Latest news with #Plato'sCloset
Winnipeg Free Press
27-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Style Encore's second city location steps onto men's clothing stage
Chantelle Harder didn't always have entrepreneurial aspirations, but today she runs seven businesses. In May, Harder and business partner Alex Domingo opened Style Encore at 1190 St. James St. The Winnipeg store purchases and resells clothing and accessories, and is part of a chain created by franchisor Winmark Corp. Harder also owns a Plato's Closet location and a Once Upon a Child store in Winnipeg, and she is the founder of Harder HIIT Fitness, a non-profit community gym in the city. The 46-year-old also co-owns three Plato's Closet locations in Alberta. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Style Encore co-owner Chantelle Harder in the new consignment shop at 1190 James St. Harder's employees are often teens working their first jobs and she enjoys the opportunity to mentor them. 'I love working with young people,' said Harder, who was an educator before becoming a business owner. 'Watching them learn and grow is so rewarding. It's kind of like being a teacher, to be honest with you, which is maybe why I love it so much.' Style Encore offers affordable, gently used casual and business clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories for people in their late 20s and older. It sources the items by purchasing them from customers, who can receive cash on the spot for goods they've outgrown or no longer want. It's the second Style Encore location in Winnipeg (the other is on Nairn Avenue) and the only one in the city to offer men's clothing and an e-commerce platform for online shoppers. The store features a range of brands including Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Gap and Lululemon. The store carries items that sell for as little as $5, as well as luxury handbags, designer shoes and sunglasses that retail for hundreds of dollars. 'I love the concept of keeping all of these things out of our landfills and giving the community a safe and welcoming place to come sell and buy,' Harder said. Harder made her first foray into business in 2001, when she and her then-husband started an online pharmacy based in Minnedosa. Ten years later, she opened her Once Upon a Child location. Once Upon a Child and Plato's Closet are also Winmark brands that buy and sell gently used items, the first for children and the second for teenagers and young adults. For Harder, it made sense to open a store for customers 25 and older so she could meet the needs of people of all ages. She asked Domingo, a human resources manager for her other businesses, to join her in the venture. The business partners and their staff purchased 76,000 items in the six weeks leading up to the location's grand opening May 1. Since then, business at the 4,200-square-foot store has been brisk, Domingo said. 'We expected to be busy but I don't think we expected to be as busy as we are. It's a nice surprise,' she said. Harder and Domingo are both Métis and say they are proud to represent Indigenous business owners. They also find meaning in running a business that focuses on sustainability and offers customers affordable options. Harder is motivated in part by the fact she lives with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. After enduring whole-brain radiation therapy and ongoing chemo treatments every three weeks, she says she is driven to expand her businesses. 'It just kind of gives you a wake up call to make sure that you're living the life that you want to lead,' said Harder, who has four children between the ages of 15 and 21. 'I hope that my stores can create a legacy for my family, and for Alex, too, at Style Encore. I find being busy is the best cancer cure of all.' Friends Alison Wolfe and Karen Toews visited the store for the first time Monday and were impressed. 'I wasn't expecting it to be this full right away, but it's nice to have a lot of options here,' Wolfe said. Toews appreciates Style Encore focuses on selling quality items. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'We're not necessarily looking for the fast fashion. We're looking for the stuff that will last a little longer,' she said. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Winmark Corp. advertises itself as 'the resale company.' In addition to Style Encore, Plato's Closet and Once Upon a Child, the U.S. company owns the retail resale brands Play It Again Sports and Music Go Round. As of December 2024, Winmark had 1,350 franchises in operation. There are more than 65 Style Encore locations in Canada and the U.S. Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plato's Closet to host ‘Take What You Need' event
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Over the past few months, Plato's Closet has been putting clothes aside for their upcoming 'Take What You Need' event on May 22nd. 'Basically, we will open the doors at 9 a.m. We're expecting a bit of a line, I would say, so we're going to have donuts and things for people who are waiting before the doors open. But we're open at nine. People will come in. We're going to have all these bins that are organized by size to make it easier for people to shop for the bins and find what they actually need,' said Mikki Fitzer, co-owner of Plato's Closet in Sioux Falls. Fatal tractor crash near Aberdeen The store is partially crediting a comeback in thrifting for those expected long lines. 'I just feel like second hand, when I was a kid, it was like kind of shamed upon. But now it's, like, exciting to find good deals. And we always have a variety of things out for customers,' said Amanda Schaefers, assistant manager of Plato's Closet. The idea for the event came from wanting to give back to customers, but this isn't the only way the business is making a difference. 'We've given back to the Humane Society, the Children's Home Shelter, we're going to walk in the Avera Race Against Cancer next weekend. So, this is just something that we've never done before. And we thought, well, you know, we've gotten so much love from the community. We want to be able to support the families that support us,' said Fitzer. Another reason they're expecting long lines is that it takes place the day after school ends in the Sioux Falls School District. 'Just seeing the excitement, people coming in. It's kind of like Black Friday for us. So, seeing the lines and the people excited to see what they can find and the bargain. And free is always great,' said Schaefers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
Theft investigation continues, Plato's Closet back in action
A local clothing and accessory resale store is back in business after a Saturday morning break-in shut it down for the weekend. A video posted on Plato's Closet's Facebook page showed three hooded suspects exiting the store with items after breaking in. Owner Jill Martin was out of town at the time of the break-in. 'It's heartbreaking you feel very violated,' Martin said. 'You know stuff happens but it is different when it happens to you, whether its your home or business it hits different.' The main items stolen from the store were designer hand bags, clothes and inserts to the register drawers. Martin did not specify the total value of the items stolen. The initial break-in occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, a suspect attempted to use a crowbar to get into the store. The store alarm went off and police arrived on the scene to investigate. Later that same evening around 4:30 a.m. the suspects went back to the store, shattered the door and broke in. Martin worked to clean up the mess this past Sunday, Feb. 23 and the front door is being fixed. Martin is putting new security measures in place for the future. 'We're upgrading our security and we're going to have additional cameras,' Martin said. 'We have cameras inside and outside the store but it never hurts to have more.' The video posted to the store's Facebook page has over 120,000 views and Martin said she feels blessed by the concerned community. Another positive Martin highlighted is that no employees were hurt during the break-in. 'That's always my first priority, is my team,' She said. 'We are grateful, stuff and things can always be replaced so I am grateful for that.' Martin said that the St. Joseph Police Department have multiple videos with different views of the incident and the investigation is ongoing. News-Press NOW reached out to SJPD for an update. News-Press NOW will update this story as more information becomes available.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Yahoo
Plato's Closet to temporarily close after break-in
Plato's Closet in St. Joseph announced on social media that they will be temporarily closed after a break-in on Saturday morning. The post stated that the store will need to fix and replace items, resulting in the temporary closure. The post also stated that a police investigation has begun. Anyone with information pertaining to the vehicles or individuals involved are encouraged to reach out to the St. Joseph Police Department's tips hotline at 816-238-TIPS or message Plato's Closet - St. Joseph, MO on Facebook.
