Sacred Heart University Fashion club hosted an event this month. This was to benefit Dress for Success which helps women have the appropriate clothes for an interview or a job. Threads on Treads came to the school and purchased gently-used clothes for money or credit towards new clothes. Whatever they did not take was donated to Dress for Success. This event brought the whole school together to benefit a great cause. This event also helped people clean out their closets. Kathy started this awesome business on her own and looks to keep it growing and growing.
Name: Kathy Muro
Role: Business owner, Threads on Treads
CollegeFashionista: What inspired you to come up with this business?
Kathy Muro: My inspiration for the business grew out of a love for thrift shopping that I share with my two college-aged daughters. We were constantly searching for shopping venues for cool, recycled and repurposed fashion items. The resources we found were often in inconvenient locations and disorganized. We started brainstorming about what our ideal shopping scenario would look like. It occurred to us that a mobile thrift shop would be a great option for college students, especially as a recurring event. Additionally, we felt that participating in open air markets, flea markets and farmer’s markets would be a great complement when weather permits.Â
CF: How does it work?
KM: We buy, sell and trade clothing. Our buyers pay 25 percent in cash or 50 percent in credit to shop in our store, based on what we feel we can sell the item for.Â
CF: What makes you different from the rest?
KM: I think what differentiates us from other vendors is that we come to our customers. We will publish our schedule of events on our Facebook page and on the blog on our website. We also are quite particular about what we buy. It has to be fashion relevant and in good condition. We want a balanced inventory of new, vintage and repurposed items that are organized in an attractive manner while maintaining an attractive price point.
CF: Do you have any advice for someone who would like to start their own business?
KM: In terms of advice to an aspiring entrepreneur, I would say, don’t be afraid to start small. So many people with great ideas never follow through on them because they get overwhelmed by the enormity of the project. The advantage of starting small and implementing your idea incrementally is that you have time to refine your idea and your plan. Also, if you can partner or intern with a small business owner whose business you take an interest in, you can learn a great deal about running a business and may even get yourself a job offer.
Learn more: Some of the stuff that you can get from this amazing company is Vintage flannels, boots and graphic T-shirts. You can visit her website threadsontreads.com. If you would like to host an event like this on your campus, please do not hesitate to reach out!
