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Blogger Shops Smart at Clothes Mentor West Chester—Check Out Her Haul!

Blogger Shops Smart at Clothes Mentor West Chester—Check Out Her Haul!

Read an excerpt from LivingLesh.com featuring Clothes Mentor West Chester below, or click here to read the full blog post and more on LivingLesh.com.

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How to Get $1,000 Worth of Clothes for $150

By Iesha Thompson

I constantly get asked the question, “How do you keep buying all these clothes and still have money to afford anything else?” And every time that someone asks, I simply laugh and continue on, never actually answering the question.

But I’m here today to finally share my shopping secrets. I’m here to let everyone know how to get the closet that they want without breaking the bank.

Let’s start from the beginning:

Before I ever started shopping the way that I do now, I used to rack up a huge bill. I wanted the brand name clothes from my favorite stores such as Nordstrom, J. Crew, Loft, and more, but every time that I went shopping, I left the store with three pieces of clothing and a bill over $100. That just wasn’t something that I could afford.

Then it all changed. I started shopping smarter and wiser.

One of my trade secrets is shopping at stores such as Clothes Mentor.

Clothes Mentor is a women’s clothing store that buys and sells gently used brand-name and designer clothing, shoes, and accessories. When shopping, you can find mostly any brand and designer that you are looking for.

Recently, I shopped the Clothes Mentor in West Chester, PA and was stunned by the service and the amazing selection of clothes that were provided to me. Yep, I said it. Provided to me. Other than selling great clothing, Clothes Mentor also offers the opportunity for you to work with a personal shopper to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

But let’s not get too much into that. You’re trying to figure out what I bought and how I saved so much money.

Shopping at Clothes Mentor is an experience within itself. On every rack there are pieces that are must-haves and they look practically brand new. Even the shoes looks barely worn. And if I bought shoes from there, then they were pretty much brand new because I hate other people’s feet.

After picking up so many pieces, trying them on, and loving every single one – I had to stop myself because I realized that I had over eight pieces in my collection. My mind immediately went to the thought that I had racked up at least $300. But I didn’t. That’s how great the prices are at Clothes Mentor.

At the end of my shopping experience, I walked out of the store with three bags filled to the brim. And I only spent $150. And you may be thinking that I had gotten a crazy amount of discounts and special treatment, but that’s not it at all.

Here’s my breakdown:

  • J. Crew Grey Sweater – $22 // originally $89
  • Anne Klein Long Sleeved Top – $12 // originally $69
  • Dress Barn LS Animal Top – $6 // originally $36
  • INC Top – $12 // originally $60
  • J. Crew Blue Blouse – $18 // originally $78
  • Anne Taylor Loft Top – $10 // originally $60
  • BCBG Dress – $22 // originally $115
  • Zara Basic Dress – $16 // originally $70
  • Banana Republic Sweater – $18 // originally $69
  • The Limited Sweater – $15 // originally $60
  • New York & Co Petite Pants – $11 // originally $60
  • Aldo Floral Print Heels – $20 // originally $150

It’s quite a bill that I racked up, and considering the original price, I save a whole lot of money.

And if you’re like me and enjoy recycling your closet every once and awhile, you can sell your gently worn clothes to Clothes Mentor and use the cash on the spot that you receive to make your purchases. Nothing better than using the money to make off of your clothes to buy more clothes. That’s recycling at it’s best.

Recycling clothes this way is one of the ways that I save money, because a create budget for myself for buying clothes and use the money that I make when selling clothes to buy new clothes. Therefore, I’m always staying within my budget and my closet only gets bigger.

So there you have it. Those are my tips for saving money and going on a shopping spree for $1,000 worth of clothes but only spending $150.

Clothes Mentor has now become my new go-to place to get the clothes that I want in the brands that I absolutely need. It’s a match made in heaven for a budget shopper like me.

Linda Berg

Franchise Business Consultant

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.

Headshot of Ashley

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Sean Marrs

IT/Tech Administrator

IT/Tech Administrator
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Ashlyn Aarness

Social Media Specialist

Social Media Specialist

Marissa Stacy

Jr. Graphic Designer

Jr. Graphic Designer

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Gina Geary

Franchise Business Consultant

Franchise Business Consultant

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Alice Heidenreich

Franchise Business Consultant

Franchise Business Consultant

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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.
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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.
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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.