Plato’s Closet started in 1998 in Ohio when the Blum family decided to open up a store to buy and sell gently used teen clothes.

The name Plato’s Closet is for the philosopher, who was a proponent of recycling.

More than a decade later, the store has landed in Boynton Beach, 701 N. Congress Ave., and it couldn’t come at a better time, as the stock market sinks below 9,000 and the unemployment rate is just more than 9 percent.

Plato’s Closet is currently only buying clothes until Aug. 6, its grand opening, said Heather Kay, store manage and part owner.

Plato’s buys and sells all brands from Abercrombie, American Eagle and Express, to Bebe, Gap and Lucky Jeans.

Kay said they buy dresses, skirts, jeans, shirts, belts, shoes and sneakers.
She said with most people trying just to scrape together a few bucks, she sees about 50 people come in every day to sell items.

Kay said the store sells most clothes at almost 70 percent less than retail and that sellers get 33 percent of that.

“In simple terms, you get back about 1/10 or what you paid for your items but it is better then donating them,” she said.

For information, call 561-369-3550.

Read more about this story in the special Recession Relief issue of the Boynton Forum on July 29.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.