By BRUCE ROWLAND
PLATTSBURGH — You don't have to break the bank to be stylish, and you can even be green in the process.
That's the view of Peggy Tucker, owner of the Fashion Exchange contemporary consignment clothing and accessories store at 164 Boynton Ave. in Plattsburgh. Tucker recently began a program supporting Global Green USA, whose mission is stemming global climate change by creating green buildings and cities. Internationally, the organization is working toward eliminating weapons of mass destruction and providing clean, safe drinking water to people who need it.
Every time someone opts not to take a bag after making a purchase at her store, Tucker puts a nickel aside for Global Green, and customers also frequently donate their change. Not only does it cut down on bags in the environment, the donations mount up surprisingly fast. Starting in November, donations have also been going to the food shelf.
"I've always had an interest in that," Tucker said of environmental issues. The bag campaign dovetails nicely with her consignment business, which reuses clothing rather than throwing it away or having it sit unused in a closet. "It provides for less manufacturing, less shipping, less child-labor practices," she said, adding that people are eager to find any little way to help out.
"All the small efforts become a huge effort," she said.
Her motto is "relax, recycle and refuse to pay a fortune to look fabulous." She provides men's and women's clothing, jewelry and accessories and carefully picks out everything that comes into her store. She said many of the items still have the original tags and include new things that people bought and then, when they got home, asked "what was I thinking?"
"We look for higher-end labels, and the stuff I try to look for is current and in style," she said. "Most of my shoppers are really pleased with the bargains."
Benefits work both ways, with consigners also glad to get something for outfits they don't wear or items that just didn't work out. "I feel like I'm in a good position because I'm making both ends happy," she said.
Fashion Exchange takes consignments by appointment. Providers bring in clean items with a limit of 20 at a time. Merchandise stays on sale for 90 days and the consigner gets 40 percent of the selling price. If it doesn't sell by that time, general merchandise goes to a local charity and more valuable items go back to the original owner. Discounts off normal retail average 60 to 80 percent.
"I have a couple people who come pick things up and have lists of needy families," Tucker said of the merchandise that doesn't sell. Some items go to churches that support various charitable causes.
Tucker's family got into the business 17 years ago. Her father was a JC Penney manager and her mother wanted to open a clothing store, but felt it would be a conflict of interest. So she began the consignment shop and Tucker joined her as manager, learning the business and paying her dues. She took over the store in 2006.
She said business isn't exactly booming during the current recession, as she's not a thrift store selling shirts for a dollar and few people are going on spending sprees. But she's acquired a lot of new customers who are taking a second look in their closets to see what they really need and what they can get by without.
Not all her customers are women. "I have some very regular guys who come in once or twice a week to see what's new. I definitely need a men's department because a lot of women will shop for their husbands and their sons." Hunters come in looking for wool or men with new jobs but little money come in looking for suits.
Jeans can also be had for $10 or $11. "My college crowd has a lot of guys," she said.
Tucker is a careful shopper for used items. "There's a lot of brands I don't take because I know about the quality." In fact, it makes her feel bad when she has to turn down something like someone's favorite sweater because there's a quality issue or she knows it just won't sell.
Some consigners come from as far away as Montreal, Burlington or Lake Placid. Many times, when people move away, they find it a good time to clean out their closets and take only what they really need.
"Most of my customers come in here because they love clothes," she said, which gives her something in common with them right away, and she's made many friends.
"It's kind of like a barbershop," she joked. "I know things about their lives and they know things about mine. I feel lucky to have this. I enjoy my relationships with my customers."
For more information, call the Fashion Exchange at 562-2302.
