Exploring Life & Business with Lauren Manzer of My Sister’s Closet

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Manzer

Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Through out college my limited budget led me to shopping at thrift stores. Right away I fell in love with shopping second hand and the amazing deals you can find shopping this way. Once college ended, I applied for a job at a local consignment shop. The same day I found out I didn’t get the job, I decided on a whim to open up my own store. I created the Instagram page for our shop, started selling online, and within a month I got the keys to our first brick and mortar location.

The name of the shop was decided instantly. After growing up with sister’s and constantly borrowing their clothes, it was a running joke that I should open up a store called, “My Sister’s Closet”. So that is exactly what I did!

Currently, we sell online and ship all over the U.S. & our home base is right in my small home town of Middleville about 30 minutes outside of Grand Rapids.

This community and town is important to me because it is considered home for not only me, but my entire extended family as well. I live within walking distance from both of my sisters, my brother, one set of grandparents, and my parents as well.

I love how this store has provided the opportunity for us to bring trendy & affordable clothing to not only my home town, but to many other women around the world as well.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
So many doors were opened for this business to come together so quickly back in 2018, but there have still been many challenges along the way. Our first location was “in the middle of no where” as many of our customers would describe it. Being on your own as opposed to opening your business in an already established shopping area is not easy. We worked hard day in and day out to advertise our business & our customer’s helping spread the word was truly instrumental for us.

Selling second hand clothing proved to be it’s own challenge because there are people who love it, and there are people whose first choice would be buying new. We worked hard on our social media to spread the word about so many of the benefits that come along with thrifting. The goal of our shop has always been to be a thrift store with great prices, while having a boutique feel.

As you know, we’re big fans of My Sister’s Closet. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are an upscale thrift store that focuses on carrying current trends in amazing condition, and at prices that are hard to beat. We love good deals & we have frequent sales that usually leave our customers walking out the door with an arm full of clothes that costs less than one item they could purchase brand new.

The way that we look over each article of clothing to make sure it is in excellent condition really sets us apart. This attention to details keeps the quality of items in our store high, while also making it extra enjoyable for customers to shop with us.

We are proud of the way that we have been able to encourage women to shop second hand and make that their preferred way to shop.

Whether you visit us in person or follow us online, we hope to be a place that inspires you to be creative with your closet without breaking the bank.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Since we started this business 6 years ago, the second hand fashion industry has grown at a rapid pace & we believe it is only going to continue going in that direction.

Shopping second hand has become even more tangible and enjoyable for people through the growth of upscale thrift stores and consignment stores. These are the stores that are clean, curated & very affordable compared to what an item would cost brand new.

With the rate that the fast fashion industry continues to grow and produce clothing, we will never have a shortage of clothes to recycle and give a new life to at second hand stores.

Pricing:

• The average price of an item in our store is $8-16
• Our prices are a low as our $5 sale rack which is a customer favorite!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mscthrift.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mscthrift
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mysisterscloset.middleville
• Youtube: @LaurenManz – coming soon!