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CLOTHES MENTOR: $$$ Money! Money! Money!….And Clothes, Shoes, and Purses! $$$

Here’s a great blog post on Clothes Mentor from fan Melissa Auvil about the West Chester and Springfield, Pennsylvania stores. In her interview with owner Chris Barnett, some top tips are shared on the process – and the great deals you can get on high quality, gently-used designer apparel and accessories that are like new. As Auvil says, “I also love the fact that I can clean out my closet to ‘trade in’ what I don’t wear any longer. Clothes Mentor is a resale store so they are always searching for fresh merchandise to buy from customers—including me!” Source: chestercountymoms.com

Let me just Clothes Mentor model wearing long coat and leggings and tan boots, text that says cash on-the-spot and 10 most wanted itemssay, I’m a huge fan of Clothes Mentor (located in West Chester &Springfield). There’s been a lot of chatter surrounding the name ever since the stores opened 3+ years ago. And, I’ve done my research to offer you an insider look at the brand… Here are the three reasons why you’ll see me shopping at CM: 1. I can shop for looks I love at unbelievable prices. 2. Because I can get paid when I clean out my closet and sell to them (am I dreaming?). 3. And, because resale shopping/selling means I am taking care of our Mother Earth. Yes, I admit that I love the fact that I can find stylish clothing for an affordable price. Like the great, early-fall, NEW-WITH-TAGS sweater from White House Black Market. The Clothes Mentor Springfield location just had a pair on Facebook with original tags–priced at $84 and a Clothes Mentor price of $18! Back to school shopping put a huge dent in my budget so Clothes Mentor has been my saving grace. And, I also love the fact that I can clean out my closet to “trade in” what I don’t wear any longer. Clothes Mentor is a resale store so they are always searching for fresh merchandise to buy from customers—including me! I interviewed Chris Barnett, the owner of the West Chester and Springfield, PA locations, to find out how we, as busy moms, can maximize our payout when it comes to resale, while staying stylish at the same time. Chris, who has owned and operated these franchise locations since 2012, exclaims “everyone has something in their closet that they no longer use but we would love to buy!” She continues, “whether it is jewelry or a pair of shoes that just doesn’t fit right. Whether it is a winter coat you no longer wear or a designer bag that just isn’t your style. Everyone has something in their closet they could bring to the store to sell. The beauty of the model is that there is something for every customer and something we would love to buy from every woman.” Sounds good to me! So let’s have Chris walk us through some of her top tips to successfully selling at her stores:graphic of Clothes Mentor now buying list with checkmarks and text that says clothing, shoes, hand bags and accessories Me: Okay, I hear you –every woman has something to sell to Clothes Mentor. But what do we need to do to get the best offer possible? Chris: Great question because we do want to maintain the very best inventory and we do want to make an offer to every customer that sells to us! Here are my top 3 tips to prep your items for selling to us— 1. Make sure the clothes are in current style. We focus on current fashions and the latest fashion trends—what’s in the malls right now. Often, customers bring in items that are many years old and, while they may be in great shape or a classic look, we are able to make offers only on fashions less than 2 years old. 2. Make sure the clothes are in very good to excellent condition. Think about if you were shopping in the store and whether you would buy the item right now, in its present condition. Often, customers will understand the phrase “too well loved” when we have to pass on an item because it may be super stylish but the pilling on the sweater or the pulls in the lace or the slight staining around the collar are reasons we wouldn’t be able to make a cash offer. 3. Make sure the clothes are freshly laundered. Items we buy go straight to the sales floor so we work hard to make sure that we only buy clothes that customers want to try on and want to take home. Cigarette smoke smells, musty smells and pet hair on items are all reasons we cannot make an offer. Two frequent things we find are that a person puts items in a car with a smoker—just know that clothes and handbags grab that smell–or a person leaves their items at home and a pet thinks it looks like a comfy bed. We worry about our customer so we pass on items that could trigger allergies. Me: Now, once I have my items ready, what happens next? What’s the best time of year for people to trade-in their clothes? Chris: Hooray! So you just need to bring in your items to Clothes Mentor in a box, bag or basket—not on clothing hangers, please. In Springfield and West Chester, we buy 7 days a week. We buy all day, every day and don’t forget that we buy all seasons, too. Me: Any good stories of customers selling to you recently? Chris: Of course! We always have great buying days and we post our most favorite new items on our Facebook pages. We buy around 300 new items each day. We’ve recently purchased a large number of designer shoes in West Chester—many pairs of Christian Louboutins that sell for more than $400 but we are selling them for under $100. We also just bought several Michael Kors bags in Springfield from a “collector”. She had a cross-body bag, several totes and a metallic satchel. She put nearly $300 in her pocket since we pay the customer 50% of the floor price on designer bags! Me: 50% for designer bags? Chris: That’s right. The payout is generally 30-40% of the sales floor price for clothing and accessories. All pricing is computer generated—no haggling or negotiating, which is something I never enjoy. For designer bags, my stores offer customers a payout of 50% of the sales floor price: premium pricing for premium bags. Me: Sounds like I need to get shopping—and selling to you! It also strikes me that we’ve mainly been talking about selling clothes but you buy much more. Can you elaborate?Clothes Mentor pregnant woman wearing maternity tank top and necklace with text that says we pay cash for maternity Chris: Absolutely. We want to be a one-stop shop for the fashionable women in town! We buy shoes, jewelry, designer bags and wallets. We buy coats, jackets, scarves and belts. Oh, and don’t forget specialty lines like athletic wear and maternity. They can be so expensive in the retail stores so we love to buy current styles in excellent condition for moms-to-be and our workout warriors! We buy all women’s sizes, including petites, talls and, unlike most typical consignment stores, we love plus size items and are always requesting larger sizes from our customers. Me: Sounds great! So why do you love what you do? Chris: Aside from the fact that the customers have become my friends and my family, I believe in what we do at Clothes Mentor. I have a beautiful daughter that learns everyday about women taking care of women at our store. What a beautiful message. We cheer each other on when we get a great deal. We help everyone leave the store feeling beautiful and strong. By reselling your items, we make them more affordable for the next person and we are doing one more thing to help Mother Earth through the eco-friendliness of recycling. What’s not to love about all of that goodness? And there you have it, Philly Burb Mom readers, the truth behind the successful Clothes Mentor stores in our area. Maybe yoClothes Mentor young woman holding two shirts on hangers with text that says is there cash in your closetu sold to them or tried to sell to Clothes Mentor in the past and they couldn’t make an offer. My advice? Try again! Use these tips to put some extra cash in your pocket this fall—the stores are super popular and they are always looking to buy, so why not clean out those closets? Disclaimer: I’m so pleased to be a sponsored business partner with Clothes Mentor. All opinions are my own!

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.