Avalon Exchange

This was a great little gem of a thrift store that I visited while in St. Louis. It could be that I am originally from California, but Avalon’s prices were phenomenal! The only reason why I didn’t buy more was because my suitcase was too small. Lucky for them since I would’ve cleaned them out. I will certainly visit this store again if/​when I am in the area.

Okay so this place is just meh. I have the hardest time selling them clothes and finding something I really like here. The last time I came in here I spent hours combing through their unique items and really struggles with finding anything that seemed like something I would wear. The clothes seemed so out there and not really my style. I did find a few cute handbags. However, some of them were expensive enough that I could have easily bought a new one for the same price. Why get it used then?
I also tried selling clothes here as well, and I really struggled with them. I brought in bags and bags of items (on three separate occasion) that I thought were in great condition, but just ones I didn’t want to keep anymore. I only ended up being able to sell one dress.
My roommates, on the other hand, had such great experience with this place. I guess I just didn’t get great luck with this spot. All in all, not my cup of tea, but I’ve had plenty of friends who highly recommend this spot.

If you love to thrift. Avalon should be on your hit list.
They have it all:
Men’s & Women’s
Costumes
Shoes
Sunglasses
Scarfs
Hats
Jewelry
Patches/​Buttons
Skirts
Jeans
Shirts
Dresses
Purses/​Backpacks and much more.
In addition to selling merchandise they also buy your old hand-​me-​downs for a small fee. Turn your trash into someone else’s treasure at Avalon Exchange.
Thank me later.

Bought a few items, I like the option in St Louis (not a lot of vintage/​2^nd hand options).
Staff was too cool, that’s mostly ‘youth’ and misguidance! haaa; they will grow up and realize nobody cares about them! Would definitely return again, wish the prices were a tad lower.

«When you’ve mislaid a certain something, keep your cool and don’t get hot. Calculatus eliminatus is the best friend that you’ve got. Calculatus eliminatus always helps an awful lot.
The way to find a missing something is to find out where it’s not.» (Cat In The Hat, 1971 Dr. Suess.)Well this place reminds me of Hulabaloo and all the thrift store– off– the– wall-​cat-​in– the –hat, toungue –in-​cheek– grungy-​4-​non-​blondes– stores I frequented in college back in the late 90’s. I sold three items of clothing: catsuit (meow), corsette, and a bodycon red see through dress. I wasn’t expecting to get rich. I didnt know I was missing cash until I made some selling my clothes. Calculatus eliminatus. The store has neat and ecclectic things. You can either get cash (30%) or an in store credit. I opted for the cash. Staff were super friendly. From multi-​colored wigs, to odd pieces of jewelry, to boots, heels, corsettes, belts, etc. This place has it all when youre finding something you didnt know you wanted until you see it in the store.

Alright so this will be my final update on Avalon, as I’ve recently had a nasty experience there and it’s also become increasingly difficult for me to find anything. I came in for the dollar sale they have twice a year after not visiting for some time: I’ve recently gained a bit of weight and Avalon seems to be about 95% small/​medium. I went to the sale anyway, though, because I could still get some shoes, right? No. I went to the checkout and the cashier, who I think was the owner or manager, refused to take my husband’s credit card because it has his name on it and not mine, and my ID didn’t match it for that reason. This is against the merchant agreement with the cardholder (Visa) and I could have gone to an ATM to buy my items but I’m not giving this place my money anymore unless they fix this policy.

I went into Avalon Exchange in the hopes of selling some things. Their buying counter operates on different hours than their store, and knowing this, went in a full 20 minutes Before their buying counter was to close. I was told by the girl at the counter that she would not look at my items because there was no time left to. I was mostly just struck by how rude and unprofessional she was. I have shopped at Avalon Exchange several times prior to this but will never go there again after this. I cannot stress enough how extremely rude this woman was and how she belittled me.

To be honest with you the money is the bottom line and not the exchange of fashion and affordable clothing– I know people are like, «it’s thrift store/​boutique». Rag-​o-​Rama suited the loop more it was more a community type thrift. Now it’s exploiting trends and «vintage» fashion. Things shouldn’t be more than 5 or 10 $ the store has lost its community vibe. I’d rather give my clothes to a thrift store who isn’t so money hungry. Avalon exchange is to me a whole different animal then Rag-​o-​Rama. I guess you don’t miss stuff until it’s gone.

