Merchandise Exchange buys/sells used goods

It's been said by countless amounts of people in however many ways, endless amounts of times — these are trying economic times.

But what is interesting are the people who try to fix the seemingly unfixable, or at the very least do whatever they might be able to in an effort to ease the suffering of others.

"I feel like I'm doing humanity a good service," said John Serra, manager of The Merchandise Exchange in Utica.

In these times, many may have the inclination to hold on to what they have and keep what is valuable. But many others are redefining what is valuable to them.

The service that Serra — along with his wife of 31 years, Linda — offer, however, is "fast and fair" cash, on the spot.

Linda Serra owns The Merchandise Exchange — a resale and consignment store — a place where people can bring objects and collectables to sell and others can come to buy.

And those items can range from vintage, handmade Amish furniture to a certified framed and autographed picture of Muhammad Ali standing over a knocked-out Sonny Liston.

Antique silver and china sit below chandeliers and other vintage furniture in a showroom that ranges from the German-made pianos and ladies' accessories to gemmed jewelry made in-house.

And that's just the front room.

In an ever-expanding warehouse room, The Merchandise Exchange offers bedroom and living rooms sets, from four-posters to roll-top desks.

All, as Serra will tell you, at a very reasonable prices.

"It was the culmination of a life-long passion of the collecting of antiques," Linda Serra said. "And we decided it was the right time in our lives to open a store."

The name might sound familiar. For 18 years, John Serra hosted "Builder's Open House," a local show on WDIV-TV Channel 4.

He had a successful career in real estate before his businesses no longer stayed viable when the market collapsed.

That was when the couple — who have raised four children together — decided to start The Merchandise Exchange in the spring of last year. The business opened in October.

The husband-and-wife team have simple rules. They will take anything as long as it's worth selling and as long as it is clean and in good condition.

Those interested in selling can bring their merchandise to the store or call ahead and arrange to have it picked up by their team of workers and a pair of trucks.

If in the store, sellers can either consign their merchandise — keeping half of what the item is sold for — or negotiate a selling price to the store.

The Merchandise Exchange will also buy a whole household worth of items.

To John Serra, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the store, it all comes back to operating an above-average resale store, a place that can offer good people who may be down on their luck the quality items they need at the prices they can afford.

"People have things — beautiful things — that they never use," he said. "Things they now realize are only things. And that's just it — people need stuff.

"The prices reflect the times that we live in," he continued. "People still want to buy, they still want to have good stuff, but they can't pay what they once paid. So we fight hard to buy this stuff at the right price and sell it at a modest and fair mark."

Address:	6981 Auburn Rd. Utica, MI 48317 USA
Phone:	586-506-5311
E-mail:	jserraBVC@gmail.com
Hours:	Monday: 10AM – 6PM Tuesday: 10AM – 6PM Wednesday: 10AM – 6PM Thursday: 10AM – 6PM Friday: 10AM – 6PM Saturday: 10AM – 6PM Sunday: 12 - 5PM