Used goods stores flourish in the metro-east
The Play It Again Sports, Once Upon A Child and Plato’s Closet franchises in the metro-east sell what the parent company describes as safe, quality, used merchandise that might have been dumped in a landfill. Winmark Corp. of Minneapolis, which can trace its roots to almost 25 years ago, oversees the local companies. “We’re a franchising company,” said Winmark Vice President of Marketing Merry Beth Hovey. “Our customers are our vendors.
We have a tight relationship with the community and neighborhoods. … You just don’t want to fill landfills with leftover stuff.” Play It Again Sports was the company’s first unit and was founded in 1983. It gives consumers the chance to sell, trade or consign their quality used sports equipment. Today, there are about 400 locations in the United States and Canada. Deena Fowler owns the store at 2015 W. Highway 50 in O’Fallon.
“I think, for one thing, we pride ourselves in customer service,” Fowler said. “Our employees know sports and sports equipment. They are able to help customers whether they want to outfit their child for hockey or whether they’re wanting to take up golf or whether they’re looking for a piece of exercise equipment to give optimum or maximum workout for their money, my employees know how to do that.
Secondly, we offer new and used equipment.” With used equipment, parents can outfit children for about half the cost of new equipment, she said. “We pride ourselves as being a neighborhood sporting goods store,” she said. Hovey said Play It Again Sports was started by a woman who attempted to become the next best camper and bought camping and backpacking equipment. When she realized that it wasn’t for her, she started selling her used goods. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of that venture.