Yvette Cuttita and her teenage daughter Nicolette, of Duanesburg, were stocking up on spring fashions at Rotterdam’s newest store during the recent winter break.
Nicolette held several pairs of shorts while she stood in line at Plato’s Closet, a used clothing store located across the street from Rotterdam Square Mall at 90 West Campbell Road.
We’ve found a couple of good things here, said Yvette. `The prices are very reasonable.`
Plato’s Closet is a national franchise geared to teens and young adults that sells used brand-name clothes.
Kellie Robertson, who owns the store with her husband, Neil, said about 100 people were lined up in front of the West Campbell Road store for its grand opening on Monday, Feb. 17.
`Abercrombie, Hollister and American Eagle are the hottest brands,` said Robertson, who also owns the Plato’s Closet on Central Avenue, Albany. `And we generally sell our items at about a third of what you would spend at the mall for something new.`
Robertson said she’d noticed many would-be mall shoppers stopping at Plato’s Closet instead.
`Well, the parents are the ones driving the cars, and they stop here first before going to the mall where they know they’ll spend more,` said Robertson.
Andreine Giovannone and her three children heard about the new store from a friend.
`It’s my kids that brought me out here today,` said Giovannone, whose daughter was looking for brand names like Abercrombie and Lacoste amid the long racks of women’s clothing.
It’s kids that brought Robertson and her new store to the Rotterdam area, too.
`The demographics show that there are a lot of high school and college kids that live in the area,` said Robertson. `There’s Mohonasen, Schalmont, Niskayuna and then there’s SCCC and Union College. High school and college kids are our biggest customer-base.`
These high school and college kids are also the main source of inventory for the store. Robertson said SUNY Albany students regularly sell her their designer clothes for a little extra pocket money at her Central Avenue location.
Plato’s Closet pays on the spot for all accepted items of clothing, outerwear and accessories. Robertson said the clothing has to be in good condition, stylish, freshly laundered and folded in boxes or shopping bags. The amount paid to sellers is based on condition, brand, style and demand. The store also accepts items like books, CDs, DVDs and video games.
For those who would rather shop for clothes than sell them, Plato’s Closet offers regular coupons by e-mail and offers a frequent buyer’s savings card.
Robertson said the Central Avenue store, which opened two years ago has been a `huge success.`
She first got the idea to open a Plato’s Closet franchise after visiting the store in Springfield, Mass., and buying clothes for her six kids.
`I knew how much I was spending on clothes, and I figured there were other parents out there in the same situation,` said Robertson.
Plato’s Closet was the first business venture for the Robertsons, though Kellie is a longtime marketer and her husband has experience as a comptroller.
The Robertsons employ 22 people between the two store locations. Robertson said her employees all have deep interests in fashion, and they come from all over the Capital District.
Alex Student, of Clifton Park, is the manager at the Rotterdam store.
`It’s a great place to work. You meet really cool people, and we get to wear cool clothes that show off our own personal style.`
On Thursday, Feb. 21, the weather was cold outside but Student wore a colorful tank top as she hustled behind the counter at Plato’s Closet sorting through the new inventory and waiting on customers at the register.
`People are starting to look for spring and summer clothes so a lot of the displays we have are showing cool stuff for warm weather,` said Student. `And the cool thing is that here, unlike when you walk into American Eagle, we have diverse styles ` everything from prep to an urban look to anything.`
Franchise founders Lynn and Dennis Blum opened the first Plato’s Closet store in Columbus, Ohio.
According to the company Web site, the store’s unique name stems from a school project conducted by the Blums’ teenage son on the Greek philosopher Plato.
Plato’s theories of reusing and preservation were seen as a parallel to his parents’ ideas for a used clothing store.
There are more than 200 Plato’s Closet locations in North America.“
