Press Room
Finding bargains can be the new 'cool' at Plato's Closet - Palm Beach Gardens 4/10/10
The Stuart News - 4/4/10As the economy struggles to recover, a new Palm Beach Gardens store aims to become the headquarters for fashionable bargains.
Plato's Closet is one of four area stores, including one in Stuart, paying cash for gently used, in-fashion clothing for "tweens," teens, young adults, both men and women; and at the same time, offering stylish jeans, tanks, hoodies, dresses and sandals at "bargainista"-coveting prices.
"My husband, Marty, who works for Port St. Lucie, and I went into the Stuart store and loved the concept," said Lisa Curran , a Palm City resident.
"Plato was the father of recycling. There's even the recycling symbol as part of the logo, and the whole idea of offering cash right up front for good-looking clothing, while having these clothes available at bargain prices appealed to us."
It took about a year for the Currans to find the right location, since the franchise requires that the store be within a specific distance of a mall, and, of course, to gather the first group of clothing so the store could open.
Makayla Forgione and her friend Derrin Willcox, both 11 and from Palm Beach Gardens, were stocking up on tank tops to try on as they shopped.
"They've got a lot of stuff at good prices, and that's why I told Makayla about the store," Willcox said.
The demographics for store's customer is a young or mature teen, or someone in their early 20s, Curran said. But in her store, there are customers older than 25 who like the store's merchandise and particularly the pricing.
"Describe me as a young mom, married, with a 2-year-old," Melissa Furshman of Palm Beach Gardens said. "I've seen the commercials, and I've been meaning to come in. So today is my first time shopping here. It's not going to be my last."
