Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Dash.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a mom of two teenagers, I loved the concept of Plato’s Closet as soon as I found out about it! I have been a longtime fan of consignment stores for kids and women, but I felt that the Boston area was missing something similar for the teen and young adult crowd. I decided to take the leap to open our own location, and Waltham seemed like a great spot; it is close to lots of colleges and near towns that draw plenty of twenty-somethings such as Watertown, Allston/Brighton, Waltham, Boston and beyond. We opened our doors in the winter of 2016, so we just reached our second birthday!
Has it been a smooth road?
The first few years of any business are rarely smooth sailing! During our first year, we bought more inventory than we could easily manage to get out to the floor before a season was over. This resulted in very big clearance sales, which customers really loved! In our second year, we were much more careful with purchasing inventory, but it is always a learning curve in terms of trends and what sells best. We buy a lot of items before a season begins, so we do our best to stay on top of what’s trending (and not trending.) In our third year, we are trying to strike an even better balance. It’s fun to look back at our Instagram feed and to see how much styles have changed in even just a few short years!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Plato’s Closet Waltham – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Our Plato’s Closet location is the only one in Massachusetts, even though there are over 400 Plato’s locations in the United States and Canada. We are in the position of introducing the brand to the Bay State, which is both exciting and challenging. We are unique in a variety of ways. First, we specialize in buying and selling current styles in great condition that appeal to the teen and young adult market. We even have a section for guys, which is uncommon in the resale world. Second, we pay cash on the spot for our merchandise instead of putting it on consignment. This makes the process much easier for sellers. Finally, we don’t require appointments, and we purchase all seasons, year-round. Customers are often surprised by the size of our store and by how many items we stock at once. Our sales floor is nearly 5000 square feet, and we carry thousands of items at any given time. On average, we bring in over a thousand new items per week; so, the options change frequently. One of our favorite aspects of Plato’s is our active Instagram feed, supported by our awesome customers! We mix in outfits of the day, hot items, special promotions (such as shopping spree contests and flash sales), customer photos and more. Another favorite tradition is our internship program. Each semester we hire an intern from a local college to help us with visual merchandising: displays, social media and more, and that has been a great way to connect with local schools.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We love so many things about the Boston area! Some of our favorites include local spirit, social activism, diversity, amazing history, the abundance of schools and easy access to the rest of New England. From a personal standpoint, we would love to see more vegan restaurants and easier public transit access to areas such as Waltham and Watertown!
Contact Info:
- Address: 100 River Street
Waltham, MA 02453 - Website: www.platosclosetwaltham.com
- Phone: 781-894-0600
- Email: info@platosclosetwaltham.com
Image Credit:
Plato’s Closet Waltham, featuring employees and store merchandise. The feature photo is our longtime employee, Emely Soto, modeling a Kate Space bag in front of our What’s Trending rack.
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
