Capping off a week of training earlier this month, the NTY Franchise Company team came together for a morning of fun and volunteering at Feed My Starving Children, a local charity that ships easy-to-prepare, nutritional dry meals to children in need in countries all over the world. And we even got to keep the hairnets!
Check out all of the great outfits a Philly blogger found at Clothes Mentor Springfield! Read about it below, and see more photos on her blog, And Her Little Dog Too.
Photo from And Her Little Dog Too blog.
The Clothes Mentor Experience
A little while ago I was invited to the Clothes Mentor store in Springfield, PA to visit and shop! If you aren’t familiar, Clothes Mentor is a women’s clothing store that buys and sells gently used name-brand and designer clothes, shoes, and accessories. What makes them unique is the fact that they offer cash on the spot for items, meaning that you can be paid immediately just for cleaning out your closet!
I was so excited to partner with Clothes Mentor – obviously I love to shop and share my style on the blog, but I also love to get a great deal! And if you shop here, you will get just that! So many items at incredible prices, so many never even worn! I also love to clean out my closet and this was the perfect excuse to do that – I’ve had 2 babies in the past 3 years and have so many different sizes of everything, felt so amazing to have an excuse to pass along things that just don’t work for me anymore. I brought with me a massive bag of clothes to sell and they treated me to a gift card to do some shopping as well!
When I first got there, I met with my amazing contact – Erin, she and her team had pulled an amazing selection of clothes for me to try on. { I had sent my sizes beforehand} and I was treated to a fun little style session! I can’t remember the last time I was in a store without the littles, just taking my time, trying on clothes, having a blast – it was so much fun! I got to have a little style session and a mini photo shoot of some of my favorite looks!
Photo from And Her Little Dog Too blog.
I love this top – Navy is one of my favorite, go-to colors. The cute little tie in the front is really sweet and it’s an easy piece to wear with a tank layered under or on its own. It’s also super soft – I see myself wearing this all the time now that the weather has cooled down and it finally feels like Fall!
I totally kept this, it was $10 and I know I will wear it all.the.time!
Clothes Mentor is a national franchise with local owners. Chris Barnett is the owner and operator of a few of the stores in the Philadelphia area. She is a full-time entrepreneur, a small business owner, a mom and wife. She has a strong commitment to every woman being able to feel stylish on a budget–as a lift to self-confidence–and she loves resale because of both the frugality and it’s environmental benefits. I’m so lucky I got to meet her in the store during my time there and I look forward to working with her and her team again soon!
If you are in the market to clean out your closet, spruce up your wardrobe and make a few bucks while you are at it, you totally need to check out Clothes Mentor – I had such an amazing experience there, and you can bet I will be back!
Linda Berg is the Franchise Business Consultant for Clothes Mentor’s Southeast region and the Franchise Operations Manager for Clothes Mentor, Children’s Orchard, and NTY Clothing Exchange. Linda joined the company in 2016 as the Store Manager and the Area Manager of the three corporate stores. Linda worked for Gap Inc. for 12 years at both Old Navy and Gap in various management roles. Her retail experience also includes 12 years at Mervyn’s in several management and training roles.
Amy Donnelly
Director of Inventory Management | Franchise Business Consultant
Amy Donnelly is the Director of Inventory Management for Clothes Mentor. In addition, Amy holds the position as Franchise Business Consultant for Clothes Mentor’s Southeast Region. Prior to joining Clothes Mentor in 2013, she spent 8 years in retail management with Limited Brands. Amy holds a BA degree.
Ashley Huebner
Director of Marketing
Ashley Huebner oversees Clothes Mentor’s marketing and advertising efforts to drive sales and build brand awareness. She also leads creative initiatives, driving the brand’s vision in aesthetics, tone, and trends to elevate our position as a leader in the resale category.
Ashley joined the Clothes Mentor team in March 2015. She has 10+ years of Graphic Design experience, a strong background in design and user experience, and a passion for creativity. She holds a BA degree in Advertising and Art.
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 the 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.
Jenny Mann
Vice President of Operations | Executive Director of IT
Jenny Mann is the Vice President of Operations for Clothes Mentor and Children’s Orchard. In January of 2020, Jenny also took on the role of Executive Director of IT, overseeing BST, our Point of Sale system, 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.
Jarvis Herndon
Franchise Business Consultant
Jarvis Herndon is a Franchise Business Consultant for both Clothes Mentor and Device Pitstop. Jarvis has a strong background in retail management, leadership, and a history of operational success within a franchising system. He is passionate about assisting small business owners in developing their path to success while maximizing their businesses’ potential. Jarvis brings a great mix of skills and experience to the NTY Franchise Company.
Sarah Primmer
VP 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.
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.
Dan Goetz
Franchise Business Consultant
Dan Goetz is the Franchise Business Consultant for Clothes Mentor in the West Region. Previous to joining the Clothes Mentor Corporate staff in February of 2014, he worked in leadership positions with Aèropostale, Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Target stores. He attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State University. He brings a strong background in Operations, Merchandising, and Human Resources to the Clothes Mentor team.
Sean Marrs
IT/Tech Administrator
IT/Tech Administrator
Ashlyn Aarness
Social Media Specialist
Social Media Specialist
Marissa Stacy
Jr. Graphic Designer
Jr. Graphic Designer
Gina Geary
Franchise Business Consultant
Franchise Business Consultant
Alice Heidenreich
Franchise Business Consultant
Franchise Business Consultant
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.
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.
Michael D. Smith
Vice President of Strategic Planning
Michael D. Smith is the Vice President of 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.