Press Room
Cheaper chic: Bountiful gets its own Plato’s Closet - 7/22/10
The Salt Lake Tribune
Bountiful residents Jeff and Sabrina Burbach expect long lines when their high-end used clothing store opens in the 5th South Plaza later this month.
For the past few weeks, Utah’s newest Plato’s Closet, 273 W. 500 South, has been “open to buy” — meaning that people can clean out their closets and cash in on the stylish clothing and accessories that they no longer wear.
“We pay on the spot, so it’s not consignment,” Sabrina Burbach said. It gets a little tricky, she added, when she has to refuse items that likely won’t sell but still hold sentimental value to the owner.
“But people have been really pleased with the cash they’re getting back in their hands,” Burbach said. “Our rep said that we’re getting the best quality of denim that he’s seen nationwide.”
Plato’s Closet specializes in used designer denim that sells new for up to $500 per item. The store caters to women in their teens and twenties, but also carries hipster clothing for men.
Layton, Taylorsville, Draper and Orem already have the trendy thrift franchise, which is part of the Minneapolis-based Winmark Corp.
The economic downturn — and tight family budgets — have translated into more business for these upscale second-hand stores.
“More people are selling to us to get money — and also coming to shop because they can’t afford to buy at the mall,” said Ashley Fennell, a shift leader at Draper’s Plato’s Closet, which opened about five years ago.
Having a store full of unusual merchandise also helps, Fennell added.
“It’s fun to see all the different styles and brands,” she said.
Burbach said she’s long been a fan of quality clothing and good deals, which gave this particular business venture added appeal.
“My husband is in construction and was looking to do something completely different,” Burbach said. “I mentioned this idea and he thought it would be a perfect fit.”
The Bountiful site will continue to accept items between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Those hours will remain the same when the 4,700-square-foot store opens for customers on Tuesday.
“We’re planning a grand opening,” Burbach said. “And in these stores it’s crazy. People wait to buy that special purse or pair of jeans.”
