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Successful shop owner sharing her concept with other moms(Indianapolis Star, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 17--Kim Cassel looks like the girl next door, leaning up against the counter of Kids Kloset. But this petite mother who greets customers with a perky smile not so long ago was a high-ranking corporate retail vice president traveling the nation, spending long nights in hotels and rarely at home. Today, she has downsized. Instead of overseeing hundreds of stores, Cassel is the owner of one -- Kids Kloset, a resale/consignment shop for children. And gradually she's selling franchises of her store to create more locations. "It was so scary quitting my job, quitting my salary," said Cassel, who opened the Greenwood store in 1999. "I at least wanted to do something I loved." Today she is helping other women slow down their lives and do something they love -- by selling them franchises of Kids Kloset. "So many moms want to spend more time with their families, have flexibility and all that," she said. So far, Cassel has become the franchisor of a Castleton and Plainfield store, which opened in the past year-and- a-half. In March, a Brownsburg location will open. And Cassel plans to expand through franchising the entire state of Indiana from Franklin Township to Fort Wayne to Columbus. After that? "I really want to go nationally," said Cassel. States like Tennessee, Florida, Texas and Ohio are possibilities. The average price for a franchise ranges from $75,000 to $100,000. But the company isn't expanding just for the sake of growing. "We are going to take our time. We don't just want to be a numbers game," said John Stone, real estate broker for Kids Kloset with Baum Realty Group. The company would rather have a lower number of productive stores than a large number of stores that include unsuccessful locations. "It's still your name. You want to make sure every single one is successful," he said. So far, success has been rampant. Mothers flock to the stores to sell their gently used kids clothes and buy items they can't find anywhere else. "I like that you can get cute jeans for a 1-year-old without having to pay $15 for something they will outgrow (immediately)," said Sarah Holdeman, a Greenwood mother of three who was selling clothes last week. On the shelves at Kids Closet last week were a baby boy Gap coat for $12.99, $40 dance shoes for $8 and a new dresser for $325 that sells for $695 retail. What's attractive to customers is that inventory changes daily. Every time a customer brings in a new item the products change, Cassel said. And as customers come into the stores, many are so impressed they ask to buy a franchise. Cassel said she is picky. She wants to make sure those buying her stores aren't doing it just for an investment but because of a love for kids and retail. She wants the owners to be in the stores, greeting customers and working the cash register, just as she does. "I feel like it's my reputation," she said. "I want someone who really wants to build a great store for themselves." Gina Kilgore was a perfect catch to buy the Plainfield location. She had years of experience in retail from Gap to Mr. Bulky Treats & Gifts, where she worked with Cassel. "I found no matter where you went there was still a lot of pressure," said Kilgore, who relocated from Tennessee with her 11-year-old son in 2007 after buying the Plainfield store. "The flexibility with this is phenomenal. I've done the corporate thing." Women are finding that working doesn't necessarily mean sitting behind a desk, but can mean setting their own schedules by owning a business. In fact, females own 25 percent of the nation's franchised businesses, according to the International Franchise Association. Franchised businesses account for about 10 percent of the U.S. private-sector economy and play a great role in giving opportunities for business ownership to women and minorities, said the association's president Matthew Shay. Cassel is just one of them. But she hopes through franchising she can create many more. "I know there are women out there who would be perfect for this," she said. "It's a great way to do something you love and still spend time with the people who are important to you." KIDS KLOSET What: Children's resale/consignment shop that buys and sells gently used clothing, toys, shoes and more. It also sells new car seats and children's furniture. History: Owner Kim Cassel opened first store in 1999 in Greenwood. Today, two r franchisee-owned stores are located in Castleton and Plainfield, with a Brownsburg store set to open in March. Owner: Cassel, who was born and raised in the Greenwood area, worked for years in retail with companies like Lazarus, Hickory Farms and Mr. Bulky Treats & Gifts. She is married with an 18-month-old son. Franchise cost: Varies, but averages from $75,000 to $100,000. For information: E-mail Cassel at [email protected] or call the store, (317) 882-1821. SOME INFO ABOUT FRANCHISES --There are an estimated 760,000 franchised establishments in the United States. --Franchises create more than 18 million jobs annually in the U.S. and contribute $153 trillion to the economy. --20 percent of franchises are owned by minorities. --25 percent of franchises are owned by women. --There are more than 3,000 franchised brands that span 230 lines of business. --Franchise companies added 30,000 new establishments to the U.S. economy in 2006. --Health and fitness concepts experienced a 156 percent increase in the number of establishments between 2000 and 2006. Source: International Franchise Association To see more of The Indianapolis Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.IndyStar.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Indianapolis Star Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |