EP #145 How Plato’s Closet Turns Gently Used Fashion Into Community Value

Your closet is not just clutter. It can be cash, it can be someone else’s next favorite outfit, and it can keep perfectly good clothing out of the landfill. We’re joined by Kelly Smith from Plato’s Closet in Fredericksburg to explain how their secondhand clothing and accessories model really works and why it’s more than “just a thrift store.”

Kelly walks us through the buy-sell cycle at Plato’s Closet: locals bring in gently used teen and young adult styles, the team evaluates what they can resell based on condition and demand, and sellers get paid cash when items are accepted. We also clear up a major misconception. Plato’s Closet is a for-profit resale shop, not a charity and not a donation center, and that matters because it explains how they curate inventory and keep quality high while still offering affordable fashion across different budgets. If you’re searching for sustainable fashion, resale shopping, or “sell used clothes for cash” options in Fredericksburg, this is the practical roadmap.

We also get personal about entrepreneurship. Kelly shares how she and her husband moved from Ohio to Virginia and bought into an existing, long-running store, plus the honest reality of small business ownership. Her advice is simple and hard-earned: don’t underestimate the blood, sweat, and tears it takes, even when the payoff feels worth it. We wrap with how to find Plato’s Closet on TikTok and Instagram, when they’re open, and how easy it is to sell since they buy from open to close.

If you enjoyed this local business story, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more Fredericksburg neighbors can find us. Who should we feature next?

Kelly Smith

Plato's Closet

platoscloset.com

manager@platosclosetfredericksburg.com

+1 540-786-0990

1621 Carl D Silver Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA, United States, 22401

Transcript

Welcome To FXBG Neighbors

Speaker 1 0:01

This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Meet Kelly Smith

What Plato’s Closet Actually Does

Speaker 2 0:13

Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest today. We've got Kelly Smith, and she is with Plato's Closet. Kelly, welcome to the podcast. Good morning. Thank you for having me. I'm excited for this. I'm excited to learn more about you and about Plato's Closet. So let's start there. Share with us what is Plato's Closet.

Speaker 0:41

So, Plato's Closet, we are a secondhand store that sells gently used clothing accessories for teen and young adults. So we actually buy our merchandise from the community. So when customers come in, they sell their clothing accessories to us, we pay them cash, and then we sell that to um we have a retail shop that we sell the secondhand clothing.

Speaker 2 1:04

Amazing. What a great business model. You are helping so many people. And so it's not just, you know, for your own profit, but so many community members are also making a little bit of money off of the things that they could donate. And uh I love that so much.

Speaker 1:22

Yeah, it's a great thing because they can make a little extra money for things we're not wearing. It can be recycled, and also people can come in and get something that's gently used at a great price. So it's it's a very it's a good cycle.

How They Bought The Store

Speaker 2 1:34

I love that. So I want to learn more about you. Tell me about your background and what led you to opening this business.

Speaker 1:43

So I um my background is extensively in sales. I've had many jobs throughout my uh my lifetime. Um, my husband and I moved here permanently probably about five years ago. Uh however, getting here, he came down two years prior than I did to um learn how to run the business through his sister, who owns several Plato's Closet in Virginia. And um we decided that we wanted to have an opportunity to own a small business. We never thought we could do that. So we picked up, left Ohio, and moved down here and um bought into the Plato's Closet here in Fredericksburg and then went in Charlotte's fill.

Speaker 2 2:22

Oh wow. So was the business already operating and you bought it from a previous operator?

Speaker 2:30

Yes. Uh this was the first Plato's Closet, I believe, in the area, in this area of uh Virginia that was opened by uh my husband's sister. And um, she was already existing. I was, I think it's like 20 years old now. Okay, or 23 maybe years old. It's it's been around for a while. And then the other one was the last store that she um opened in Charlottesville, and then so we were able to uh buy this store in one Charlottesville.

Speaker 2 2:57

Nice, nice. That helps knowing the history of the store when you're buying something like that. It can sometimes be pretty scary, but it that probably helped ease a little bit of your fears.

Speaker 3:09

Yes, having someone that can show us um how to run the business and had expertise definitely made it a little less scary than if going into it without any knowledge.

The Hard Truth About Ownership

Speaker 2 3:19

Yeah, yeah. So if someone listening is is inspired by this interview and they're thinking about starting a business or or buying buying an existing business, what advice would you give them?

Speaker 3:32

Um, I the advice I would give them is to not underestimate the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that goes into running a small business. It's rewarding in the fact that what you put in, you get out. However, just be prepared for the work that you do have to put in, that your time is not your own anymore, but the benefits do pay off in the end.

Speaker 2 3:53

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Blood, sweat, and tears. A lot of extra hours.

Speaker 3:59

Exactly, exactly.

