Avalon Exchange, after starting small in Oakland, branches out with successful formula
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Checking out at the Squirrel Hill Avalon Exchange store. -
Items for sale at the Avalon Exchange in Squirrel Hill. -
Owners Tammy and Stuart McLean. -
Items for sale at the Avalon Exchange in Squirrel Hill.
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Imagine a store where Prada shoes and vintage polos intermingle in the aisles. Or a place to purchase low-key Gap jeans and a high-end Max Mara top -- for less than 50 bucks.
Retail entrepreneur Stuart McLean turned this vision in the late 1980s into a small shop in Oakland that has since evolved into a chain of cash-and-trade stores called Avalon Exchange in Squirrel Hill and Mt. Lebanon, as well as in St. Louis and Cleveland.
It also has tweaked its original business model a bit, transforming from exclusively vintage to an aggregator of gently used designer duds (some clothes still sport their original price tags). People can sell their clothes for money or store credit. The store also carries some new merchandise, mostly sunglasses, hats and jewelry.
"It's like a treasure hunt," said Mr. McLean, who runs the operation with his wife, Tammy. "People never know what they're going to find."
PG VIDEO: AVALON EXCHANGEDespite the down economy, Avalon Exchange's four stores have been doing well, bringing in a combined total of more than $2 million in annual sales, Tammy McLean estimated. The economy also did not stop Mr. McLean from opening the latest store in Cleveland almost seven months ago.
"Things are going really well," said Chelsea McLean, Mr. McLean's daughter who manages the new store. Like other locations, Cleveland's branch offers extra-small through extra-large sizes of men and women's clothing and accessories that appeal to a wide demographic. Shoe sizes typically range from 6 to 10.
"I think people are impressed that we have more to offer, more brands," Chelsea McLean said. "Different age groups can shop here -- not just high school kids."
Mr. McLean has been eyeing Cleveland since the late 1990s but couldn't find the right site, he said. When a venue opened up in a prominent shopping and dining area of Cleveland Heights, he seized the opportunity.
So far, Chelsea McLean sees Avalon Exchange as a good fit for Cleveland. "I think people here dress really well. It's a pretty fashionable city."
First Published May 24, 2011 12:00 am
