Urban Exchange opens on Main

Author: Kelly Janis

For months, the dingy exterior of 73 Main St. has been plastered with colorful, enigmatic posters that promised that "something exciting" was in store for April. On Friday, the suspenseful signs were peeled away at last and replaced by a flurry of streamers and balloons, as Middlebury's newest clothing and gift store, Urban Exchange, threw open its doors.

The store's walls are enlivened by mock-grafitti spray painted by local high school students. Those walls house rack upon rack of apparel sorted by size, with an ample selection of new clothing, jewelry and accessories supplemented by a steady stream of used wares.

"People bring in perfectly good quality, trendy, name-brand stuff, and we give them cash on the spot," said store owner Karen Curavoo.

Curavoo was motivated to try her hand at retail by what she perceived to be "the need for a store for young adults," a need which she believes had gone previously unmet in Middlebury.

While the premise behind the store is simple, making the vision a reality was not. When asked to detail the amount of preparation behind the store's grand opening, Curavoo exclaimed, "A lot! Seriously, way more than I thought." Because she holds another job as Weybridge's Town Clerk, Curavoo was forced to get the store up and running in her spare time. "It's been around the clock," she said.

By Curavoo's assessment, however, the preparation paid off. "Business on the first day was awesome," she said. "It was so exciting to see so many people come in. We lost count at 300 people."

Many of the customers pouring through her doors on Friday came by word of mouth.

"We didn't advertise much, because we kind of wanted to have a slow first week so we could test things out," said Curavoo. Now that the store is beginning to gain traction, Curavoo plans to kick operations into high gear. Among Urban Exchange's specific goals is the maintenance of an adequately-sized children's section.

"You get girls in sixth and seventh grade who like to shop, but they're still in kids' sizes," Curavoo explained. "If you don't do a kids' section, they miss out."

Financial constraints, however, are an issue.

"You can't really make any money off of a kids' section, so we're hoping the other part will support it," Curavoo said.

Concerns related to space also factor into such considerations. "We don't have a lot of room," Curavoo admitted. "We would like to have a good selection of men's clothing, too. We had a lot of guys in here yesterday, but the guy's stuff is hard to get. It's hard to get guys to sell you their stuff."

Ultimately, Curavoo said, it's a matter of compromise.

"We're going to have to strike a balance or be a little crowded sometimes so we can have both children's and men's clothing."

Given their unique aims, policies and merchandise, Curavoo does not regard nearby thrift shops such as Round Robin and Neat Repeats as direct competitors. "I don't think we offer the same things," she said.

Where there is in fact, overlap, Curavoo believes Urban Exchange boasts the upper hand in its willingness to pay for clothing which some individuals may be reluctant to merely donate.

"I'm sure the thrift shops have Abercrombie and stuff like that, but because they don't offer to pay for it, I don't think they will get a lot of high school kids to donate their old Abercrombie pants to them."

Curvaroo believes her store will have its own niche in local retail.

"I don't want to compete with them," Curavoo said. "I want to complement what they have and try to offer things that aren't available somewhere else in Middlebury."

The ability to offer these novel items hinges on the store's willingness to avoid modeling itself extensively after others.

"People have been saying, 'oh, you should do piercings,'" Curavoo said. "And I say, 'no, Rainbow Room does that. Go over there.'"

Karen Curavoo's daughter, Jessi, is employed by the store. She said the reaction of her peers has been overwhelmingly positive. "I think it's a good thing for Middlebury. It's fun," Jessi Curavoo said. "It's nice to just come up here and hang out. I think we have a lot of different stuff that a lot of stores here don't have."

Although Urban Exchange strives to create an atmosphere which appeals to pre-teens and teenagers, Curavoo believes the store also has plenty to offer an older crowd, Middlebury students included.

"A lot of College kids don't have wheels or don't want to go to Burlington every time they want to get a Gap or Abercrombie or Old Navy item, and that's what they have to do. It stinks." Curavoo suggested that this out-of-town exodus may pose a detriment to the local economy. "Once you go to Burlington for clothes, you do everything else there, too. So I'm hoping [the store] will help keep Middlebury vital."

College students will certainly prove to be integral not only for clothing sales, but also for its donation.

"I would love to get the College students into the habit of regularly bringing their stuff in," Curavoo said. She hopes to garner student support in this effort, perhaps having a handful of individuals "sort of dealing right there out of their dorms, buying, making it convenient so students want to recycle their clothing and periodically bring it up here."

While Karen Curavoo harbors few illusions about the uphill battle she may face, she is ultimately optimistic about the future.

"I just want to have the store run well enough so that we can continue to be here," Curavoo said. "I've heard it's really hard to make it in retail in Middlebury. That's why you see a lot of stores with a lot of high priced things. I'm hoping that we can make ends meet."