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For Danielle DeLucco and Mike Molnar, owning a Plato’s Closet franchise is a sweetheart deal.
The couple opened their own store in January in Southington, Connecticut. The local response has been “abundant and overwhelming in the best ways possible,” Danielle says.
“We’ve already gained repeat customers that we know we will have for the duration of our journey,” she adds. “We’re meeting tons of new customers daily that have been so excited to see what our store is about.”
Picking a Path to Entrepreneurship
Mike has long been an entrepreneur. He holds a pilot’s license and a real estate license, owns several investment properties, and owns a car dealership in the next town. Danielle also has a versatile background, working in the finance, bridal and paralegal fields before the COVID-19 pandemic spurred her to rethink her career path.
“I was constantly updating my wardrobe and selling a lot of my clothes to another Plato’s,” she says. She was impressed by the constantly changing, on-trend inventory with discounts on the styles popular over the past 12 to 18 months. She adds, “We both are very much into doing our part in helping keep the planet healthy and thought it would be a great fit for us to look into opening a store ourselves.”
Mike did the initial research into Winmark. After the couple spoke with a franchise developer, Danielle says, “We knew it was exactly what we were looking for.”
The franchise developer handledthe initial steps of preparing them to buy a franchise and worked with them during the onboarding process. Once their franchise agreement was executed, Danielle and Mike partnered with the Winmark training department during the new store development process. They attended a weeklong training session at Winmark headquarters to learn everything from how the open-to- buy phase works to how to train their staff. They were introduced to a company that provided store fixtures and materials.
They officially began buying items from their community to stock their store with gently used clothing and accessories in November.
“Winmark has been a dream corporation to work with from the very beginning. Every department has brought an incredible amount of knowledge that has allowed us to create our store with confidence,” Danielle adds.
Another franchise in Wethersfield, Connecticut, also has helped by offering advice based on their operational experience and serving as another resource for Danielle and Mike when questions popped up along the way. They appreciated having both the Winmark team and the Wethersfield store owners as support avenues.
Tackling Challenges With Style
Of course, owning a business together can be a challenge for a couple. Danielle says, “It has allowed us to get to know each other on an even deeper level. Being with someone for as long as the two of us have, you wouldn’t think there would be much more to learn.”
Open communication and honesty helped them tackle any hurdles.
Danielle says when they were building out the space, she found it hard to allow other people to help. “It was hard for me to let go of some of the responsibilities I felt were all mine to take on alone, and let other professionals do what they do best. I think a lot of stress could have been avoided had I let others help more.”
The grand opening exceeded all of their expectations, including sales projections. When they opened their door on grand opening day, they were delighted to find more than 75 people lined up outside, and they had a steady stream of customers all day and through the weekend.
But with the excitement of grand opening behind them, more fun challenges lie ahead, such as keeping tabs on customers’ tastes. Tops, dresses, loungewear, athletic wear and accessories are hot items, Danielle says.
Her passion for fashion makes that part of the job — and updating her own wardrobe — a breeze. “I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to wear things twice,” she says with a laugh. “I can just sell something to the store and take something else home.”
Want to Learn More?
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