Be Your Own Boss!

 
 
 

Kid's Closet
Connection Calling

Kid's Closet
Connection Story

 
Sharon and Chris Smitka are Kid's Closet Connection’s dynamic duo.  
 
What the couple started with one small, independent children’s consignment sale held in a Kansas City suburb in 2004, has grown into a nationally-franchised business with sales from coast-to-coast. (The Smitka's still own and operate the bi-annual sale in the Overland Park, Kan., Convention Center.)
 
Chris and Sharon’s top priority is family, and that is the cornerstone of Kid’s Closet Connection. While the Smitka's each use skills they developed in their successful engineering and business careers to nurture and grow Kid’s Closet Connection, Sharon and Chris create community and camaraderie around their sales.
Kid’s Closet Connection brings local communities together. These sales are a simple way of connecting people who want to SELL their outgrown gently-used children’s items – clothing, toys, strollers, furniture – to those who SHOP and buy those items at huge savings. 
Owners of Kid’s Closet Connection sales are responsible for securing a space, advertising and promoting the sale. This is an exciting business opportunity for individuals who are self-starters, community-oriented and entrepreneurial in spirit.
Our franchise fee of $6,000 is the lowest in the industry and as a respected Kid’s Closet Connection franchise, you will receive support, training and instant friendships with other franchisees. And, as a business owner, the self-directed work you put into cultivating your Kid’s Closet Connection sales affects your earning potential.

Our franchise fee of $6,000 includes:

  • Your personal website and contact management system
  • Fully integrated tagging, inventory management and virtual sales portal system
  • State-of-the art point-of-sale system
  • Easy to use resource and graphics gortal which includes new marketing campaigns for each sale season

 

At KCC, we want to keep as much money in the hands of our owners as possible so they can focus on investing in their business.  We do not charge any additional website fees, marketing fees or technology fees.  In addition, we have no upcharges on any promotional products.

Start your journey to becoming a part of the Kid's Closet Connection family of franchisers by filling out our

 FRANCHISE INQUIRY FORM

 

Benefits of Franchising

Like the families we help in our franchised communities,
Kid’s Closet Connection sales are healthy and growing.
Ours is an award-winning and fast-growing business,
and that’s because we are constantly listening to our
innovative family of franchisees and the feedback they receive
from shoppers and consignors at their events.
 .
 
 
By becoming part of our family of franchisees, you will:
 
• Be your own boss, which allows you to have national contacts, but host sales with autonomy. Leverage what you already do best: buying the best “on trend” stuff for your kids at tremendous savings.
• Receive instant recognition in a national marketplace, with resources of proven procedures and support staff. Our sixteen years of experience is incorporated into our extensive training and incredible support. We’ve already conquered the tough hills so why should you?
• Have a lower exposure to costly missteps, as you build your own franchise with an established business with a national reputation.
• Become part of a fiscally-responsible business, with low overhead, which means a lower up-front cash investment, without sacrificing value. There are no maintenance, marketing, website, online social media promotion, or hidden up-charges on branded materials.
• Network with other franchise owners on our dedicated Facebook owner’s page as well as on our routine conference calls and at our bi-annual conventions. 
• Take advantage of our highly adaptable model which gives you the control to set the fees you charge consignors at your event, the ability to conduct both in-person and virtual events and work around you and your family’s busy lifestyle.
• Utilize Kid’s Closet Connection’s proprietary and best-in-class tagging, consignor management and point-of-sale systems.
 
 
Check out our latest media clip from our flagship sale in Overland Park, KS
 
Kid’s Closet Connection is not only state-of-the-art, it also tends to the state-of-the heart, by caring about its franchisees, sellers, shoppers, helpers and community at large. Fill out our FRANCHISE INQUIRY FORM

 

 

 

Costs of Franchising

 

Of all the franchise business opportunities available to moms, Kid’s Closet Connection has one of the most affordable franchise fees.  Remember, our founder, Sharon Smitka, was a stay-at-home mom, too. Our franchise fee and the initial investment required have been kept within a range that is manageable for mothers who refuse to sacrifice time with their families for a career. 

 

The initial franchise fee for a KCC franchise is $6,000.  We feel our fee structure offers the best value in the industry and we would love the opportunity to explain why this is.  In addition to the franchise fee, there are other costs such as advertising and space rental that you will incur when operating your franchise.  As you can imagine, these costs can vary quite a bit, but the great thing is that much of this variation is under your control.  In addition to the franchise fee, you will need between $5,000-$7,000 to get your first event up and running.  A detailed breakdown of the costs involved in running your franchise will be covered during our phone interview process.

 

This is representative of what KCC franchise buyers can expect in terms of franchise fees and cash needed to acquire their own business. As with any business, additional investment will be required later to continue growing your kids clothing consignment sales.

 

For more details on franchising with Kid's Closet Connection please fill out our FRANCHISE INQUIRY FORM

Franchise Training

 

At Kid’s Closet Connection, we realize that our sales are not only FUND-raising for the franchise owners and the families that sell their unique gently-used items; we are also FUN-raising, because it just FEELS good to be engaged in the community through our sales and donating items to those who are in need.
After becoming part of the Kid’s Closet Connection fun-loving franchise family, you will be taken into the fold to receive training and make instant friendships with other franchisees. “We’re all in this together” is the members’ mantra as you step into being your own boss with support and materials that include:
 
An Operations Manual. All Kid’s Closet Connection franchise owners receive a comprehensive step-by-step procedural and practices manual for marketing and staging a successful Kid’s Closet Connection sale. The manual is based on over 15 years of experience and tried-and-true practices that come from staging sales.
• Extensive Training. Kid’s Closet Connection franchise owners will attend webinar and face-to-face training sessions that cover sale operations, targeted marketing, site selection, systems support, use of the KCC website and point-of-sale systems, effective merchandising and customer relations.
Networking within the Kid’s Closet Connection franchise family. All Kid’s Closet Connection franchise owners participate in regular discussion forums with each other via social media and conference calls. These regular forums are an opportunity to share ideas, with the bi-annual convention as a way to further friendships and receive additional business training through seminars. Kid’s Closet Connection founders Chris and Sharon Smitka are always available to talk with you and share ideas, since they still host the flagship sale, as they’ve been doing since 2004.
 
National reputation AND buying power. As a Kid’s Closet Connection sale owner, you not only have a respected reputation, you will have access to a national network of suppliers with recognized discounts for our many members. The ability to negotiate for services results in significant operational cost savings for all members in the network.
 

 

 

Before your Kid's Closet training can begin, you need to take the first step toward becoming a franchisee by filling out our FRANCHISE INQUIRY FORM

Territories Available

 

Existing Territories for Sale:

  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Columbia, MO
  • Sedalia, MO
  • Warrensburg, MO
  • Chester Co, PA
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • San Antonio, TX
  • Loudoun Co, VA

 Email franchises@kidscloset.biz for more information

New Territories for Sale:

Kid’s Closet Connection sales events can be successful in every geographical region and community - - whether urban or suburban. As a Kid’s Closet Connection franchise owner, you will have your very own territory, which is defined as a specific county or group of zip codes.  A typical territory will have a population between 100,000 and 400,000 people.

 

Request Franchise Information


Submitting this online application doesn’t constitute any type of agreement with Kid’s Closet Connection.