Plato's Closet
Plato's Closet is a secondhand clothing store that buys and sells gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories. Currently, they have over 500 stores across the United States and Canada. While the company is a chain, stores are individually owned and operated. This store is targeted towards teen and young adults, however, anyone can shop there.
History
[edit]Lynn and Dennis Blum started Plato's Closet in 1998.[1] The ideas for Plato's Closet came after their previous business, Once Upon A Child, proved successful. The idea for the name came from their son's interest and research on Plato, who he believed was in favor of recycling.[2] They sold the franchise rights for Once Upon A Child to Winmark Franchise Cooperation in 1993.[2] As they expanded Plato's Closet, the Blum's contacted Winmark for scaling help once again, and Winmark purchased the brand in 1999.[1]
Clothing Model
[edit]Plato's Closet pays sellers same-day, in cash, for items sold to the store.[2] They do not offer any other form of payment, including store credit. Clothes, accessories, and shoes are purchased at a price between 30% and 40% of what they intend to sell them at, but this varies by item and location.[2] Items accepted by the store are typically name-brand items and were sold in stores within the past 12–18 months.[3] Items are sold to customers at a discounted rate from the new-with-tags retail price, with price varying depending on brand, condition, and age. Additionally, customers receive points on every purchase through the company's loyalty program, which they can use for rewards.[4]
Locations
[edit]The first Plato's Closet store was opened in Columbus, Ohio in 1998.[5] Since then, over 500 locations have opened across North America.
| State/Province | Number of Stores | Cities/Locations |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ||
| Alabama | 8 | Auburn, Birmingham, Dothan, Hoover, Huntsville, Madison, Mobile, Tuscaloosa |
| Alaska | 1 | Anchorage |
| Arizona | 9 | Gilbert, Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, Tempe, Tucson (3) |
| Arkansas | 7 | Conway, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Rogers |
| California | 18 | Corona, El Cajon, Escondido, Fresno, Hawaiian Gardens, Modesto, Monterey, Pacifica, Pleasanton, Roseville, San Diego, San Jose, San Mateo, Santa Ana, Santa Rosa, Temecula, Vacaville, Westminster |
| Colorado | 10 | Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs (2), Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, Littleton, Lone Tree, Westminster |
| Connecticut | 8 | Danbury, Enfield, Hamden, Norwalk, Orange, South Windsor, Southington, Wethersfield |
| Delaware | 2 | Dover, Newark |
| Florida | 43 | Altamonte Springs, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Bradenton, Brandon, Clermont, Coral Springs, Daytona Beach, Destin, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville (3), Jensen Beach, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Largo, Melbourne, Miramar, Naple, Ocala, Ocoee, Orlando (3), Oviedo, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Harbor, Panama City, Pensacola, Plantation, Port Charlotte, Port Richey, Royal Palm Beach, Sanford, Sarasota, Spring Hill, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Tampa (2), Wesley Chapel |
| Georgia | 18 | Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Buford, Columbus, Cumming, Douglasville, Duluth, Gainesville, Jonesboro, Kennesaw, Lithonia, Macon, Newnan, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Snellville, Valdosta |
| Hawaii | 1 | Honolulu |
| Idaho | 2 | Boise, Nampa |
| Illinois | 16 | Algonquin, Batavia, Bloomington, Champaign, Crest Hill, Fairview Heights, Glendale Heights, Harwood Heights, Libertyville, Naperville, Orland Park, Peoria, Rockford, Schaumburg, Springfield, Villa Park |
| Indiana | 17 | Avon, Bloomington, Clarksville, Evansville, Fishers, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis (2), Kokomo, Lafayette, Merrillville, Mishawaka, Muncie, Richmond, Terre Haute, Valparaiso, Whitestown |
| Iowa | 8 | Ankeny, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Daven Point, Des Moines, Dubuque, Sioux City |
| Kansas | 5 | Lawrence, Mission, Overland Park, Topeka, Witchita |
| Kentucky | 7 | Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Florence, Lexington, Louisville, Owensboro, Paducah |
| Louisiana | 4 | Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe |
| Maine | 1 | Portland |
| Maryland | 4 | Frederick, Glen Burnie, Hagerstown, Lutherville |
| Massachussetss | 2 | Waltham, West Springfield |
| Michigan | 22 | Allen Park, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Brighton, Canton, East Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids, Grandville, Holland, Jackson, Madison Heights, Muskegon, Novi, Portage, Rochester Hills, Saginaw, St. Clair Shores, Traverse City, Utica, Walker, Waterford |
| Minnesota | 13 | Blaine, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Duluth, Eden Prarie, Mankato, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Rochester, Roseville, St. Cloud, Woodbury |
| Mississippi | 5 | D'Iberville, Hattiesburg, Oxford, Ridgeland, Southaven |
| Missouri | 13 | Belton, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Florissant, Joplin, Kansas City, Lee's Summit, Liberty, Manchester, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis, St. Peters, |
