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CHILDREN’S ORCHARD: Many Parents Now Including Resale Shops as Part of Back-to-School Shopping Hot Spots

Many parents know that their kids outgrow clothing and equipment so fast, it just makes sense to go to Children’s Orchard and purchase apparel, shoes, and equipment that are gently-used and like-new. The truth is, the store is full of pieces in great shape that have hardly been worn. Just like with your kids, the inventory comes from parents with kids that have outgrown their clothes before they even come close to wearing them out! Source: wxyz.com Children's Orchard screenshot from tv spot about back-to-school savings at Children's Orchard Getting your kids ready for school can cost you hundreds and in many cases, thousands. The reality is that saving money is the goal. We recently found thousands of families that are apart of a resale revolution and it’s growing in popularity. Families we found are saving on everything–from sports equipment for their kids, to shoes and gently used clothing. The National Retail Federation estimates that families will spend more than $24 billion dollars on back to school shopping this year. And while that number seems exorbitant, research tells an interesting story. Jennifer Pater is a mother of two and a teacher. Her kids, Avery and Aiden, are growing. Being under 10 years old, they grow more every day than most kids and that often calls for complete wardrobe changes and from season to season, changes to their sports equipment and gear. “We definitely have a budget so we try to stick within that budget,” Jennifer Pater said. On the day we caught up with her, she was busy reselling clothes her kids had already grown out of, clothes she says she bought from the resale store Children’s Orchard in Sterling Heights. Leslie DeArmant has worked at Children’s Orchard, a resale boutique store, for more than 16 years. “Everyone wants to save a buck and you can definitely do that here,” she said In fact Pater tells me she can walk out with a bag full of gently used name brand clothes for either one of her kids for about $30. She tells me to keep in mind that often that same $30 will only get you a nicely printed new t-shirt elsewhere. “We’ve been coming here for about 4 to 5 years. We come a couple of times a month to grab things that look great and are very inexpensive,” Pater tells Action News. Her son Aiden is 7 years old and with all the sports and extra-curricular activities he’s involved in  she finds herself at the store often buying sports gear because he grows out of it so quick. She sells back what he can’t wear anymore. Inside the Children’s Orchard store you could say the old adage fits in well, that saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” That’s true especially in their eyes. “We have a lot of people that sell to us to make money to buy the next year’s school wardrobe,” DeArmant said. DeArmant has seen the resale revolution grow. She’s seen the influx in parents wanting to stretch that dollar increase. She’s seen the growth in the number of parents focused on reducing waste by way of recycling and making money. According to America’s Research Firm, a consumer research group, 15% of Americans will save money by shopping in a resale store this year. That percentage is only expected to get bigger as more and more of you learn about the savings. The day our crews were in the store we found more than a dozen families coming and going. Some just stopping in to sell, others looking to buy, some believe it or not were doing both. In our findings, we learned many resale stores offer savings for those who choose to buy and sell right there on the spot. “Most of our customers do shop in here and they can earn 25% more if they take store credit,” DeArmant said. And what’s not to love about saving even more money doing business in the same place, right? “They’re amazing that they can come out of here with a bag full of clothing for $25, $30. The savings are amazing,” DeArmant tells Action News. First Research found that resale stores across the country will boast an estimated annual revenue of upwards of $12 billion this year. Their report also found that with more and more families aiming to stretch their dollar, especially with those who have kids growing, the number is expected to grow. They say it’s not surprising. Pater who is a teacher agrees and says she believes if more parents knew of what you could find at various resale stores, the resale revolution and back to school shopping would be redefined. “I’m a teacher nearby,” Pater says. “So I know a lot of the other teachers that I work with and Moms definitely come and sell a lot of their items and shop here a few times a month. We’ve always had a great experience with it.”

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.