These Clothes Mentor Owners Make a Difference in Their Communities

Many resale clothing franchise operations are small businesses, deeply dependent on a loyal customer base. Most of those shoppers come from the local community, and smart franchise owners know their customers by name. They collect and keep data about their sizes, style preferences and favorite brand names. They send email reminders about special events. They remember birthdays. They understand the value of having a connection that goes beyond the cash register.

The most successful franchisees also have mastered the magical math of giving back. They add value to their cities and towns by making their part of the world a better place. Here are some examples of Clothes Mentor owners who truly make a difference in their communities.

Alyssa Cox and Her Smiling Greeter

Alyssa Cox owns three Clothes Mentor franchises in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. She’s always been involved in the community, and her family has volunteered for years with the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte. Last December, Alyssa decided to hire a 20-year-old woman with Down Syndrome to be a store greeter at her Clothes Mentor in South Charlotte. In her wildest dreams, she couldn’t have imagined what a fantastic idea that would turn out to be!

“Julia greets everyone when they come in,” Alyssa raves. “She already has gotten more (work) hours, she’s gotten a raise, and our sales are higher when she’s there.” Alyssa says Julia has become an important part of the customer service team, handing out flyers and helping customers find items within the store. “She likes to shop, too, and enjoys the employee discounts!”

Julia has become more independent and self-sufficient as a result of her employment at Clothes Mentor. Her parents are thrilled — and have noticed a growing maturity in their daughter. “She even takes public transportation on her way to work,” Alyssa adds.

Alyssa says if the opportunity presents itself, she will hire another person with Down Syndrome. “The sky’s the limit for this kind of thing,” she says.

Chris Barnett and the Resale Cycle

At the Clothes Mentors in Westchester and Springfield, Pennsylvania, franchisee Chris Barnett knows what it’s like to be a bargain shopper. “I grew up going to garage sales,” she admits. She gave up a high-powered career at a major pharmaceutical company in order to facilitate women helping each other via the resale clothing cycle. She is personally vested in making her customers feel and look as good as they can. “Our mission is to show women how beautiful they are by finding clothes that fit them the best.”

But Chris does so much more in her community than simply boosting her customers’ self-esteem. “We host fundraisers. We have retail therapy parties,” she explains. In her stores, there are several places for customers to donate clothing that is not purchased for resale. Those donated items are taken to local churches, where they are in turn distributed to women living in homeless shelters. Customers can purge their closets of gently-used clothing, and women who can’t afford new fashions get the opportunity to look and feel great about themselves. Everyone wins.

Sadie Cherney Broadcasts for Bargain Hunters

In South Carolina, Sadie Cherney owns three Clothes Mentor upscale resale stores — in Greenville, Columbia and Spartanburg. Like many Clothes Mentor franchisees, Sadie offers a complimentary personal shopping service at all of her stores. Busy customers sign up on the store’s website, and submit sizes and style preferences. The personal shopper pulls dozens of items in the appropriate sizes and colors and has them ready for the customer when she arrives. The entire process is free of charge, and there is never an obligation for a customer to make a purchase.

But Sadie goes beyond the bricks and mortar of her store to help local women become more fashion-savvy. She hosts a monthly fashion segment on WSPA-TV’s “Your Carolina” morning program. “I get to style six mannequins,” she beams. “I love it!” Because of the wealth of consumer data she receives from the NTY Franchise parent company, Sadie gives free fashion tips to women who want to stay on top of the latest trends while keeping within their budget.

Tim Kapphahn Maximizes the Mentoring

The Clothes Mentor franchise in St. Cloud, Minnesota, truly lives up to its name. Owner Tim Kapphahn and his partner LaVonne Rykhus have committed to their mission of promoting and addressing women’s issues. They also help facilitate the mentorship of women by women. Employees at the store started the World of Women (WOW) program to help empower customers and other women in the local area. They host monthly meetings in the store with various topics such as, “How to Write a Good Resume.” Customers regularly attend — and often bring neighbors, friends or family members. The employees take ownership of the programs, and women in the local community receive mentorship, advice, and career and skills development. But that’s not all. Managers are constantly thinking of ways to connect with women in the St. Cloud community.

