Shopping at the Clothes Mentor, Hills Plaza, 176 Rolling Ridge Dr., State College is a give and take adventure for many women.
Where else can you bring in your slightly used clothing, get paid for it and then shop among the items that come in daily?
Edie Binkley says that Clothes Mentor, although a franchise, is owner-operated. Edie has owned the store for five years.
“It’s the missing link”, said Edie. “There has been Kid to Kid for children and Plato’s Closet for teens, but now we have the adult women covered.”
The items you bring in to sell must be within the last two years in style. There are ways to verify that, according to Edie. There are dates on the tags and the vendors also change tags in different years. “Of course colors, hem lines and styles vary from year to year as well,” Edie explains. “We have clothing here from teens to senior women. So you can find pants with zippers or the ones with elastic waists — all in one place and from various manufacturers.”
The Clothes Mentor is providing a kind of recycling by keeping clothing in use and out of landfills.
“It is a good feeling to have a mother come in, receive money for her items and be able to go to Weis for groceries. You can shop at any of the other stores in the plaza, and only park once. Once in the Clothes Mentor, you can see many of your favorite designer labels in one place,” Binkley notes.
The owner is happy to be giving back to the community. She said she has been happy to provide coupons or other offerings when someone comes in with a request for a charity event.
There are frequent specials. For example on Memorial Day Weekend, the store was offering a “Little Black Bag” event which involved getting 25 percent off everything you placed in the little black bag the store provided. It sounds like lots of fun and a nice savings for those who attended.
Every Tuesday is Senior and Military Day. Both groups receive 15 percent off on Tuesdays.
Another nice feature of Clothes Mentor is that they stock items from all four seasons all the time. So if you’re heading for Florida in January, you may find shorts and other summer items at Clothes Mentor. That is not so easy in the Mall Stores.
Do you need maternity clothes? Those are available. Scrubs for the medical community are also offered at the Clothes Mentor. Need a book to take on vacation? You can stop by Clothes Mentor and pick one up.
Spring is a good time to check your wardrobe and pull out those things that may have been an impulse buy or just don’t fit quite right.
Binkley has 10 employees and their main objective is customer service. You are greeted when you come in and the employees are happy to help you assemble an outfit. Many students from the South Hills Business School have taken advantage of the 70 percent discounts at Clothes Mentor to put together business attire for an interview or other event.
Clothes Mentor has a kids’ area with toys and the store stocks candy and water for the customers. There are chairs where patient husbands and others can wait while the women shop.
“I have always wanted to help people,” Binkley says.
She said it is fulfilling when she can work with Bridge of Hope, The Women’s Resource Center, or the homeless. She has given vouchers for fire victims to get clothing and for other needs.
“To have a job that also helps the community and puts money back in the local economy is a source of satisfaction to me,” Binkley says.