I really like this store. If you are looking for something different and you are into vintage clothing this is the place to be. The staff is phenomenal. Very helpful and friendly. Jewelry section is great. I do think their clothing is very overpriced to be a resale store. I saw a pair of Minnetonka boots in there for $ 32. Heck they retail for around $ 50 so why not pay $ 20 more and get them brand new.
They mostly carry vintage items and throw back tee shirts. But occasionally you can find something from H&M and Forever 21 there as well.
I have never sold any items here but I am planning on doing that soon so I will come back and update as to how that experience went. But I do like that they give a higher percentage if you chose to use the credit in store.

I love secondhand clothing stores. They can be addictive for me because I never know what I’m going to find. I once found an awesome dress at a resale shop for $ 1!
I’ve only lived here for a few years, and I had never heard of Avalon Exchange. I happened to notice it this week on my way to lunch in The Loop, and I couldn’t resist going inside to see what they offer.
This is a resale shop. They buy clothes from people like you and me at low prices, and then they sell those clothes in the store at higher prices in order to make a profit. According to the Avalon Exchange website, their «constantly changing inventory includes designer labels, vintage, denim, leather, current basics and one-​of-​a-​kind items.» Their website also lists examples of brands they carry. Some of these include Betsey Johnson, DKNY, Fendi, Forever 21, North Face, and True Religion. They might not accept clothing that has a lower-​end label, clothing that is not current, or clothing that is wrinkled, stained, worn, shapeless or damaged. Refer to their website for more information.
All I can say is that I am really confused by this store.
I’m a low-​maintenance person. I don’t know much about fashion. I just wear things I like. I didn’t stop here looking for high-​end designer items; I did not even know that is what they sell (or want to sell) until I came home and looked at their website. I was just hoping to find a good deal on something awesome.
Some Unilocalers have complained that the employees here are really picky about what they buy. I really don’t understand how that is possible. To me, this was like an overpriced Goodwill. For example, they were selling a well-​worn South County Hooters shirt for $ 10. That’s crazy. According to what they claim to accept (e.g., high-​end, gently used clothing), how the heck did that get in? More importantly, why was it $ 10?
The employees seemed to be friendly, and it was a fun place to browse. I just can’t say that I am a fan. Some of their prices are way off.
Did they have some cool stuff? Yeah. Could you find a good deal here? Probably. Will I go back at some point? I wouldn’t count it out, but it won’t be any time soon.

I always find something here. There is a variety, it’s all very trendy, there is always a unique piece or two and it’s honestly just a nice store.
But I will say this. If you’re looking for cheap steals or bargains, this probably isn’t the place for you. It caters more towards the university kids that live down the street than anything. And this is a consignment shop. Not a thrift shop like I hear so many people in the StL suburbs claim. They handpick through your used clothes, buy it for almost nothing, and sell it for probably more than it should be.
That being said, you can get jeans and shoes here for a little under what it would be at a mall. So just know you’re going in there for the trends and not the money saving.

Meh. For a secondhand clothing shop, the prices aren’t that cheap. For an offbeat place in the Loop, the clothes aren’t that cool. The women’s shirt sizes seem to stop at medium. I normally wear a 12 at H&M, and it’s difficult to find things to fit me here (besides, like, a dude’s t shirt with a weird sports logo on it).
However, the jewelery is fantastic. I consistently buy my favorite necklaces here. It’s kind of awkward because they hang them on a bar directly over the cash registers, but it’s well worth the effort to reach up and try to untangle the necklace you want while your shirt’s riding up and you’re blocking people from making purchases. Well worth it.

I will say I do like the clothes they have but they are extremely overpriced. My boyfriend found a short that he really liked and I like it too. It was beautiful but i looked at the price tag and it was $ 27. I could go to the mall and get a new shirt for that price. The women’s clothes were pricey as well. Shirts range from $ 9 – 24.
When it comes to selling clothes, I wouldn’t sell here. I got $ 10.50 for 2 pairs of shoes (I needed to get rid of them though I was dissatisfied with the offer) and they were going to give my boyfriend $ 6 for his authentic POLO shirt.
If you love what you pay for at the mall then you should have no problem spending your money here. The style of clothing is very hipster. But not worth it.

