Plato's Closet clothing store opening soon in Cape

Young adults in Southeast Missouri soon will have another option when it comes to shopping for clothes. Marla and Scott Teter are opening Plato’s Closet, which will cater to high-school and college students as a way to buy — and sell — their clothes.

The inventory from Plato’s Closet comes directly from customers.

Those interested in selling gently used clothing can bring them to the store, and buyers will sort through the items to determine what they would like to buy and the price they will offer.

According to the company website, buyers look for current teen and young-adult styles that have been in retail stores within the past 12 to 18 months.

“We’re pretty selective,” Marla Teter said. “We know what sells, what the kids are looking for.”

Teter said their target market is between 12 and 28 years old.

The Teters already own two Plato’s Closet franchises in Georgia and are looking forward to bringing one to Southeast Missouri.

Teter, originally from East Prairie, Missouri, said she and her husband bought the territory for the franchise a year ago but only recently found the location they wanted. They are subleasing the former Advance Auto Parts building on Kingshighway.

“My son’s going to move back there and manage that store for me,” Teter said.

Hiring for the store will begin soon. Teter expects to take on 25 part-time employees initially, and interviewing will start next week.

When the store opens, the first six to eight weeks will focus only on buying clothing and accessories, not selling.

Buyers sort through the materials the customer brings in, and information regarding the style, brand and condition is entered into a computer, which determines the retail price.

“Then we’re going to pay the person who brings it in ... 30 to 40 percent of that, and they get cash on the spot,” Teter said. “We’ll usually have it priced for the customer within 30 to 40 minutes.”

Once they have enough stock, a grand opening will be planned to begin selling clothes. Teter expects a large crowd for the opening weekend.

“There are people that just follow Plato’s Closet because they love to go to those grand openings,” Teter said.

The Cape Girardeau Plato’s Closet will offer 5,000 square feet of space to show its inventory.

Teter said the store will buy ladies’ sizes up to XXL and 18/20 and will carry plus sizes for men as well.

“That’s something new that has come on the scene for teen styles,” she said. “A lot of teen stores, the last couple years, have started offering plus sizes, and so because of that we’ve been able to start offering them into our stores, and it’s going over really well.”

If the work on the building goes as planned, Teter expects to begin taking in inventory by early April, and a grand opening will be planned for mid-May.

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

257 N Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO