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Clothes Mentor Launches Game Changing Ecommerce Site

Online Lifeline

Online Lifeline – Clothes Mentor Launches Game-Changing Ecommerce Site

Clothes Mentor, the nation’s fastest-growing women’s resale clothing franchise, launched an eCommerce site in 2020 to combat decreased in-store sales due to the pandemic. It proved to be an immediate lifesaver for their franchise owners, increased new business from out-of-town online shoppers and enabled the stores to avoid employee layoffs.

The introduction of the online store has also been a hit for Clothes Mentor’s customers. Women can shop for more than 200,000 items of gently worn clothing, shoes and accessories from 82 stores nationwide, with the profits going back to the local store owner. Customers can now shop local from other company stores throughout the country on the website. People can also bring their like-new items into their nearest Clothes Mentor store to sell and receive cash or store credit on the spot.

“When our stores shut down, we had to scramble and launch our online website to keep our franchisees profitable and answer this growing demand for secondhand fashion,” says Chad Olson, COO of Clothes Mentor. “Our new website is a win-win for women looking for high quality, gently worn clothes at a great price. Resale is here to stay and now it’s more accessible than ever with our online site that updates fashion daily.”

The online store continued a trend in which the resale fashion market is growing 25 times faster than the overall retail market. It not only gave franchisees a much-needed lifeline, but it came at a perfect time when more people were avoiding stores and shopping online during the pandemic.

– Franchising USA Magazine, Vol 9, Issue 4, March 2021

Brandon Yeager

Brandon Yeager

Software Engineer

Software Engineer
Leah Weisbecker

Leah Weisbecker

Franchise Business Consultant

Franchise Business Consultant
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Michelle Vaudrin

Senior Director of Operations

Michelle Vaudrin is the Senior Director of Operations for  Children’s Orchard and Clothes Mentor. Before joining Children’s Orchard in 2016, she worked in leadership roles for Burlington, American Eagle, and Macy’s.

Michelle attended the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Retail Merchandising and Business Administration degree. She brings an extensive background in training in strategies, merchandising, customer service, and multi-unit store operations to the team.

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Jenny Mann

Vice President of Operations | Executive Director of IT

Jenny Mann is the Vice President of Operations for Clothes Mentor and Children’s Orchard. In January of 2020, Jenny also took on the role of Executive Director of IT, overseeing BST, our Point of Sale system, and the e-commerce platforms for both brands. Prior to this, Jenny was the Director of Marketing for NTY Franchise Company since January 2013. Jenny started with the NTY Franchise Company in 2008 with Clothes Mentor and has held many roles, including; Store Manager, New Store Opener, and Regional Operations Manager. Before joining NTY Franchise Company, Jenny worked for Old Navy (Gap, Inc.) and Target in management roles.

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Chad Olson

Chief Operations Officer

Chad Olson has been Chief Operations Officer of NTY Franchise Company since January 2007. From May 1994 to December 2006, he held various positions for Winmark Corporation (f/k/a Grow Biz International, Inc.), including Field Operations Manager for the Once Upon a Child concept from 1999 to 2002, and Regional Operations Manager for the Plato’s Closet concept from 2002 to 2006.

Sean Marrs

Sean Marrs

IT/Tech Administrator

IT/Tech Administrator
Marissa Stacy

Marissa Stacy

Jr. Graphic Designer

Jr. Graphic Designer

Ashlyn Aarness

Ashlyn Aarness

Social Media Specialist

Social Media Specialist
Ashley Huebner

Ashley Huebner

Director of Marketing

Ashley Huebner oversees Children’s Orchard’s marketing and advertising efforts to drive sales, build brand awareness, and lead the planning on how to market the brand effectively. She leads creative initiatives by driving the brands’ vision in aesthetics, tone, and trends to elevate our brand position as a leader in the resale category.

Ashley joined the Children’s Orchard team in 2015. Ashley has 10+ years of Graphic Design experience. Ashley holds a strong background in design, user experience, and a passion for creativity. She holds a BA degree in Advertising and Art.