Downtown Richmond has its own answer to fast fashion’s price tags at Uptown Cheapskate Broad Street, a buy-sell-trade clothing store at 315 West Broad Street where the racks turn over almost as fast as the neighborhood around it. The store sits within easy reach of The Fan, Scott’s Addition, and Shockoe Bottom, three of Richmond’s most walkable and closet-conscious neighborhoods, and ample nearby parking makes a stop convenient whether someone is coming from a Broad Street lunch spot or driving in from across the James.
The concept is straightforward and built around a two-way exchange. Shoppers browse racks of gently used, name-brand clothing and accessories priced up to 70 percent below original retail, while anyone with a bag of clean, current-season pieces can bring them in and walk out with cash on the spot or store credit worth 25 percent more than the cash offer. No appointment is needed, just a valid government-issued ID and merchandise in good, sellable condition. Store hours run Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm, though the buying counter closes an hour before the doors do, so anyone hoping to sell should plan to arrive with time to spare.
The inventory mix leans toward the labels Richmond shoppers already look for: Nike, Lululemon, Free People, Coach, Adidas, Brandy Melville, and Reformation all show up regularly on the racks alongside a rotating cast of other recognizable names. At any given time the store is also actively seeking specific categories to restock, and heading into cooler months that has meant a particular push for fall and winter styles, sneakers, boots, and men’s fashion, a signal to anyone cleaning out a closet that those categories are especially likely to earn a same-day offer.
What separates this model from a standard consignment shop is the immediacy. There’s no waiting weeks to see whether an item sold and no percentage-of-sale split to track down later. The transaction happens in one visit, on the spot, which suits a downtown customer base that tends to move fast and doesn’t want inventory sitting in limbo. For buyers, that same fast turnover means the selection changes constantly, rewarding repeat visits over a single one-and-done shopping trip.
The Broad Street location’s position in the heart of downtown Richmond, rather than out in a suburban strip center, also shapes who walks through the door. College students, young professionals, and downtown residents make up a natural customer base for a store built around trend-forward, name-brand basics at a fraction of department store prices, and the store’s proximity to several distinct neighborhoods means its customer mix and its donated-and-resold inventory both reflect a cross-section of the city rather than a single suburb’s closets.
For anyone in central Richmond looking to refresh a wardrobe without paying full retail, or looking to turn unworn clothes into fast cash, Uptown Cheapskate Broad Street offers a simple answer: bring in what you don’t wear, walk out with cash or credit, and shop name-brand fashion at up to 70 percent off in one of downtown Richmond’s most accessible retail corridors.
