Mo Madden, Karen Leonard, and Jen Reeves making the rounds on Elmwood Avenue (photos by Sarah Barry)

Hey, Artvoice, we hear you’re doing a fashion issue. We’re three close girlfriends (Karen, Mo & Jen) who live in the Elmwood Village and love goofing around, sipping coffee and shopping on the Elmwood strip. It helps to shop together because we give each other advice—Mo absolutely cannot match clothes and desperately needs someone else’s opinion. We’d like to offer our brief thoughts on some of Elmwood’s popular stores.

Village Designs

448 Elmwood Ave, 716 881-7800

villagedesignselmwood.com

Village Designs is a sweet new store with mid to high priced styles targeting women 25-40. Everything is high quality and the store gorgeously appointed. Village Designs carries designer brands that are sometimes difficult to find like Black Orchid Denim, Rails, Heartloom and Bella Luxx. You’ll also find plenty of accessories, hats, scarves, clutches, jewelry etc. This store is an exciting addition to Elmwood.

Spoiled Rotten

831 Elmwood Ave, 716 884-3883

facebook.com/pages/Spoiled-Rotten

Spoiled Rotten is so cute! Every Buffalonian should check out their selection of unique Buffalo apparel that is usually even neighborhood-specific. They have a huge rainbow of candles and endearing knick knacks. Visit and you will surely be sporting a butter lamb pin!

Anna Grace

799 Elmwood Ave, 716 332-7069

shopannagrace.com

The rustic chic interior of Anna Grace makes you feel like you’re in another city, like Soho in NYC maybe. The patterns on the clothes in Anna Grace are really hip and beautiful, often ornate, and always special. They have tons of geometric, simple accessories to go along with their pieces to make a modern, balanced outfit. We’re all about this aesthetic, and they always post cute examples of new inventory on Facebook (facebook.com/AnnaGraceBuffalo). MV bought her mother a subtle-looking necklace with a New York State charm on it that she loved!

Second Chic

810 Elmwood Ave, 716 882-8222

secondchicbuffalo.com

Second Chic is our favorite consignment shop. They carry gently used stylish clothing. The whole girl squad are already regulars here and frequently scope the funky and exceptional finds. We also bring our own clothes to sell, as well (Call ahead and ask what they’re currently accepting to find out what season they’re looking for). We love the range of styles, time periods, and brands found here. The staff is friendly, helpful, and of course just so fashionable. Whether going to a wedding and finding a dress and heels, or the perfect summer outfit for the beach, you can find everything in here.

Urban Leisure & Luxury

736 Elmwood Ave, 716 884-9145

urbanbflo.com

I love the awesome, colorful clothing Urban offers. They have a healthy combination of active and dressy clothing for men and women and their sunglasses selection is the best in town.

You can find one-of-a-kind pieces that can even be a conversation starter. It’s a great store for finding an outfit for a special occasion!

Buffalo Fleece & Outerwear

758 Elmwood Ave, 716 883-4380

buffalofleeceandouterwear.com

Don’t let the name fool you, Buffalo Fleece has much more than its name suggests. Right now the store provides an exciting visit because they have so many adorable items for fall, although they carry top quality apparel and accessories for every season. They have excellent sweaters, vests, coats, socks and hats with cute, colorful patterns all made from natural materials. The brands are all top-notch and very classy. In a city like ours, outerwear is an important investment and we love that we have a local outlet for looking pretty and cozy.

Abraham’s Jewelers

798 Elmwood Ave, 716 217-2270

abrahamsjewelersbuffalo.com

We got hooked on the bling in the windows of Abraham’s Jewelers. This jeweler has everything from sterling silver to diamonds set in gold, rings, necklaces, earrings, watches, lockets etc. They offer repair and jewelry-buying services, and can also create custom pieces using desirable diamonds and gemstones. It’s so convenient to have all of that in just one place!

Campus Wheelworks

744 Elmwood Ave, 716 881-3613

campuswheelworks.com

Campus Wheelworks rules. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about cycling as well as skiing and snowboarding. It’s an indispensable resource for repairs and help with riding for a city that is quickly falling in love with bikes. They have tons of Jamis, Surly, and Felt models, as well as any bike accessory you can think of, bells, baskets, mirrors, lights, etc. We were all interested that they offered a Tuesday night group ride that ranged from not so far (our style), to too far. A friend signed up for the 12 mile ride and snapped up a cool Bern Helmet. Safety first!

Thin Ice

719 Elmwood Ave, 716 881-4321

thiniceonline.com

Thin Ice is remarkable because they have curated such a thoroughly crafty Buffalo-centric store by selling locally hand crafted, one of a kind gift items. This would be a fantastic place to stop for a unique and handmade good—especially if the person you have in mind is all about city pride and earthy looks. You’ll find hand turned wooden bowls made from trees from the October storm, handblown glass vases, suncacthers and other glass items. Metal wall pieces, knit scarves, bags, jewelry boxes—Plus, there’s a cat!

ShoeFly

801 Elmwood Ave, 716 886-3595

Shoe Fly is always on point with cool shoes for every season. I love the mixture of heels and boots spread across the store and they carry absolutely every style and color, as well as hip accessories that are bold in both pattern and concept. Whether going for an adorable, classy, or down-to-earth ensemble you’ll find what you’re looking for among their versatile selection.

Her Story Boutique

779 Elmwood Ave, 716 886-6457

herstoryboutique.com

Her Story boutique was among the most aesthetically pleasing shops on our list. The friendly shopkeeper proudly pointed at the large portrait on the wall: a beautiful portrait of herself and her daughter. The prices are extremely reasonable and the clothing is feminine and vintage with a lot of lace and pastels. The store feels like you entered your fashionista mom’s amazing walk in closet.

They will also custom blend perfume, organic body care and young living oils for you on the spot.

Blush

1005 Elmwood Ave, 716 768-0110

shopblushny.com

This affordable shop with its luscious interior has a variety of awesome brands like BB Dakota, Superga, & House of Harlow mixed with other items from around the globe. Extremely impressed by the chunky fun statement necklaces at Blush, as well as all their other accessories like headbands and earrings. They have managed to curate a style that is feminine and dressy without being overly delicate. Most women could reliably find something to wear or pair with an outfit here.