A new Clothes Mentor location will open next month in Virginia Center Station. Photos by Michael Thompson.
A former longtime Altria employee and his wife are once again growing their Richmond retail holdings.
Christian and Stephanie Tefel will open their second Clothes Mentor franchise at 1080 Virginia Center Parkway in Virginia Center Station. The Tefels have a five-year lease for 4,086-square-foot space and plan to open Aug. 12.
Clothes Mentor buys and sells high-end women’s clothes and accessories. Its model is similar to a consignment shop, but Clothes Mentor pays out for items upfront.
Christian Tefel got into retail in 2009 after working 14 years at Altria.
“I was in sales, then at headquarters for a couple of years, which is what really put me over the edge.” Tefel said. “I just always wanted to do my own thing,”
The Tefels formed 2015 Brands LLC and in 2010 bought into the Plato’s Closet clothing resale franchise with a store in Colonial Heights. Then in 2012, they opened Virginia’s first Clothes Mentor franchise in Short Pump, Tefel said.
“Virginia Center (Station) made a lot of sense because it’s very similar (to Short Pump),” he said.
Christian Tefel
Tefel said the population density, income levels, and number homeowners made Virginia Center Station an attractive area to do business.
There are 110 Clothes Mentors across the U.S. and five in Virginia. The two already operating in Richmond include the Tefels’ Short Pump location and a Southside location opened last year by Kimberly Solomon.
The stores resell handbag brands like Coach, Michael Kors and Louis Vuitton. Apparel brands include Ann Taylor, J. Crew, Polo, and Lilly Pulitzer.
Tefel said about a third of his business comes from the sale of designer handbags and accessories.
Startup costs for the new Virginia Center store will run about $250,000, Tefel said. The couple is partly financing the venture with a loan from Woodforest National Bank.
“Everything that we have has been leveraged to make these things successful,” Tefel said. “When I saw how successful (the Short Pump Clothes Mentor) was after the first six to 10 months, I said, ‘I’m going to open another one when I can afford it.’”
They are also looking beyond a third store and potentially into brands other than Clothes Mentor.
“Between the three locations, my goal for 2015 is $2 million (in sales),” Tefel said. “I’d like to continue to diversify and look at other avenues.”
A new Clothes Mentor location will open next month in Virginia Center Station. Photos by Michael Thompson.
A former longtime Altria employee and his wife are once again growing their Richmond retail holdings.
Christian and Stephanie Tefel will open their second Clothes Mentor franchise at 1080 Virginia Center Parkway in Virginia Center Station. The Tefels have a five-year lease for 4,086-square-foot space and plan to open Aug. 12.
Clothes Mentor buys and sells high-end women’s clothes and accessories. Its model is similar to a consignment shop, but Clothes Mentor pays out for items upfront.
Christian Tefel got into retail in 2009 after working 14 years at Altria.
“I was in sales, then at headquarters for a couple of years, which is what really put me over the edge.” Tefel said. “I just always wanted to do my own thing,”
The Tefels formed 2015 Brands LLC and in 2010 bought into the Plato’s Closet clothing resale franchise with a store in Colonial Heights. Then in 2012, they opened Virginia’s first Clothes Mentor franchise in Short Pump, Tefel said.
“Virginia Center (Station) made a lot of sense because it’s very similar (to Short Pump),” he said.
Christian Tefel
Tefel said the population density, income levels, and number homeowners made Virginia Center Station an attractive area to do business.
There are 110 Clothes Mentors across the U.S. and five in Virginia. The two already operating in Richmond include the Tefels’ Short Pump location and a Southside location opened last year by Kimberly Solomon.
The stores resell handbag brands like Coach, Michael Kors and Louis Vuitton. Apparel brands include Ann Taylor, J. Crew, Polo, and Lilly Pulitzer.
Tefel said about a third of his business comes from the sale of designer handbags and accessories.
Startup costs for the new Virginia Center store will run about $250,000, Tefel said. The couple is partly financing the venture with a loan from Woodforest National Bank.
“Everything that we have has been leveraged to make these things successful,” Tefel said. “When I saw how successful (the Short Pump Clothes Mentor) was after the first six to 10 months, I said, ‘I’m going to open another one when I can afford it.’”
They are also looking beyond a third store and potentially into brands other than Clothes Mentor.
“Between the three locations, my goal for 2015 is $2 million (in sales),” Tefel said. “I’d like to continue to diversify and look at other avenues.”
Congratulations to Christian and Stephanie!