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Clothes Mentor: Celebrating 10 Years of Leading the Charge in Women’s Resale

NTY Franchise Company’s flagship brand, Clothes Mentor, was recently featured in Franchising USA in honor of its 10th anniversary. Check out some amazing figures coming out of Clothes Mentor’s success in the brand’s brief history:

Franchising USA publication 10 year anniversary clothes mentor

Click here to view the digital article.

NTY—Clothes Mentor 10th Anniversary

Thousands of franchise brands use their 10th anniversary to brag about the millions of dollars they’ve made selling goods and services in their communities. Women’s upscale resale clothing franchise Clothes Mentor can look back at their first decade and celebrate the millions of dollars they’ve paid to the people in their communities.

$180 million, to be exact.

This February, Clothes Mentor and their parent company, NTY Franchise Company, celebrate 10 years of not only offering gently-used name-brand and designer clothing, shoes and accessories for up to 70 percent off of original retail prices, but paying cash on the spot to the women who bring in their gently-used clothing, shoes and accessories. From their first franchise in Canton, Ohio, launched in 2007 to more than 150 stores nationwide today, Clothes Mentor locations can be found in 29 states and 132 cities throughout the United States.

“This has been an amazing 10 years. I am thrilled to be where we are after 10 years of growth. We would not have been able to accomplish what we have without the hard work and dedication from our franchisees and Clothes Mentor corporate staff in Minneapolis,” said Chad Olson, COO of NTY Franchise Company.

Resale pioneer abandons retirement to launch resale revolution

As a child, Ron Olson worked in the theatre his parents owned and watched the many movies that showed how the rich and famous lived. He thought maybe some day he could be rich like that. In 2000, at the age of 58, he reached that goal when he retired a multimillionaire after building GrowBiz, his empire of resale stores that included Play It Again Sports and Plato’s Closet. In retirement, Ron golfed. He dabbled in real estate. He travelled. He went crazy. He decided that retirement wasn’t for him.

“I was bored. I love work and it drives me,” he said. “I had to get back in the game.”

By 2006, The Godfather of Resale was at it again. On a visit to Columbus, Ohio, Ron’s friends Lynn and Dennis Blum, the founders of Plato’s Closet and Once Upon a Child, introduced him to their new women’s upscale resale store, Clothes Mentor. Olson saw potential. He jumped out of retirement and started NTY Franchise Company, purchasing the three Clothes Mentor locations and hiring his son, Chad, who helped him grow the brand.

“There are still plenty of open markets for Clothes Mentor across America. More and more Americans today want an alternative to thrift in their market, and Clothes Mentor provides them that with its brightly lit, clean and organized shopping environment,” Chad Olson said.

By March of 2014, Clothes Mentor had grown to more than 100 stores. The concept was a hit with franchise owners who loved being their own boss as well as cash-strapped consumers still suffering financially from the great recession of 2008 but wanting to enjoy the designer retail brands at Clothes Mentor’s resale prices.

Today, resale is a $12 billion industry with Clothes Mentor leading the charge in upscale women’s clothing. Over the last decade, they’ve sold more than 28 million units of clothing, recycled 42 million units, and created almost 6,000 local employment opportunities.

Making dreams come true

For Clothes Mentor franchisees, the business has provided more than just an income. It’s been a life-changing event. Franchisees like Mike and Melanie Harris of Edmond, Oklahoma, were able to return to their home and be with their families thanks to the opportunity provided by Clothes Mentor.

“We are thankful to have found the opportunity to own a Clothes Mentor franchise. Because of this, we moved back to our home state of Oklahoma to be near family, which encouraged more family to move here as well. We doubt this would have happened in the three years we’ve been here, without this major life change,” they said.

For others, purchasing Clothes Mentor franchises wasn’t just about being close to family, it meant working in the family business. Sisters Sadie Cherney and Alyssa Cox each own multiple Clothes Mentor locations in North and South Carolina. Their parents had owned resale stores since Sadie and Alyssa were teenagers, giving them a firsthand experience into the wonderful world of resale.

“Having the Clothes Mentor franchises has been a wonderful experience for our family to grow together in the resale industry. Opening a business is always a risk, but we felt strongly from the beginning with our parent’s past experience in resale franchises that it was a profitable opportunity. We look forward to opening more in the near future,” Alyssa said.

Sadie agrees.

“Growing up with family resale franchises provided a framework for my sister and I to appreciate recycling and value-driven shopping,” she said. “We’ve been able to build a work culture that takes great pride in our small businesses, as well as a mission to be involved in and supportive of the communities where we are located.”

Kathy and Lane Bosley own Clothes Mentor in Tyler, Texas, and are hoping their daughters can learn similar lessons by seeing their mom and dad win with their franchise store.

“We are thankful to show our children (ages 9–16) how to own a business. We’re thankful they’ll see how much hard work is required, how important good character is and what a blessing it is to work together as a family!” she said.

More to come over the next 10 years

Clothes Mentor recently launched a free personal shopper program where customers submit their sizes, style preferences and budget either by phone or online, then one of the store’s fashion experts selects outfits for the customer to try on upon arrival. The personal shopper program is currently active in 105 stores and will continue to expand in 2017.

NTY Franchise Company plans to launch 25 Clothes Mentor stores in 2017 and hopes to open around 25–30 per year over the next decade, making Olson and his team very optimistic for the future.

“The next 10 years are going to be awesome. We will be approaching 500 stores, and our franchise base and the customers we serve will have grown dramatically. The jobs our franchisees have created will have helped thousands and thousands of Americans. Only in franchising can you get this kind of trifecta.”

Click here to see more from Franchising USA.

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.