Ahh, Earth Day week in Eugene. It is a celebration full of music, environmentally conscious activities and … shopping? It is if your destination store is Buffalo Exchange.
The funky clothing exchange, located at 131 E. Fifth Ave., will hold its annual Buffalo Benefit for Earth Day sale on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Selected items, from sweaters to shoes, will be priced at $1. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Buffalo Field Campaign. The nonprofit group is dedicated to documenting and preventing the slaughter of the last free-roaming buffaloes, located in Yellowstone National Park.
Buffalo Exchange marketing director Michelle Livingston said Buffalo Exchange has been concerned with environmental issues since its 1974 conception. She added that customers should visit the sale for two reasons.
“First of all, it’s a great bargain, and you can feel great about getting such an awesome bargain because all the proceeds go toward an environmental cause. We’ve raised almost $49,000 for environmental campaigns through this Earth Day benefit since 1997.”
Livingston said the company holds the sale because it is genuinely concerned with the issue behind the benefit.
“We do care about what’s happening to buffaloes, and I think it’s important that people are aware of what’s happening at our national parks,” she said. “It’s really scary, and that’s why it’s extra-important this year.”
Eugene store manager Mary Kolego said the sale provides important assistance to the Buffalo Field Campaign, given that the organization is a grassroots program.
“Every dollar really helps them,” she said.
She added that Buffalo Exchange usually sees more customers during the sale than on any other day.
“We get a lot of people who maybe normally wouldn’t come,” she said. “It’s usually a very good turnout.”
Livingston said people can feel positive about shopping at Buffalo Exchange any day of the year because the company donates regularly to nonprofit organizations through special programs, such as their tokens-for-bags option, where customers can opt to receive a token rather than a bag, to donate to one of the store’s nonprofit recipients.
Kolego added that the Earth Day event, while centered on a serious concern, is also fun. During the sale, the store will host jazz musician Michael Hallsensius. The day will include free giveaways, informational video screenings, petitions and, of course, fashion.
“We do have an eclectic selection of clothes,” Kolego said. “So it’s kind of a treasure hunt.”
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