For Profit And Still Sustainable

Speaker 2 4:01

Yeah, yeah. So do you find that there are any myths or misconceptions about your business that people have?

Speaker 4:10

I do. Uh one of the misconceptions is that we are not, we are for profit. We're not a charity, so we don't do donations. We actually pay for the items that customers bring in. So when they come into the store to bring in their items, if we're able to purchase them, we offer them cash. So we are for profit. But that being said, we are recycling clothing accessories so it's not going to landfills, and then our customers in the community can get a great price for stuff that they, you know, maybe they just like to shop secondhand, or maybe it's a financial reason they shop secondhand, but either way, um, the recycling bit of it, we do give money to the customer, but it also helps people in the community shop at a lower price.

Speaker 2 4:52

I imagine, and maybe I'm I'm wrong, maybe this is a misconception, but I imagine you get higher quality items, maybe more um brand name items than say, like a goodwill.

Speaker 5:05

We do. Uh we sometimes do get a mixture, uh, especially for customers who maybe are new to selling with us, maybe don't understand the process as much as um experienced sellers. However, we get a lot of great brands in the store, but we're we take all sorts of brands. We have all different price points. So we want to make sure we have something for every customer that walks in the door. The biggest driver of what we buy just depends on the condition that we can sell. We want to make sure it's something someone can walk in and it's not been damaged. It looks like they just you know bought it off the off the rack, basically.

Life Outside The Shop

Speaker 2 5:36

Nice, nice. I love that. So clearly, you work very hard on your business. So when you're not working, what are you doing for fun?

Speaker 5:46

So my husband and I are big sports fans. We love all kinds of sports. So we like to watch sports. If we're able to go to a sporting event, we do that. We also like to eat, hence why I don't like being like here. We enjoy our food. Um, and you know, we like to just go like window shop a lot too. We like to go to the outdoor malls and do that kind of stuff. But you know, our we don't have a lot of time to do those things, but that's what we like to do when we have the time. Yeah.

Speaker 2 6:11

And how long did you say you've lived in the Fredericksburg area now?

Speaker 6:14

So we've been back and forth between the two areas about the last five years between Startsville and here, but we permanently moved here, I would say about six months ago.

Speaker 2 6:23

Oh wow. So you're still in exploration mode.

Speaker 6:26

Yes, definitely.

Finding Food And Local Spots

Speaker 2 6:28

I love that. So what do you so far, what are what are some things that you um have you found any any favorite restaurants or what are you loving about Fredericksburg?

Speaker 6:37

We I'm gonna say it, we used to like to go just to local owned restaurants and we still like to do that, just having a hard time, obviously finding those being new to the area um and getting out and venturing, but we love Texas Roadhouse. It's like we know what we're getting every time we go there. Yeah, the servers are consistent. We just like to go there, but we have um ventured downtown a little bit, but I haven't had an opportunity to try a lot of local places, and that's really what I'd like to find more of here is the local spots to eat and the locally owned restaurants, is what I would like to explore more.

Speaker 2 7:12

Yeah, yeah. Well, you can't go wrong with Texas Birdhouse.

Speaker 7:16

I know, I know. And like I said, I love the smaller restaurants and the locally owned ones. I just I need help finding those right now, being new to the area.

Speaker 2 7:23

Yeah, they're mostly downtown. I feel like when you get out into Spotsylvania, into Stafford, you do find more of the chains. But um, yeah, downtown, there's some some um really great local spots and some some favorites would be I'd say Fahrenheit, Orofino, Locavore. Okay, those are those are three that everyone seems to love.

Speaker 7:45

Everyone seems to like have to check them out.

Speaker 2 7:47

Yeah, yeah. So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about Plato's Closet?

Speaker 7:55

Um, well, I think a lot of people have misconception or don't know that we are locally owned. We have Plato's Closet all over the United States, and there's some in Canada. However, each store um is individually owned. So when you shop with us and you support us, you're supporting a small business.

Speaker 2 8:11

Amazing. And if the listeners want to come check you out, if they want to connect with you, where can they find you?

Speaker 8:18

They can find us on TikTok and Instagram, and definitely inside our store, just stop on in. We're open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 to 6 on Sundays. And if they want to come in and sell with us, we're buying all the time. Uh, we don't limit our buying hours, we just open our buys from open to close. So if you want to come and see us and sell some clothes or just ask more questions, uh we're over at uh Central Parkway, uh 1621 Call of Duty Silver Parkway. Amazing. Amazing.

Speaker 2 8:48

Well, Kelly, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing Plato's Closet with us.

Speaker 8:54

Well, I appreciate you having me. And uh again, um, thank you so much. I'm excited to get to know Fredericksburg more. Thank you.

Speaker 1 9:02

Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXBG NeighborsPodcast.com.