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Plato's Closet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

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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

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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

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The first Plato's Closet store was opened in Columbus, Ohio in 1998.[5] Since then, over 500 locations have opened across North America.

Plato's Closet Locations[6]
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, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cuyahoga Falls, Dayton, Dublin, Fields Ertel, Findlay, Grove City, Huber Heights, Lyndhurst, Mentor, Niles, North Olmsted, Ontario, Perrysburg, Reynoldsburg, Sandusky, Strongsville, Sylvania, 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

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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

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  1. ^ a b "Plato's Closet – Case Study - Professional Leadership Institute". 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  2. ^ 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)
  3. ^ "About Plato's Closet® | Teen Resale Franchise Business". www.winmarkfranchises.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  4. ^ Stansbury, Carey (2023-10-01). "14 Astounding Facts About Plato's Closet". Facts.net. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  5. ^ "About | Reynoldsburg, OH". platoscloset.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  6. ^ "Plato's Closet Store Locations". platoscloset.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  7. ^ "Once Upon A Child® and Plato's Closet® Rated Top Retail Franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine for 3rd Consecutive Year". Business Wire. February 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "No. 1 Plato's Closet - 2015-05-08 - The Best Franchises In America". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-10-15.