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CLOTHES MENTOR: A Lifetime Passion for Thrifty Fashion Turned Into a Career for This Franchisee

This is a great interview with one of our franchisees, Kathy Bosley. She tells us what she has learned over the years going from a teenager who loved fashion to an owner of a Clothes Mentor store in Tyler, Texas. Source: Entrepreneur.com Franchise Players is Entrepreneur’s Q&A interview column that puts the spotlight on franchisees.  Kathy Bosley has always been attuned to what is in style. As a teenager, she would shop in off-season stores and discount retailers with money she saved working up to three jobs at a time. These thrifty practices followed Bosley into adulthood and helped her discover Clothes Mentor, an upscale resale franchise. Today she owns and operates one of the most successful Clothes Mentor locations in the country. Here’s what she has learned.

Name: Kathy Bosley

Franchise owned: Clothes Mentor in Tyler, Texas

How long have you owned a franchise? My husband, Lane and I started the process in October of 2012 and officially opened for business in January of 2014. We have been open for business for about two years. He helps with the payroll and business end of things and I take care of the front of the store.

Why franchising? Growing up in the 80s I loved brands like Polo, Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt and Jordache, but it was challenging to afford them so I would try to find ways to get them at a lower cost. I would go to a warehouse that sold designer jeans for less and shop at stores like Marshall’s to get name brands for less. As an adult I continued to search for great deals on great brands by shopping upscale resale stores in Dallas. When my father died he left some money and I wanted to make a good investment with it. My husband and I decided we wanted to open a resale store like the ones I enjoyed in Dallas. I wanted to make sure the store had a lovely interior and wouldn’t look like a thrift store. I knew it needed great signage, matching hangers and racks, a lovely smell and a reliable computer program to price the items. Neither my husband nor I had taken any business classes so we knew we would need help.  A friend told me about Clothes Mentor in McKinney, Texas. My husband and I visited the store and knew right away, with their help, we would have the classy store we wanted! With their help we could have a successful business and fund our college for our three children and our future retirement.

What were you doing before you became a franchise owner? I originally went to the University of Houston planning to be a sportscaster and studied Spanish as my minor. While that was lots of fun, what I really wanted to do was teach elementary school. So, I went back to school to become certified and taught Spanish at the public school, private school and home school levels in Tyler, Texas. I opened the store and continued teaching the first two years, but realized I had too much on my plate. I now work in the store full time. I love helping women put together great outfits composed of great brands at an affordable price!

Why did you choose this particular franchise? I wanted a women’s upscale resale store and I knew I would need support. A friend told me about the Clothes Mentor in McKinney, Texas. I visited the store and knew it would be perfect. When I walked into the store I was very surprised by how new everything looked! I loved it because it was important to me that the store be clean and organized like a new-clothing store and never get the “thrift-store” feel.  With Clothes Mentor I knew we would accomplish that.

How much would you estimate you spent before you were officially open for business? To open the store we spent approximately $200,000. There was a $20,000 franchise fee and then we used the $180,000 to acquire all the store fixtures, finish the building of the location, purchase computers, $48,000 worth of clothing, as well as to pay staff and get the lease.

Where did you get most of your advice/do most of your research? At the very beginning I visited numerous resale stores. I asked lots of questions and decided what I wanted and didn’t want. Lane and I visited Clothes Mentor for a “Discovery Day” filled with lots of questions. After that we talked to Todd and Becky VanVuren at the McKinney, Texas store. Finally, we got wise counsel from some small business owners we knew in Tyler and from our church.

What were the most unexpected challenges of opening your franchise? Unexpected challenges included the building process and buying process taking much longer than anticipated, learning how to hire efficiently, and taming the budget after over spending on staffing and advertising the first year.

What advice do you have for individuals who want to own their own franchise? Do research that relates to your whole lifestyle, not just what will make money. The fact that I have a passion for getting great brands to ladies at an affordable price makes the challenges worth overcoming.  Also, rely on all that Clothes Mentor or your franchise provides to help you. They are in place to make you successful.

What’s next for you and your business? I am looking forward to a great year ahead with fantastic business. One of my favorite parts of owning the store is “mentoring” customers who want help putting together stylish outfits. We will be putting a larger emphasis on this in the coming year. This part of town near the store is developing greatly and I know we will benefit from this. I plan to have a much larger staff by the fall when a new middle school opens across the street from our store. I also plan to learn all I can at our Clothes Mentor conference this summer so I can strengthen areas I need to improve. Eventually, I hope to train a manager to take my place and spend more time with our three children.