“We put on a fashion show for women dealing with issues in a domestic shelter,” Tim offers. It’s held at a site chosen by the shelter, away from the store. The attendees get a chance to learn about appropriate fashion for interviewing and landing a job. “It’s geared toward women who might be entering, or re-entering, the workplace after spending time in the shelter.” Tim says these presentations have a “dress to impress” focus, and the women leave with a feeling of empowerment and hope. The Clothes Mentor team in St. Cloud is busy thinking up more ways to stay involved with, and connected to, the people who help support their business.

Whether they reach out within the four walls of their store or branch out into the city or town they call home, these franchisees are creating strong connections with customers, and potential customers. They are providing volunteers for local events. They are raising money for worthy causes. They are offering employment and career advancement to persons who otherwise may not have the opportunity to land a job. Most of all, they are working to ensure that their upscale resale clothing store becomes part of the fabric of their community for years to come.

Women Share Their Secrets for Successfully Running a Clothing Resale Store

Ask anyone who runs a business how they make it a success, and you’ll hear the same answer: it takes more than hard work and gumption to get it running and keep it thriving.  That’s especially true for women who own a clothing resale store like Clothes Mentor or Children’s Orchard. Women who take on this kind of challenge share several common traits—they’re ambitious, flexible and always willing to learn and grow. The competitive resale business demands a savvy owner who stays on top of market trends, knows how to hire and nurture the right staff, and isn’t afraid of emerging technology. If you’re thinking about investing in an NTY Franchise Company store, here are some shortcuts from current owners happy to share their secrets for success!

Don’t Apologize for Being Particular

 For Cindy Kehagiaras, being picky is perfect for her Children’s Orchard franchise in Manhattan Beach, California. This working mom purchased her franchise with her mother in 2010. She had never owned a business, and discovered Children’s Orchard when her son was born. She quickly realized she wanted her store to have a certain look and feel that aligned with her vision and values for her franchise.

To that end, she makes no apologies for being particular:

In purchasing (she only buys great condition, current styles)

In arranging displays (all clothing is color-coded by size and gender)

In making gentle corrections when she sees young customers being messy or destructive (she will charge customers who damage merchandise)

“You want an environment where people feel comfortable,” Cindy explains, “but you want to portray an air of organization.”

Make Interesting Hiring Decisions

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Clothes Mentor owner Alyssa Cox decided to take a chance and hire an employee who has Down Syndrome. It turns out to be one of the best decisions she has made for her franchise. 20-year-old Julia started as a greeter, but in less than a year has expanded her position to include handing out flyers and helping customers find particular items.

“She knows the merchandise,” Alyssa laughs, “because Julia likes to shop!” This sweet greeter has become a valuable part of the customer service team, and store patrons love her infectious smile and happy disposition. “Julia is a hardworking individual,” Alyssa says, “and our sales are higher when she’s there. It’s really great having her on our team.” Alyssa has plans to hire more workers with Down Syndrome, and she recommends other franchise owners strongly consider an employee with a disability when making hiring decisions.

Know Your Market

 For savvy Sadie Cherney, a thorough knowledge of her market has proved invaluable to the success of her Clothes Mentor franchises in Greenville, Columbia, and Spartanburg, South Carolina. This 33-year-old bundle of energy hit the ground running when she opened her first store in 2013 and has never stopped doing market research.

“It was a steep learning curve,” Sadie admits, “but we are perpetually learning how to adapt to the customer and reach them.” She says she experiments with different media for advertising, and always looks for ways to buy what the customer is looking for.

Sadie is a Data Diva, thriving on crunching numbers and thrilled with the information her NTY Franchise Company corporate managers supply from their point of sales system. She learns about trends and pricing and says she’s always ready to adapt to the type of change dictated by her specific market.

