In light of the civil unrest and heart-breaking events that have devoured 2020, we want to shine a light on the positive ways people are making changes to support equality. How does a clothing store help equality? Can a retail store help bring more equality to our nation?

Bid and Buy was born, over and over again, throughout my childhood. It was born every time I went to the store with my mom or dad shopping for school clothes, groceries, and household needs. We did not shop at the mall, like my friends or the cool kids at school. We shopped at thrift stores and flea markets. When it came time for school dances, we looked in the classifieds. School supplies were off-brand things that broke all the time. There was always something breaking in our house, because the nice stuff was expensive and money did not grow on trees. In second grade I had to get glasses, which to any child is frightening, "What will the other kids think?" I wore thick, ugly, pink and purple glasses for years, because the nice thin lenses with the stylish frames were "a waste of money."

I love my parents and I know they both worked hard. My brother and I did our best to never let our disappointment show because we did not want to hurt their feelings. Our parents did the best they could with what they had. This is not a story about an ungrateful child who wanted nothing but the best and was never satisfied. I was happy for the clothes we bought on the border of Mexico instead of shopping at Dillards. I was happy to get a used bike because I wanted to ride with the wind. I was happy to eat Top Ramen for dinner because regardless what it costs, Top Ramen tasted good. But usually I was happy because shopping meant spending time with my family. I was happy with the glasses that made me look like my eyes were golf balls, because I could see far distances again. Home was a safe place to be in poverty.

When I left the safety of home, that is when I experienced shame. It felt shame with every laugh because of the way I looked, every insult about the clothes I wore, and every shove because I was a nobody with coke-bottle glasses. As hard as I have tried to forget some of these experiences, certain stories will always be with me. Like sitting on the bus stairs all the way to school because no one would scoot over and share their seat with me. It was cold on the bus stairs, and dirty.  

Bid and Buy is for all the kids that understand too soon that people can be cruel and judge on superficial things like looks or what someone may or may not have. Look at the news. To this day people are being judged by the color of their skin! So many things that are beyond our control cause harsh judgement from others. We cannot change all the wrongs in one day, but Bid and Buy is committed to doing what it can, one purchase at a time. Bid and Buy is for all the parents that work really hard, but cannot afford to buy things that give their kids confidence equivalent to that of their peers. Bid and Buy is for everyone that wants to own nice things that don't break after five uses. Bid and Buy is for people who work hard and deserve the best at a price that is fair.

Bid and Buy sources the best name brands at the lowest prices, so we can pass those savings onto you. At Bid and Buy you pay less than, but you never feel less than.