TUCSON, Ariz. — It's not easy to define Kerstin Block's style, but her daughter Rebecca Block, Buffalo's new CEO, pinned it down to one thing:
"She made long denim skirts; she did love polka dots, big shoulder pads, and a little peplum. She was really into clothes," Block said.
Kerstin Block made clothing her career, opening the first Buffalo Exchange in 1974. Over the years, the 400-square-foot shop in Tucson grew into a nationwide brand with 41 stores in 15 states.
Though each store is different, they're all a reflection of Kerstin's personal style: eclectic and constantly changing.
"I always feel like there's something different," said Jesus Arana, a customer who visits the store regularly for the constantly changing inventory. "I come here pretty often— at least twice or three times a month. I always walk out with something."
At Buffalo stores, the sourcing comes from the shoppers themselves.
One seller, Alicia Prettyman has been shopping and trading with Buffalo Exchange since they first opened: "My first experience with Buffalo Exchange was when I was about 14," she said. "I was at the original store; I went in with a box of clothes and didn't sell anything."
That wasn't the case during her recent visit. She walked in with eight bags and left with only two.
"I have things in my closet— I look at them and wonder why did I ever buy this?" Prettyman said. "If you can pass it on to someone else and they can use it, it's way better than throwing it in the garbage."
This approach puts clothes back in season in a sort of community closet.
"You'll always find a really big assortment. You find one of something, you aren't going to find more of it," another shopper noted.
That's something that won't change, even as the company's leadership does. Rebecca says she's teaching her daughter to take over one day to keep expanding that community closet, so shoppers all over the country can discover their own undefinable style, just like Kerstin did.
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