Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Giovanni Centurione. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Giovanni, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I believe what it takes to be successful is to dare to be think outside the box and be unique. It’s great to get ideas but have your own take on it. For instance, I’m the only local streetwear in Buffalo that does NOT do buy or trade. I don’t want to risk having a knock off and or stolen item/s in my store. I only buy directly from the designers.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Giovanni Centurione, born in Buffalo, NY lived in NYC from 1998-2010, during that time I fell more in love with fashion, especially when I landed a job as an assistant and key holder for a designer on Orchard Street in his shop back in 2005. That’s when I first knew, someday I would love to own my own store.
When I moved back to my hometown of Buffalo, I had trouble finding any outfits I really liked, I kept having to go back to the ‘city’ to do all my clothes shopping. People in Buffalo seemed to really like what I was wearing and I always wanted my own store, so I figured, why not give it a try? In March of 2016, I opened my first location inside a mini mall in downtown Buffalo with only two racks and a display table. The original concept was to be a unisex store, but after shopping around, I started liking more and more of the men’s gear and figured we already had a good amount of women’s boutiques out here, why not be different and go all men’s. The style I carry is streetwear meets urban contemporary. We have a mix of crazy tees and jackets to a plain black tee, duffle bags, designer sneakers and in the last four years we began carrying new and old hip hop & r&b records.
During the first two years in business when I was downtown, I spent every weekend at local fashion shows either showcasing or doing a vendor table to get the word out there, even standing out front of the building where we were located, passing out coupons and cards to get people inside to check us out. In Spring of 2018, I was ready for an actual storefront in a better location. That’s when I moved to Buffalo’s Allentown Neighborhood, located just north of downtown and have been since.
Some of the things I am most proud of is winning the Best of WNY 2023 ‘Best Storefront Display’ and that same year landed a deal with Buffalo Bills player, Damar Hamlin’s clothing line, Chasing Millions. Making us the only store in all of Western New York to carry his line. We have more many more moments, but those two stand out the most.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Before I decided to officially open my business, I was originally saving money to move back to NYC, I was currently working part-time at a job that wouldn’t allow me to advance. I would hop on the midnight Mega Bus, get there eight hours later in the morning, go to a friends house to shower and change and go job interviews. Problem was, the jobs I really wanted didn’t call back, and the ones I didn’t really care for did. I even worked a retail job near Times Square for an entire shift before realizing this was a commission only gig and the hours were more than eight a day. Back to Buffalo I went, lol
But, I did make friends who owned their own boutiques and asked a million questions on how they started, about how much they thought I should have saved before I started my own. So, I just worked as many hours as my job would let me, even offering to take more responsibilities to stay longer, saved as much as I could for several months before I felt it was time. Even went through all my belongings and posted on eBay everything I didn’t use or need anymore.
Once, ready, I went downtown, got my DBA and went shopping around for a retail space, pun intended. Best part is, when I found that spot, the rent was lower than I anticipated (win win) and I signed that lease.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what helped me build my reputation was the fact I was already a face in the community prior to opening and kept the momentum going. I often let local designers do a Pop Up in my store and local artists do open mics once here. Also, I’m more than willing to spread any knowledge I can if asked on how to start a business. Hey, that’s how I learned.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://trendupstore.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trendupstore/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrendUpStore
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TrendUpBuffalo
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/trend-up-buffalo
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@trendupbuffalo