop specializes in clothing for the working woman including business and casual dress. The store sells business suits and dresses as well as sweaters and slacks. Designer labels are exclusively sold.
Labels such as Ann Taylor, Liz Claiborne and Adrienne Vittadini sell for around $15 to $50. A few power suits, suits cut using a design traditionally reserved for men, are sold at the store. A bright orange Ann Taylor suit was on display above a collection of thick cable-knit sweaters in an assortment of colors. Cashmere clothing items were kept beneath the glass counter at the front of the store.
Most of the clothing is on consignment with individuals, which means that individuals receive a percentage of the profit from each item of theirs that the store sells. The owner accepts only those items that adhere to the quality of those sold elsewhere in the store. None of the items were stained, ripped or worn.
Portland offers a variety of places to shop for quality clothing at reasonable thrift store prices that don't tax a college student's clothing budget. The taste in fashion tends to be eclectic of late, and these three clothing stores offer a variety of different tastes and styles. Quality items can be found, and there is no end to the sheer volume of items to be searched through.
Laura Wutzke is an avid thrift store shopper and often goes through clothing phases.
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