| Montana | 1 | Bozeman |
| Nebraska | 2 | Lincoln, Omaha |
| Nevada | 4 | Carson City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Reno |
| New Hampshire | 2 | Manchester, Portsmouth |
| New Jersey | 7 | Deptford, Edison, Fairfield, Ledgewood, Maple Shade, Middletown, Lawrence Township |
| New Mexico | 2 | Albuquerque (2) |
| New York | 14 | Albany, Elmira, Clifton Park, Commack, East Amherst, Ithaca, New Hartford, Poughkeepsie, Rochester (2), Syracuse, Vestal, Victor, West Seneca |
| North Carolina | 22 | Asheville, Boone, Cary, Charlotte (2), Durham, Fayetteville, Gastonia, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, High Point, Holly Springs, Huntersville, Jacksonville, Matthews, Monroe, Mooresville, Raleigh (2), Wilmington, Winston Salem |
| North Dakota | 4 | Bismarck, Gargo, Grand Forks, Minot |
| Ohio | 25 | Anderson, Beavercreek, Boardman, Canton, Cincinnatti, Cuyahoga Falls, Dayton, Dublin, Fields Ertel, Findlay, Grove City, Huber Heights, Lyndhurst, Mentor, Niles, North Olmsted, Ontario, Perrysburg, Reynoldsburg, Sandusky, Strongsville, Sylvania, Columbus, West Chester, Westerville |
| Oklahoma | 5 | Broken Arrow, Norman, Oklahoma City (3) |
| Oregon | 4 | Beaverton, Gresham, Salem, Tualatin |
| Pennsylvania | 20 | Allentown, Bridgeville, Broomall, Cranberry, Dickson City, Erie, Exton, Fairless Hills, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Hatfield, Lancaster, Mechanicsburg, Monroeville, Paoli, Pittsburgh, State College, Wilkes-Barre Township, Willow Grove, Wyomissing |
| Rhode Island | 1 | Warwick |
| South Carolina | 11 | Anderson, Charleston, Columbia (3), Florence, Greenville, Surfside Beach, North Charleston, Rock Hill, Spartanburg |
| South Dakota | 2 | Rapid City, Sioux Falls |
| Tennessee | 15 | Antioch, Brentwood, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Collierville, Cookeville, Cordova, Jackson, Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville, Madison, Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville, |
| Texas | 46 | Abilene, Alliance, Amarillo, Arlington, Austin, Baybrook, Baytown, Beaumont, Carrolton, Cedar Hill, Cedar Park, College Station, Corpus Christi, Cypress, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Euless, Flower Mound, Forth Worth, Frisco, Fulshear, Garland, Houston (2), Humble, Katy, Killeen, Longview, Lubbock, McKinney, Mesquite, Midland, Pearland, Plano, Round Rock, San Antonio (3), San Marcos, Shenandoah, Texarkana, Tyler, Waco, Weatherford, Willowbrook |
| Utah | 6 | Bountiful, Draper, Layton, Logan, Orem, Taylorsville |
| Vermont | 1 | Williston |
| Virginia | 19 | Bristol, Charlottesville, Chesapeake (2), Chester, Christiansburg, Dulles, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Manassas, Mechanicsville, Newport News, Richmond (2), Roanoke, Virginia Beach |
| Washington | 8 | Kennewick, Lynnwood, Spokane, Spokane Valley, Tacoma, Tukwila, Union Gap, Vancouver |
| West Virginia | 4 | Barboursville, Charleston, Morgantown, Parkersburg |
| Wisconsin | 10 | Appleton, Brookfield, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Greenfield, La Crosse, Madison (2), Pleasant Praire, Wausau |
| Wyoming | 2 | Casper, Cheyenne |
| Canada | ||
| Alberta | 10 | Airdrie, Calgary (3), Edmonton (2), Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Sherword Park, Strathcona |
| British Columbia | 3 | Abbotsford, Kelowna, Nanaimo |
| Manitoba | 3 | Brandon, Winnipeg (2) |
| Ontario | 29 | Barrie, Brampton, Brantford, Burlington, Cambridge, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener, London (2), Markham, Milton, Mississauga (2), Newmarket, North York, Oakville, Orleans, Oshawa, Ottawa (3), Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, St. Catharines, Toronto Stockyards, Vaughan, Windsor |
| Saskatchewan | 1 | Saskatoon |
Awards
[edit]Plato's Closet was named a Top Retail Franchise by Entreprenuer Magazine in 2016 for the third consecutive year, along with sister company Once Upon a Child.[7]
Plato's Closet was named the Number One Franchise Investment by Forbes Magazine in 2015.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Plato's Closet – Case Study - Professional Leadership Institute". 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
- ^ a b c d 1851franchise. "How Plato's Closet Was Built to Sell". How Plato’s Closet Was Built to Sell. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "About Plato's Closet® | Teen Resale Franchise Business". www.winmarkfranchises.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
- ^ Stansbury, Carey (2023-10-01). "14 Astounding Facts About Plato's Closet". Facts.net. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
- ^ "About | Reynoldsburg, OH". platoscloset.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
- ^ "Plato's Closet Store Locations". platoscloset.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
- ^ "Once Upon A Child® and Plato's Closet® Rated Top Retail Franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine for 3rd Consecutive Year". Business Wire. February 1, 2017.
- ^ "No. 1 Plato's Closet - 2015-05-08 - The Best Franchises In America". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
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