“When it comes to fashion, we look for spike trends,” Sadie offers. “We buy with caution and we get rid of merchandise quickly when it doesn’t sell.” Her shoppers prefer Louis Vuitton, Coach, Michael Kors and Kate Spade handbags — and on-trend footwear including slides, athletic shoes and ankle boots. Sadie only accepts what she knows will appeal to her customer base. The average seller brings in a laundry basket, Sadie explains, “and we will normally accept about 15 pieces. From a large tote, we normally accept around 9 pieces.” After studying the data, Sadie says her store normally accepts about 25–30 percent of the items people bring in to sell, and employees look for current designer pieces and iconic styles that always appeal to her customer base.

Connect with Customers Inside and Outside of the Store

 Exceptional customer service is a great basis for growing a business. But for women who own a clothing resale store, there are also some deeper reasons for making close connections with customers.

Buying and selling pre-owned clothing and accessories leaves less of an impact on the environment, and allows women to help other women in two ways. Sellers make on-the-spot cash for their pre-owned items, and buyers get fantastic deals on current fashions.

Some women who own an NTY Franchise Company store align themselves with like-minded groups, to further their goal of helping their community. Many owners, like Chris Barnett in Westchester and Springfield, Pennsylvania, have dedicated bins in their store to collect donations for women’s shelters and faith-based charities that help women. Chris says her overarching goal when she opened her business was to allow her young daughter to see women cheering each other on.

“We hold fundraisers and retail therapy parties,” Chris says, “to show women how beautiful they are by finding clothes that fit them the best.” And Chris’s husband Stephen gave up his law practice to mentor young employees, to help them build their portfolios and become successful, productive workers once they move on from Clothes Mentor.

Seek Out Social Media

 Most owners agree, free advertising is a great option when it comes to reaching younger shoppers, especially millennials and Gen-Xers who constantly have their phones in hand.

At nearly 50 years old, Chris Barnett in Pennsylvania educated herself about Facebook and how to use it to successfully advertise her two Clothes Mentor stores. “We can communicate directly with customers and answer their questions immediately,” she says.

Cindy Kehagiaras in California takes it a step further — interacting with her Children’s Orchard customers on a daily basis on various social media platforms, and offering bilingual flyers for her Spanish-speaking patrons.

“We use elbow grease instead of the checkbook,” Cindy chuckles. “We don’t do traditional advertising. We put all our information on social media sites.” Cindy and her team also forward funny pictures and repost trending videos that are relevant to their customers. Their “likes’ and “shares” generate positive buzz for their business, and create a feeling of goodwill among their customers. After some trial and error, Cindy found that having an “Instagram rack” of photo-worthy items from all price points helps drive sales in her store.

Sadie Cherney hosts a monthly style segment on local TV in the Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C. area. “I get to style six mannequins for the news,” she says, “and I love it!” Sadie is a whiz at social media marketing and handles that part of the business for her three stores.

Obviously, customers are getting the message from these smart store owners, and are coming back to buy and sell their on-trend clothing and accessories. It’s all part of the recipe for success for these women who make it their business to keep other women looking and feeling beautiful.

Clothes Mentor Launches Game Changing Ecommerce Site

Three millennial women standing in a room with clothing hanging on racks behind them. They are modeling their fashion style.

Online Lifeline – Clothes Mentor Launches Game-Changing Ecommerce Site

Clothes Mentor, the nation’s fastest-growing women’s resale clothing franchise, launched an eCommerce site in 2020 to combat decreased in-store sales due to the pandemic. It proved to be an immediate lifesaver for their franchise owners, increased new business from out-of-town online shoppers and enabled the stores to avoid employee layoffs.

The introduction of the online store has also been a hit for Clothes Mentor’s customers. Women can shop for more than 200,000 items of gently worn clothing, shoes and accessories from 82 stores nationwide, with the profits going back to the local store owner. Customers can now shop local from other company stores throughout the country on the website. People can also bring their like-new items into their nearest Clothes Mentor store to sell and receive cash or store credit on the spot.

“When our stores shut down, we had to scramble and launch our online website to keep our franchisees profitable and answer this growing demand for secondhand fashion,” says Chad Olson, COO of Clothes Mentor. “Our new website is a win-win for women looking for high quality, gently worn clothes at a great price. Resale is here to stay and now it’s more accessible than ever with our online site that updates fashion daily.”