Clothes Mentor franchisee Kathy Bosley standing in her organized store with many racks of clothes and shoes
Kathy Bosley in her Clothes Mentor Store (Image credit: Kathy Bosley)

Ronald G. Olson

President

Ron Olson has been President and a Director of NTY Franchise Company since October 2006. Ron’s background included starting his career at Dayton’s Department Store, where he held many management positions. In 1977 he opened his own furniture store in Minnesota, which was a Drexel Heritage prototype store. In 1988 he co-founded Grow Biz International, now called Winmark. The first franchise rights that Olson purchased and started marketing was Play It Again Sports. Olson continued buying the Franchise rights for Once Upon A Child, Plato’s Closet, and Music Go Round. Today there over 1,000 Franchise locations.

Under NTY Franchise Company, the franchise rights were bought for Clothes Mentor and New Uses. In 2013 Olson bought Laptop Exchange and changed the name to Device Pitstop. In 2014 the company opened NTY Clothing Exchange and NTY Kids, now Children’s Orchard. There are currently 204 stores sold and 133 stores opened under the NTY Franchise umbrella.

Chad Olson

Chief Operations Officer

Chad Olson has been Chief Operations Officer of NTY Franchise Company since January 2007. From May 1994 to December 2006, he held various positions for Winmark Corporation (f/k/a Grow Biz International, Inc.), including Field Operations Manager for the Once Upon a Child concept from 1999 to 2002, and Regional Operations Manager for the Plato’s Closet concept from 2002 to 2006.

Sarah Primmer

Vice President of Finance & Human Resources

Sarah Primmer is the Vice President of Finance and Human Resources for NTY Franchise Company. She joined the company in January 2014. Prior to joining NTY, Sarah spent over 25 years as the controller and business manager of a local sales and marketing firm calling on Target stores.

Michael D. Smith

Vice President of Strategic Planning

Michael D. Smith has held numerous roles with NTY Franchise since 2010. He is currently the Vice President of Franchise Development and Strategic Planning. From December 2000 to July 2010, Michael held the position of Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the franchise company Laptop Xchange. From June 1994 to December 2000, Michael held numerous roles within the Grow Biz International brands of Play It Again Sports and Computer Renaissance. These roles included Corporate Store Management, Field Operation Specialist, and Franchisee.

Jenny Mann

Vice President of Operations | Executive Director of IT

Jenny Mann is the Senior Vice President Clothes Mentor and Children’s Orchard. In February of 2024, Jenny took on her current role overseeing IT, Marketing and the e-commerce platforms for both brands. Prior to this, Jenny was the Director of Marketing for NTY Franchise Company since January 2013. Jenny started with the NTY Franchise Company in 2008 with Clothes Mentor and has held many roles, including; Store Manager, New Store Opener, and Regional Operations Manager. Before joining NTY Franchise Company, Jenny worked for Old Navy (Gap, Inc.) and Target in management roles.

Michelle Vaudrin

Senior Director of Operations

Michelle Vaudrin is the Senior Director of Operations for Clothes Mentor and Children’s Orchard. Prior to joining NTY Franchise Company in March 2016, she worked in leadership roles for Burlington, American Eagle and Macy’s. Michelle attended University of Wisconsin-Stout with a degree in Retail Merchandising and Business Administration. She brings extensive background in training of strategies, merchandising, customer service and multi-unit store operations to the team.

Ashley Huebner

Director of Marketing

Ashley Huebner oversees NTY Franchise Company’s marketing and advertising efforts to drive sales, build brand awareness and lead the planning on how to effectively market both brands. She leads creative initiatives for NTY Franchise Company, driving the brands’ vision in aesthetics, tone, and trends to elevate our brand position as a leader in the resale category. Ashley joined the Clothes Mentor team in March of 2015. Ashley has 8+ years of Graphic Design experience. Ashley holds a strong background in design, user experience, and a passion for creativity. She holds a BA degree in Advertising and Art.

Jessica Fix

Franchise Contract and Office Administrator

Jessica Fix is the Franchise Contracts and Office Administrator for NTY Franchise Company. She started with the company in January of 2018. Jessica works alongside the Franchise Development Team and provides office support to the headquarter office. She has 20 years in the franchise industry, previously working for Carlson Leisure Group/Travel Leaders Franchise Group in a variety of roles, such as Database Coordinator, Legal Contract Administrator, and Executive Assistant to the Franchise Sales Team.