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CLOTHES MENTOR: Ardmore Store has Treasures for Everyone

Photo courtesy Mainline Media News: Clothes Mentor Ardmore Owner Sharon Nagy poses with a poster of an article featuring  herself at 7-years-old selling Kool-Aid from a cart her father made. She hopes to raise money for medical research into the disease that took her father's life.
Photo courtesy Mainline Media News: Clothes Mentor Ardmore Owner Sharon Nagy poses with a poster of an article featuring herself at 7-years-old selling Kool-Aid from a cart her father made. She hopes to raise money for medical research into the disease that took her father’s life.

Check out the Mainline Media News article about the soon-to-be-open Clothes Mentor store in Ardmore, Pennsylvania:

Clothing has the power of transformation. A new little black dress, shiny red heels or a tailored coat can make a woman feel like a million bucks. Yet, why spend most of a paycheck on expensive clothing? Clothes Mentor, a franchise of stores based in the U.S., buys and sells previously owned designer clothing at 70 percent off the original retail value.

“Clothes mentor is unlike consignment, we do pay cash, on the spot. It’s a resale shop like you’ve never seen before. It’s not a thrift store, it’s not a step up from that, it’s really a concept where the modern, fashion-conscious woman can come in and be outfitted in something that’s new, fresh and exciting,” Sharon Nagy, owner of Clothes Mentor Ardmore, said.

The store, at 50 Greenfield Ave., Suite 56C, is set for grand opening on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. During the grand opening event, the first 25 customers in line will receive mystery gift cards, ranging in value from $10-$25 dollars.

Photo courtesy Mainline Media News: A glimpse into the Clothes Mentor store at 50 Greenfield Ave., opening Feb. 4.
Photo courtesy Mainline Media News: A glimpse into the Clothes Mentor store at 50 Greenfield Ave., opening Feb. 4.

Stepping into the store is equivalent to opening up a fashionista’s dream closet, full of rows of color-coordinated clothing, designer handbags, heeled boots, vibrant scarfs, and sparkling jewelry. The pieces range from items from well-known department stores to high-end designers.

“When you come in and you find a Calvin Klein dress that sold for a hundred dollars and it’s thirty in our store, they feel really pretty in it and they are equipped for whatever is out there, whether it is an interview, meeting friends or going out for dinner with their husband,” Nagy said.

The store has treasures for everyone at every budget.

Nagy explains, “We have costume jewelry, we even have some Tiffany pieces and David Yurman. We have in the store everything from Old Navy, Target, Kohl’s, Penny’s all the way up to Dior, Gucci and Christian Louboutin.”

The inventory is created by the community. Anyone can stop by and bring in new or gently used woman’s clothing, shoes, accessories and handbags. Clothing must be laundered and brought in without hangers. People can take advantage of curbside service where they drop off their items and call the curbside number so that they do not have to carry items from their cars.

“We do an inspection, and then we put it into our very sophisticated matrix system that we have that is supported by our franchisor and it tells us the price,” Nagy said.

Clothing that meets requirements will be placed in the store and the previous owners will be paid a portion for the clothing, about 30 percent of the resale price.

However, Nagy explained that for handbags that are mechanized for $50 or more as well as garments mechanized at $200 or more, previous owners will receive half of the resale price. They may also choose to receive store credit which adds an additional 35 percent of the sale to their credit.

Clothes Mentor has items for sizes 0-26 and is looking for more items, especially plus and active wear. “We are setting the store for spring so I’m looking for more summer items that have been in the stores the last few years,” Nagy said.

Opening the store is a lifelong dream that has been in the works since Nagy was a little girl, living in North Carolina. Nagy worked as a nurse up until five years ago. She also has a passion for theater and has performed in 15 shows in both the local community and city since moving to the area over a decade ago.

Nagy, joking about how she was able to explore the glitzy world of theatre before embarking on her business, said, “So then I got that out of my system and now I was like, “OK, now what do I want to do when I grow up? I think I’ll have a store.’”

Nagy was inspired by the mission and concept of the Clothes Mentor franchise.

“When I discovered this concept, where they pay cash and it was for women, and it’s supported by a franchise, it’s not something that I had to do totally on my own. It’s nationally known but locally owned and operated…It’s a concept where we get the support of marketing, advertising and training from the franchise. They helped me get this going but it has been a dream of mine forever.”

Photo courtesy Mainline Media News: Christian LouBoutin heels with the trademark red-lacquered soles and Prada boots
Photo courtesy Mainline Media News: Christian LouBoutin heels with the trademark red-lacquered soles and Prada boots

Helping others score amazing deals and find beautiful items that can have a second life is also a thrill for Nagy. “I always had resale in my blood, growing up finding that treasure and loved the concept of consignment shops and resale shops,” she said.

Nagy was an entrepreneur from a young age. At 7 years old, her father built her a Kool-Aid stand and she sold the fruity refreshment for a penny. A local reporter took a picture of her, proudly sitting at the stand, which she found in the archives and created a poster of the article.

“I played store a lot as a little girl, I used to put price tags on everything in the house and make my parents shop,” Nagy said.

Her father’s Kool-Aid stand inspired her to open her own business. She hopes to give back to her father and plans to use some proceeds from the store to fund Penn Medical Center’s research.

“I’m going to implement a one cent [buy one, get one for a cent] sale to raise money for a particular disease that my father had. He built this Kool-Aid stand for me, he was terminally ill. I’m going to use this to raise money to study the very rare diseases that he had.”

In this new business venture, Nagy combines her compassion for her family and community.

“It’s all about helping each other, I guess that’s the nurse in me, too,” Nagy said. “I still have that desire to help people feel better about themselves, and that’s what this is all about.”

During the year, Nagy plans to have several exciting events including a “Girls Night Out” partnering with local vendors as well as events for teachers and private parties.

Clothes Mentor Ardmore will also be developing a Personal Shopper program down the line. Eventually, customers will be able to fill out a form online and “the personal shopper [selects] items for them based on their style, their color their preferences, sizes, their lifestyle, what they have interest in.” The program will be free of charge.

Nagy is also looking for talented people who are welcome to apply online to be part of her team in the store. Her vision for the store is a place where the customers and store team thrive together and make the Ardmore location a staple in the community.

“I want it to be a place where people can come and hang out. Every day it’s a new store because things are flying in and flying out. People are excited to bring new things and stop by and see what’s the latest and greatest. But just to be able to say, “Hey how’s it going?” and see your team members making friends with the community and just be a warm atmosphere.”

Nagy is thankful to everyone in the community who has contributed to making her dream a reality.

“The community feels a little ownership of this, I love that… They’re so supportive. We have such an eclectic demographic area around here, it’s great. We’ve got all kinds of folks. Just to see what they were going to help me create in the store, and seeing the team, the excitement, it’s a contagious excitement,” Nagy said.

For more information, visit the Ardmore store website.

Article by Jessica Paradysz, Correspondent for Mainline Media News

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.