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NEW USES: New Home Goods Store Opens in Woodbury

A second article about the new Woodbury, Minnesota New Uses store, owned by Will Berthiaume and Valeta Cornwell, tells why it is such a great fit for them. The ribbon cutting for the store takes place this week! Source: woodburybulletin.com

Will Berthiaume and Valeta Cornwell know a thing or two about downsizing their belongings. Come to think of it, they also know a thing or two about having to try to fill an empty house.

That’s why they’re so happy to open their new Woodbury business, New Uses. The business concept is simple – it’s like a consignment store for furniture and home goods, only they pay cash up front for the merchandise they take in and resell.

It’s a perfect fit for the couple, who have a little bit of experience on both sides of the furniture and home goods store cash register.

Bethiaume and Cornwell met when they worked together in San Francisco. When he moved in with her, he had to get rid of some of his belongings since she already had so much of her own. That worked well, until the couple moved to a larger home in Texas. There, Cornwell’s furnishings were not enough to fill their home, so they started hitting estate sales to find newer, cheaper-priced items to fill up the vacant space.

Oh, but then they decided to move to Minnesota to be nearer to his grandchildren. The problem was, their chosen home here was going to be much smaller. So they had an estate sale of their own.

With all of the downsizing and then later replacing of home furnishings, they kind of started to enjoy the estate sale circuit. The problem was, their home, again, was only so big.

“We got some really good deals,” Cornwell said, “but when we filled the house again, it was like, ‘Well, now what?’”

Settled in Minnesota, they knew they wanted to go into some kind of business where they could still enjoy the estate sale hobby. Only, they really didn’t want to start their own business, either.

Somewhere along the way, they heard about New Uses, a franchise that buys and sells gently used home goods and furniture. They researched the franchise, decided they liked what they saw, and signed on with NTY Franchise Co.

New Uses is not new to Minnesota. In fact, the franchise is headquartered out of Minnetonka, with stores in Minnetonka and Maple Grove, and now Woodbury. However, no two stores are exactly alike, as each one receives new merchandise daily – even by the hour – as people can bring in items they would like to sell, and receive cash on the spot.

Now their new business gives them new reason to hit the estate sales and garage sales, only they don’t have to actually go to the sales anymore because Woodbury folks have already brought in plenty of merchandise.

The store has been open to receive items for the past six weeks, but sales didn’t start until the official grand opening on June 25. Word apparently spread about the business, too, because there were 81 people lined up outside the door that morning – many of whom had already picked out items and wanted to get to those pieces before anyone else could – and another line had formed outside the door on the second day, as well.

“That’s been a great surprise for us,” Bethiaume said. “Valeta is almost on a first-name basis with a lot of them already.”

New Uses is located at 8150 Coller Way in Woodbury. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 651-797-3136 or visit http://www.newuses.com/store/woodbury/

 

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.