The online store continued a trend in which the resale fashion market is growing 25 times faster than the overall retail market. It not only gave franchisees a much-needed lifeline, but it came at a perfect time when more people were avoiding stores and shopping online during the pandemic.

– Franchising USA Magazine, Vol 9, Issue 4, March 2021

New Report Shows Why Owning a Resale Clothing Franchise is Smart Business

The concept of shopping for clothing continues to evolve rapidly and resale is at the center of the evolution. Nowhere is this more evident than within thredUP’s recently-released 6th Annual (2018) Resale Report. “There is a powerful transformation of the modern closet happening and resale is a key driver,” proclaims Co-Founder and CEO James Reinhart.

While transformations are fun to watch, it is more exciting to participate in and profit from them. Owning a resale clothing franchise is a great way to participate in (and profit from) the compelling transformation in retail.

Here are five great reasons to own a resale clothing franchise — supported by findings within the thredUP report:

1)  PARTICIPATE IN AN EMERGING LIFESTYLE

Consumers love deep discounts more than ever, and the hunt for a bargain and a great variety of products to choose from. Of all retail categories, this is most relevant in apparel — particularly upscale resale. thredUP surveyed 2,000 women in early 2018 and found that 71 percent plan to spend more on resale shopping over the next five years. Ironically (or not) this is equivalent to the number who plan to spend less time in traditional department stores. Resale exposes consumers to brands they might never have come across before or might never have been able to afford. It also provides an unparalleled thrill of the hunt and shoppers love it. The old notions of dark, musty and dusty secondhand stores are in the past.  Consumers of all generations are beginning to enthusiastically embrace resale and starting to live it  consciously making purchase and sale decisions within this new paradigm. NTY Franchise Company is uniquely positioned to help entrepreneurs participate in this emerging lifestyle.


2)  PROFIT FROM TREMENDOUS INDUSTRY GROWTH

Resale is growing exponentially faster than any other retail category and is expected to reach $41B by 2022 from $20B currently — with apparel by far the largest component. Resale is going mainstream and there is not much that will stop it. According to thredUP, 44 million women shopped secondhand in 2017 versus 35 million in 2016 — a stunning 26 percent increase. One in three women shopped secondhand in 2017 alone; while the percentage of used items in thrifters’ closets is projected to grow to 40 percent by 2022 from 24 percent 2017 (which more than doubled from 11 percent in 2012). Most notably, resale shoppers plan to buy two times the amount of used clothing over the next five years than they currently do. There are not many industries with this momentum and growth trajectory. Owning a high-return resale clothing franchise such as Clothes Mentor is a great way to profit from it.

3)  RIDE THE GREEN REVOLUTION

“Fashion is the second-most polluting industry in the world” Emily Farra, Editor of VOGUE, preached in a widely publicized article in October 2017. This reality has been compounded by fast-fashion where styles are rushed to market with little regard for the environment and how short the item’s lifespan will be. thredUP notes that if every garment was given a second life — retail industry waste, emissions and water usage would be reduced by 73 percent. Top designers are becoming increasingly aware of implications of the rampant Throw-Away Culture. They are evolving more toward Circular and Sustainable fashion, where clothing is built to last much longer so it’s able to easily have a lifespan beyond one individual. Similarly, individuals are now embracing this concept and are increasingly motivated to recycle their clothes and purchase secondhand clothing themselves. Owning a resale clothing franchise — like highly successful NTY Franchise Company brands such as Clothes Mentor, Children’s Orchard and NTY Clothing Exchange — is a great way to ride the green revolution that is gaining momentum and here to stay.

4)  CAPTURE THE MILLENNIAL MOVEMENT

Everyone loves to comment on the millennial generation and their often complex ideologies. “They are wasteful… but hate to waste,” jests thredUP in discussing millennials’ complicated shopping habits. The report details how 18- to 24-year-olds are the most impulsive shoppers (and the most likely to discard an item after 1 – 5 wearings). At the same time, the large majority of millennials prefer to buy environmentally-conscious brands; 40 percent shopped resale during 2017, and 35 percent are likely to switch to thrift to go green (versus the average consumer at 27 percent). Millennials are often difficult to reach, but upscale resale is reaching them, and their embracement of this lifestyle will be passed down to their children as they are brought up within it. Owning a resale clothing franchise like NTY Clothing Exchange — with a primary target demographic of teenagers and young adults — is a great way to capture the millennial movement.