Awesome selection of gently used clothes, shoes, and accessories. More vintage/​hipster style and not much in the way of preppy. (Plato’s closet) is good for that. I get most of my Levi’s jeans here for around $ 15 – 20, not bad considering what they usually go for. Go check them out!

Im a senior in high school and come to the loop every now and then with friends. I go to Avalon because it’s fun to see what kind of crazy things they have; a lot of it seems costume-​like. I mean they have some crazy stuff, from sweaters with cows on them to bras with golden spikes. Every now and then, however, I’ll find something that I’d actually wear. Today, for example, I found a royal blue shift dress and a wool J Crew mini skirt, only spending $ 24.
On the lesser side, the prices aren’t that cheap. They more resemble a decently priced store in the mall, so don’t expect getting a steal for $ 3 like you would at goodwill! In addition, they are extremely picky when choosing clothes. I consider myself to be a fashionable person, and I take good care of my clothes. I brought in two large bags of clothes. I’ll admit there were a few things that were a little worn, but the majority of the clothes were still in style and only worn a couple times! They didn’t accept any of it. I at least thought that they’d take a few things, but apparently not! You’d think that with some of the worn and gaudy stuff in the store, they’d want some decent looking clothes too. I was a little disappointed, but I’d still recommend this store to anyone looking for a cool place to go!

Does anyone else miss Ragarama? I feel like it was a much better place when it was independently run. It is much more of a tourist attraction now with jacked up prices. Literally, I looked at an H&M men’s tee that is $ 5.95 at the actual H&M store and Avalon was selling it for $ 12.95. Seriously?! And if the prices weren’t bad enough, the girls who work here are always in a bitter mood. They treat every customer as if they were a tourist. It’s sad, this is such a cute place!

i’ve been here a few times and at first, i had some trouble finding things i liked.
about a year ago, i came by and found something i liked. however, it was almost 40 bucks. i could get a NEW dress from anthro for that price if i stalked the sale racks! thus, i didn’t get it.
last weekend, i came by and tried on two dressed. one of which did not look good on me. the other one was pretty cute and in good condition. It was under 20. I bought it and am a very happy camper now.
i like how they sort by sizes and categories — make my searches really convenient.
all in all, this place is well organized but kinda dimly lit. I like its location but not always their stock of things. I guess that’s part of it being a used clothing shop.

Pro: It’s really nice of them to hire the mentally handicapped.
Cons: over priced, rude employees, bad location, difficult to find parking

Eh… it’s ok. I’m not big into thrift shops because I don’t always enjoy hunting for deals but in the rare occasion I feel the need I will go to a thrift shop. There are several around the stl area and this is one that I used to work near. Although I still refer to it as rag-​o-​rama, Avalon exchange is in my eyes a slightly overpriced thrift store. I don’t even know if I really consider it to be one. When I think of thrift stores I think of used clothes for an amazing deal, not paying a few $ less than if it were brand new. I have yet to bring anything in this store to sell because I’m sure they would nickel and dime me, only to resell or for 1000x more. Like I said eh it’s ok. Nothing spectacular.

Okay I’m writing a new review because I wrote my last one literally as I was walking out of the store, fuming.
I have to say, I’ve shopped here before. And I do like the clothes/​shoes/​accessories whatever. But today I had a really bad experience.
I cleaned out my closet this weekend. I put all the t-​shirts, and worn down clothes in a Goodwill donation pile. And I had another pile with dressy-​ish clothes that I had worn either once or never at all. Literally still had tags on them! A few summer dresses, cute crop tops that I had just bought last summer, colorful tank tops, etc. I’m telling you, CUTE STUFF!
I had never sold anything here before, so I promised myself not to have any expectations. I mean, I was just gonna throw this stuff out anyway, so why not get even like $ 10 for it?!
The lady at the counter was soooo rude. I can’t even describe how much she must hate her job. Never smiled at me. Never looked at me. I could HARDLY HEAR HER. She started going through my clothes and I took a seat and saw she was sorting my clothes into two piles. I was like, YAY at least I’ll get some money for half my clothes. Then she looked at me and said «We can’t accept any of this. These styles are just too hard to sell.»
ARE YOU SERIOUS?!? I LITERALLY THOUGHT SHE WAS JOKING. NOTHING??? She didn’t even say sorry, or give me any further explanation. I’m STILL in shock. I told myself not to go into this with any expectations but I did NOT expect that.