Somewhere between the Salvation Army and Gucci lies Plato's Closet, the new store in Amherst that's making hand-me-downs hot. Whether a student is in search of cash to fill empty pockets, or for some new clothes that won't cost an entire month's food budget, the recent opening should appeal to the most cash-strapped style maven.
Many college students, already struggling with debt, barely have enough money to cover their budget for food and books, let alone buying a trendy wardrobe each season. Now, with the opening of Plato's Closet, students will be able to buy new clothing while staying within their budget.
The store, which currently has 145 locations throughout the United States, buys and sells "gently-used" name-brand clothing and opened this past week, with a strategic location near UB.
According to Richard Brill, who works with the Winmark Corporation, which owns Plato's Closet, locations near college campuses prosper the most because according to statistics, college students make 13 shopping trips a month, on average.
Dana Zuber, who co-owns the location with her husband, Ken, explained that they received their initial stock from the community, rather than other locations, for five months before opening.
"We advertised on MTV, Kiss 98.5, and the community really responded," said Dana. "We had an outpouring that allowed us to open the store, and a growing popularity that has revealed a promising future."
With racks upon racks of jeans, tops, sweaters and coats, the possibilities for shopping are endless.
The apparel is directed primarily toward a younger crowd, and currently has more in stock for girls. The most common items for girls seemed to be jeans, particularly Express and American Eagle brands, and a wide variety of khakis, dress pants and short-sleeved tops. Guys do have their fair share of clothing to choose from, however mainly consisting of jeans and tee shirts.
Along with the variety in apparel merchandise, Plato's Closet buys and sells outerwear, accessories, CD's, shoes and room d?(c)cor. They may have a wide selection of items, but the prices remain to be the main appeal.
"We sell most items at 35 to 45 percent of retail value," said Ken Zuber.
This is something that can also appeal to the parents of the few lucky students that still get cash from mom and dad to shop. In fact, this concept is what founded the first few Plato's Closet stores. According to Brill in 1998, a couple in Ohio with three sons who were using all of their money opened the first four locations.
"Get the most for your parent's money," said shopper and mother Nancy Reinig. "You may even have some to spare after you're done shopping."
Some student consumers say the new shop has a lot to offer but are lacking in selection of sizes.
"I recently went there with some girlfriends and I thought the store was pretty well stocked," said Arianna Grassia, senior English major. "But the only thing I didn't like was their lack of selection in shoe sizes. They have some really cute shoes but they only carry size eight and I'm a six.
Aside from the lack of shoe sizes, Plato's Closet is proud to say they do compensate consumers for previously owned clothing that is still in decent condition.
The Zubers explained that the computers they use have a system that will compute the value of each item of clothing, based on condition, label, style, size and several other features.
"We don't want to say that everyone will get a set amount for selling us jeans," said Ken. "Many factors go into the decision for pricing, and the system ultimately decides what we will offer."
According to Ken, they're not going to pay top dollar for pre-owned clothing, but it beats throwing them out or letting them collect dust in the closet.
"We are always looking for clothes to be in good condition, less than a year and a half old, brand-name, and appealing to young adults," said Dana Zuber. "Style sometimes overrides labels, and obviously holes in some jeans don't constitute bad condition. Hollister and Banana Republic seem to be our biggest sellers so far."
There are many reasons why some items are selected, and some are not. Customers can observe while the salespeople review and either accept or deny offers. The workers at Plato's Closet are efficient however, and make the process fast.
Because there are so many one-of-a-kind items, looking through Plato's Closet's selection takes time. There are very few items that appear twice, and sorting the stock can be difficult. Overall, Plato's Closet is comparable to stores like Marshall's and T.J. Maxx.
Considering the alternatives, such as paying upwards of $60 for a pair of jeans, taking the time to look a bit doesn't seem so bad.
Plato's Closet of Amherst opened Oct. 6 at 3133 Sheridan Drive in Northtown Plaza. The store's hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
