Walking through Downtown Fullerton, you are bound to stumble across a shop to your liking. Book, furniture, and thrift stores are only a hop, skip, and jump away.
Mustard Market
Mustard Market is a thrift store specializing in refurbished furniture and used clothing. The store is located on Harbor Boulevard as you enter the Downtown Fullerton vicinity. The parking lot sits awaiting its customer’s arrival, with a corner of the lot dedicated to refurbishing the donated furniture.
“You don’t go into a lot of thrift stores that are completely refurbishing things,” said Catherine Fernandez, the Mustard Market manager. “We work really hard at making sure everything’s clean. We do a lot of staging. And we do a lot of research behind our pieces. So, we will know the history of our things. The value of it.”
At Mustard Market, you can find everything from scented candles sets to the various knickknacks often seen on display in a collector’s home. Mustard Market and its staff are dedicated to the city of Fullerton and continue to support the community in many ways.
“We do a lot of community outreach. We are for the community. So, we work with a lot of nonprofits,” said Fernandez. “Every few months we do pop-ups out in our parking lot with different small businesses. So, if you make earrings or you have a candle business, you can apply and then you can sell out here in the parking lot. A little maker’s market.”
Buffalo Exchange
“I’m here at least once a week. The staff is incredible, and they know their stuff,” said Will Blankenship, an avid shopper at the high-end thrift shops. “You go to the Goodwill, and you can find the essentials. Buffalo Exchange is for people like me. People who love quality and the search for that one awesome piece. Or in my case, ten awesome pieces.”
Buffalo Exchange, only a couple blocks away from Mustard Market, is also located on Harbor Boulevard. It sits between Ziing’s Bistro and Bar and Above All Tattoo, the very popular Buffalo Exchange offers a trendy environment for the not-so-average clothing connoisseur.
Consistently busy, Buffalo attracts a variety of people. From Fullerton College students to the average person, many people can appreciate what Buffalo has to offer.
“What would usually cost close to $200,” Blankenship said, “you can find here for 30 to 40 dollars. It’s insane.”
Buffalo Exchange has a dedicated staff who goes through donations and offers a fair price. If a customer is looking to sell items, the customer is offered 20% of what Buffalo sells the items for, in cash. Or the customer can take store credit in the amount of 40% of their sale price.
It’s not a hard task to find quality, affordable clothing in downtown Fullerton, and Buffalo Exchange is a great place to start.
Goodwill
Goodwill is a thrift store that offers everything from affordable used clothing and furniture to kitchen pots and pans.
With over 16 Goodwill’s in Orange County alone, these thrift stores can be found in nearly every major city in the United States. In addition, these stores receive donations from the community daily, offering tax write-offs to their donators.
Thrift shopping is a way to give these items a new life. Goodwill specializes in its affordable prices and great discounts. Each Goodwill offers a discount on items featuring a specific-colored tag every week. The discounts range from 15% to 50% off.
A big bonus at shopping with Goodwill is that there is no sales tax. In addition, Goodwill is a nonprofit organization, which means much of its profit is invested back into the community.
