The Exchange Celebrates an Expansion Milestone

The Exchange (formerly the Woman’s Exchange) is celebrating its new, 3,000 square-foot furniture wing and freshly renovated clothing, jewelry, art and housewares departments, Friday, November 9, and Saturday, November 10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. This free event, open to the public, offers opportunities to register to win free gifts, including a Huffy Cranbrook bicycle and a selection of high-end creations by famed designer Isabella Adams. A 10-percent discount is available on Friday and refreshments will be served both days. The Exchange is located at 539 S. Orange Avenue in Sarasota.

“We’re thrilled to show off our brand new look,” says Karen Koblenz, The Exchange’s executive director and CEO. She explains that the new 3,000-square-foot furniture wing, designed by Hoyt Architects, greatly expands the consignment shop’s offerings.

“This allows us to devote an entire wing to furniture,” she says. “We can now give more space to other departments. That includes a gallery of works by regional artists and a new men’s clothing department—one of the few of its kind in the area.” Koblenz adds that the iconic consignment shop now encompasses approximately 15,000 square feet and covers half a city block. She explains that the bigger footprint, which also adds 36 parking spaces for customers, was designed to raise more funds for the grants and scholarships it awards annually to high school and college students in Sarasota and Manatee counties, and local arts and cultural organizations—more than $8 million since it was first established in 1962.