You can also learn more about opening a Clothes Mentor Franchise right here on our website.

Small Business Spotlight: Clothes Mentor

Who: Ron Olson

What: A franchise company that sells gently used women’s clothing

When: 2007

Where: Minneapolis, MN

How: “The concept was buying and selling used women’s clothing that appealed to women ages 25-65,” says Clothes Mentor CEO Ron Olson. “It was a proven and profitable prototype with three stores in the Columbus, Ohio area,” says Olson, who purchased the concept and franchise rights from the original founders.

“We kept the name, redid the logo, the interiors and the exteriors, and brought it up to what looks like a regular retail store,” he says. “The stigma of used clothing is something we have to overcome – we almost have to make it look better than a regular retail store.”

Today, there are 90 Clothes Mentor stores, and Olson says the company is averaging $1 million a week.

Biggest challenge: Olson says the biggest challenge is getting people to purchase a used-product franchise, rather than a franchise selling a new product or concept.

One moment in time: “It’s interesting to see people come out of corporate America and control their own destiny” through franchise ownership, says Olson, when asked what he’s proudest of with regards to Clothes Mentor.

Best business advice: “From my standpoint, when I think about my success: You have to have the management tools to be successful, but being in the right place at the right moment is important, too.”

Quote from the owner: “It’s interesting to read about people who are entrepreneurs and successful, and find out what they’re doing right,” says Olson.

Read more: http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/2013/04/22/building-used-clothing-franchise-for-women-all-ages/#ixzz2TIZEFBg5

You can read the article on the Franchising.com site, which we have sourced and copied below.

You can also learn more about opening a Clothes Mentor Franchise right here on our website.

Upscale-Resale Fashion Chain, Clothes Mentor®, Generates Customer Excitement and Franchisee Profits

March 18, 2013 // Franchising.com // MINNEAPOLIS – Clothes Mentor helps women be fashionable and frugal. With 40 better brands like Talbot’s, Chico’s, Ann Taylor and Coldwater Creek and designer brands like Coach, Dooney & Burke, Kaspar and Tahari. And $13 average prices. And cash-on-the spot for selling name-brand, quality-condition fashions here.

The Clothes Mentor formula excites fashionable women and propels chain growth. This newer national franchise has 80 stores open, 40 more under development and plans for 500. Their stores offer high returns in only 3,000-sq.ft. spaces with the typical Clothes Mentor selling $650,000 annually and six stores exceeding $1 million. Same-store sales rose a solid 18% last year. And under their resale format, gross margins are an exceptional 60% compared to 25% at traditional retail stores.

It’s no wonder that most stores prosper and the multi-unit owners abound. Guiding them is the Clothes Mentor management team which invented resale-retail franchising and fostered 1,500 franchise stores across all U.S. states and Canadian provinces over 20 years.

Clothes Mentor charts a new course in retailing. They’re America’s first and only national chain focusing on upscale-resale better-brand women’s clothing. They target savvy, brand-conscious women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s with desirable styles and low prices. Compared to consignment and thrift stores, Clothes Mentor projects brand names, top quality and excellent condition. Their stores shine and make shopping desirable. They help American women look great and save money.

For example, Clothes Mentor carries Talbot’s jackets for $15 (not $80), Ann Taylor short-sleeve sweater knit tops for $10 (not $60), Chico’s two-piece athletic outfits for $14 (not $190), Caché jeans for $18 (not $90) and many Coach purses for $25-$150 (not $200-$600).

They offer regular, maternity, petite and plus sizes – 40 better brands like Ann Taylor Loft, White House/Black Market, Coldwater Creek, Lane Bryant, Michael Kors and Calvin Klein — designer brands like Kasper and Tahari – accessories like shoes, purses, jewelry – and only $13 average prices.

To obtain merchandise, Clothes Mentor pays women cash-on-the-spot for their high-quality, name-brand clothing, shoes, accessories and designer purses. Customers can clean-out their closets for money.

About Clothes Mentor

Clothes Mentor is a strong national company directed by retail franchising experts. Many years ago, founder Ron Olson created Grow Biz International and built a network of 1,500 upscale-resale stores. Olson and colleagues developed popular chains like Play It Again Sports® (sporting goods), Once Upon A Child® (children’s merchandise), Plato’s Closet® (teen clothing), Music Go Round® (musical instruments) and other resale chains that buy and sell high-quality merchandise. That group is now called Winmark Corporation and is owned and run by different people.

In recent times, Olson’s team built Clothes Mentor and now supports their franchise owners with strong business and operating systems, store layouts and designs, product lines, merchandising, in-store computer systems and franchise operation support. The Clothes Mentor corporate team supplies management, operations, marketing, technology, finance, design, owner support and national franchising. For information on the chain and franchise owner opportunities, check www.clothesmentor.com.

Note: All clothing brands, retail chains and corporate names are copyrighted, trademarked or registered by their respective companies.

Note: Clothes Mentor and its executives are not currently affiliated with Winmark Corporation and Winmark Corporation’s brands including Play It Again Sports, Plato’s Closet, Once Upon A Child and Music Go Round.

SOURCE Clothes Mentor