Clothes Mentor, a chain of better women’s clothing resale shops, has opened its first franchise location in South Windsor across from the regional retail mecca of Evergreen Walk and just north of Buckland Hills Mall.
It’s a store where women are paid cash on the spot for their high-end, better-quality used clothing. Bring the J. Crew and leave the J.C. Penney at home, if you’re cleaning out the closet.
Co-owners Johanna Upton and Wendy Upton, who are sisters-in-law, paid a $25,000 franchise fee (plus 4 percent of future sales) and invested $175,000 in start up costs to open their 3,086 sq. ft. store that has a five-year lease at 90 Buckland Road in South Windsor.
Johanna Upton said she chose the location because the traffic associated with Evergreen Walk and Buckland Hills would give the store more visibility, which was needed because it is unknown in New England. (The closest store is Albany, N.Y.) Upton hopes to open up to five more stores within the next three years.
From what she says, her new store, which had a soft opening on April 1 and a grand opening on May 15, has been doing well. “When we opened the doors on April 1, we had nothing,” Upton said. She is buying $1,000 to $1,500 a day in used clothing from the public and stock can turn over the same day.
“We only choose better brands,” Upton explained. “We probably purchase only 50 percent of the items people bring in.” Items are sold for, on average, $11 apiece, according to statistics supplied by the store.
The owners stress that this is a resale store and not a consignment shop. The difference is sellers are paid upfront and don’t have to wait for their items to be sold, if at all.
Apparently, business isn’t affected by good or bad economies. “We will do just fine regardless of what the economy is because of the quality of clothes,” Upton said, adding her store also has a green element to it because it sells used apparel. “People think there is nothing wrong with recycling clothes,” she said.
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Commercial real estate services giant C.B. Richard Ellis Group Inc., which has offices in Hartford, has issued a survey that shows 70 percent of U.S. retailers believe that the overall economy is improving and 92 percent are planning to increase store opening.
The report, “Shop Talk — A Retailer’s Perspective,” also finds that despite an improving economy, nearly all the retail executives surveyed believe that retail rents will either fall or remain flat throughout the rest of 2010, CBRE said.
“Our survey shows that retailers are increasingly more confident about their growth plans for 2010, and even more so for 2011,” said Anthony Buono, executive managing director of CBRE Retail Services in the Americas. “Although they remain cautious as to the overall impact of the global economy on the domestic market, most remain optimistic about their prospects for their own businesses, near- term as well as long-term.”
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Avon has a new retail outlet — and it’s something unusual: a franchised butcher house. The Meat House, located at 395 West Main St., Avon, offers a diverse line of butchered premium meats as well as proprietary marinades, fine cheeses, fresh produce, artisan breads, prepared side dishes and other gourmet foods.
Locally owned by Rich Gallivan, The Meat House, through a franchise development program, has expanded over the past three months with locations in six states — Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and California. It was founded in 2003 in New Hampshire.
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A Proper Smoke recently opened at 71 Memorial Road in Blue Back Square, West Hartford.
Owned and operated by Jim Bronsdon, it is Blue Back’s newest retail outlet and features a selection of premium cigars, tobacco, and accessories. The store is around the corner from White House | Black Market and adjacent to Memorial Garage.