5)  LEVERAGE PROVEN BUSINESS MODELS

Opening a retail business has traditionally been a daunting task — particularly for early entrants in resale. Luckily those days are over, and now entrepreneurs can leverage time-tested, high-return, proven business models developed by a seasoned industry veteran like NTY Franchise Company.

NTY Franchise Company specializes in working with entrepreneurs at every stage of establishing one of several national resale clothing franchise brands. These stages include: Research & Discovery; Business Planning; Store Location & Leasing; Financing; Design & Build-out; Point of Service Software & Systems; Coaching & Managing; and Marketing.

At the center of NTY Franchise Company’s successful business models are its relentless focus on 1) Bright, clean and fresh-aired stores; 2) Smart store layouts; 3) State-of-the-art inventory managing, pricing and point of sale cloud-based software systems; and 4) a firm grasp on all the “big data” needed to make wise purchase and sell decisions throughout the day — every day. While all of this sounds fairly obvious, it takes decades of experience to actually put the strategies, systems and discipline in place to truly be effective (and deploy it) at scale. NTY Franchise Company has this experience and discipline — and the high returns from their average franchise units prove it.

ABOUT NTY FRANCHISE COMPANY

Founded in 2006 and located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, NTY Franchise Company is a pioneering and highly-experienced force in the rapidly growing category of upscale resale. It is the umbrella organization for three proven national resale clothing franchise brands: Children’s Orchard (kids clothing franchise); Clothes Mentor (women’s designer clothing franchise); and NTY Clothing Exchange (teens and young adults clothing franchise). NTY also has two other successful national franchise concepts: New Uses (household furniture, décor, appliances franchise) and Device Pitstop (electronics repair and resale franchise.

To learn more about NTY Franchise Company — and the lucrative opportunities in upscale resale franchising — explore our main page or feel free to just give us a call (952)-923-1223.

Interview with COO Chad Olson Featured in USA Weekly

If you could go back in time, what business advice would you tell your younger self? Chad Olson, COO of NTY Franchise Company, shares what he has learned and more in this excerpt from USA Weekly.

Starting a business is a big achievement for many entrepreneurs, but maintaining one is the larger challenge. There are many standard challenges that face every business whether they are large or small. It is not easy running a company, especially in a fast-paced, ever-changing business world. Technology advances, new hiring strategies, and now, political changes coming with the new administration, all add to the existing business challenges that entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives have to deal with.

Maximizing profits, minimizing expenses and finding talented staff to keep things moving seem to be top challenges for both SMBs and large corporations. We have been interviewing companies from around the world to discover what challenges they are facing in their businesses. We also asked each company to share business advice they would give to a younger version of themselves.

Below is our interview with Chad Olson, COO at NTY Franchise Company:

What does your company do?

NTY Franchise Company Founded in 2006 by Ron Olson, NTY Franchise Company is the gold standard in resale franchising companies. NTY franchises five brands, all with a different focus: Clothes Mentor, Children’s Orchard, Device Pitstop, New Uses, and NTY Clothing Exchange. The brands are all resale-based and cover women’s designer fashions, children’s apparel and accessories, furniture and household goods, electronic sales and repair, and clothing for teens and young adults. All are great business opportunities with cutting-edge technology, unmatched support, and lucrative resale franchises. NTY Franchise Company has helped individuals to establish resale stores throughout the United States in many communities, and it has territories available to develop nationwide.

What is your role? What do you enjoy most about your role?

I am the COO of NTY Franchise Company. What I enjoy most about my role is working through the different challenges and opportunities that arise every day. There is constant problem solving and coaching opportunities and I am fortunate enough to hopefully make a difference. Our franchisees have invested a lot of money to open their business, achieve their goals of being their own boss and generate success. The thrill for me is having the opportunity to help them realize these goals.

 

Click here to read the full article on usaweekly.com.