Plato's Closet London pleased with successful start

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: EMILY STEWART
Plato's Closet London co-owner Lisa Doerr (left) and manager Tara Organ nearby some of the clothes you can find at the store.

Plato's Closet in London, located on 1071 Wellington Road, has had a busy beginning. Co-owner Lisa Doerr said the store opened over the summer and has been successful so far.

She said the grand opening at the end of August exceeded expectations. “We had a line up out the door and around the building,” Doerr added. “There was a lot of excitement and lots of happy people.” Over 1,000 people expressed interest in attending the event on Facebook.

Reduce, reuse and re-sell

People who are looking to part with clothing items can give them a new home at Plato's Closet. There are 15 other Ontario Plato's Closet locations, from Kitchener to Ottawa. Doerr explained that while the store targets teenagers and 20-somethings, the London location included “young at heart” because customers of all ages come for a visit.

Doerr and her husband, Scott, have owned the nearby Once Upon A Child for 19 years, which is a used clothing store for newborns to preteens. They felt that bringing a Plato's Closet to London was the next step.

The business is part of Winmark Franchises chain, which owns stores that re-sell gently used merchandise. Play It Again Sports, Once Upon A Child and Music Go Round accompany Plato's Closet under the same umbrella. The total number Winmark Franchises across North America have grown from 870 in 2008 to 1,150 in 2015.

Doerr said offering the clothing that's brought in from people living in London and surrounding area helps them leave an eco-footprint.

“It's nice to know that when we purchase items from customers [we are] able to give back to the community as well,” she said. “Not everybody can afford to shop at the mall and pay full price for everything.”

The Plato's Closet in London will accept between 80 to 90 donations daily, based on the condition, brand and style. Doerr said brands including George, Joe Fresh, Artizia and Lululemon are welcome, amongst others. She said how much cash back you receive depends on the article of clothing itself.

“We've had one family that got about $800. They had a lot of stuff to bring in,” Doerr said.

She added that what separates Plato's Closet from similar shops is the wait period to find out if you are getting cash back because their store will pay customers as soon as the clothes are looked over and approved.

“I know some other stores you have to take it on consignment and leave it in the store and when it sells, you get the money for it then,” Doerr explained. “If they don't sell your items then you go back to pick your items up.”

More ways to save

The clothes at Plato's Closet are marked down from 50 to 70 per cent off of the original retail price. The London location offers a Vicinity membership card for its customers. Members earn a point for every $10 spent, and get 20 per cent off every time they earn 20 points. People using the Vicinity membership will also receive text message updates so they can find out when Plato's Closet is having a clearance sale.

Western University students can find a 20 per cent off coupon in their Westernizer planner. Doerr explained that the shop wanted to have a Plato's Closet coupon for the Fanshawe students' planner, but they were unable to have one on time for this year.

She also wants to reach out to Fanshawe by having some advertising done through the TVs around the school, the Fanshawe Student Union and college-run stations like 106.9 CIXX-FM.

Let's connect

Doerr's son, a media, theory and production (MTP) student in the television broadcasting stream with Western and Fanshawe, has also done much of the marketing for Plato's Closet London. The store is working with Arcane Marketing for Google AdSense. Plato's Closet London is on Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Facebook page has over 3,100 likes, which Doerr said is impressive because the business is a new resident to the Forest City, and has been open for a fraction of the time of other locations. The Instagram account has 498 followers and the Twitter account has 14 followers. Plato's Closet London is also collecting email addresses that will receive newsletters, as part of the franchise agreement.

During the grand opening, Snapchat users could use special filters offered by Plato's Closet London, and fans of the store are encouraged to use Snapchat to learn about special contests and events.

Visit platosclosetlondon.com for more information, and follow the store on social media via the usernames below.

Facebook: facebook.com/platosclosetlondon

Instagram: @platosclosetlondon

Twitter: @PlatosClosetLdn

Snapchat: platosclosetldn

How do I get there?

There are a few busses Fanshawe students can take to get to Plato's Closet. Students can either take the 4 Oxford heading Southbound right from the campus, or walk to the Oxford and Highbury bus stop near Food Basics to take the 14 Highbury bus heading Northbound. For those stopping in Downtown London first, students can either the 17 Byron or 91 Express heading Westbound and first get off at Oxford and Richmond, then transfer to either the 13 Wellington or the 90 Express heading Southbound.